Leaky Faucet

My grandpa has a saying anytime he sees someone crying. It comes in various forms, but it always includes the word, "waterworks." Generally it is something like, "why the waterworks" or "turn off the waterworks," etc.

Today was one of those days when I couldn't seem to "turn off the waterworks." It was supposed to be a great day. I was going out to a village that I loved the first time when I visited and I was getting to teach women about the importance of them sharing their Light. However, at every conservable turn and juncture, things just weren't working right.

For example:

• My eye was hurting…bad. I must have really irritated it the last time I took out my contact because it hurt to keep it open. (For Mom and Dad's benefit—it was like the time I had trouble in Iowa at the balloon launch.)
• I was trying to wrap myself in a sari, but couldn't. Not really that big of a surprise, but I thought maybe I could figure it out. Wrong.
• We traveled on a very bumpy road in a car with not too great of shocks for about 2 hours.
• We arrived and this country was being, well, this country.
• And then, I hit my head on a doorframe that is a perfectly good height for the people of this country, but is entirely too short for me! I always feel like an idiot when I hit my head because I should know my now and should have hit my head enough times to remember to look! Then you have short people telling you to watch your head all time. Truly, I appreciate the concern and help, but at this point I am well aware of the problem and can see the doorframe even better than they can. (Shorter people, please do not be offended by this. Honestly, I do appreciate it, but in the heat of the moment, it doesn't come across that way.)

At this moment, the waterworks started. They quickly turned into sobs as I huddled in the outhouse squatty potty that everyone here insists on calling a toilet. Really, I thought a toilet was the porcelain throne, but I guess all things that serve that purpose are toilets. Anyway, I cried for a while and then when I thought I had it under control, I went back to the house.

Unfortunately, even though I tried to stop the waterworks, I seemed to have a leaky faucet. By this time we had made it to the place we were meeting and I was standing in the back of the room watching 30 or so women sitting on the floor praising their Maker. I'm not sure what it was. No one said anything mean. No one even looked at me, but all of the sudden I was crying. Not just gentle tears, but the shoulder shaking ones. I stepped out and tried to again stop the waterworks. During all this, I had an audience of three South Asian children who were looking at me very strange. I'm sure they were wondering why this white girl was crying. I was wondering the same thing. After a few minutes, I had put a plug in it and went back into the meeting.

The plug turned out only to be temporary because the leaky faucet started again. It was like once the faucet was on, I couldn't turn it off. Again, I'm not sure quite why I was crying. It could have been the music these women were making. It was absolutely beautiful. It could have been that the drums playing transported me back to Africa and the believers praising there. It could have been that that made me miss them or miss Mom or miss something. I'm not really sure, but I found myself losing it and just standing there letting the tears flow and the shoulders shake.

At this point, it was time for us to go upfront and talk to these women. Keep in mind my current state. I needed caulk, glue, corks, whatever it takes to stop the leak and I needed it fast! I had to stop this leaky faucet. Thankfully, the Father is gracious and He put a cork in it for me. He even gave me some relief from my eye pain. We had a great session. The women were wonderful. Gsd is good.

Is it just me or do you ever have days like this?

I guess at this point I should tell you not every day is like this. Nonetheless, sometimes it just happens. The water pressure that results from what I see and hear on a daily basis sometimes just needs to explode out and cause a leaky faucet. I always feel better after I finish releasing the water pressure. Gsd is still always good.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LsRD has been good to you.
For you, O LsRD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the LsRD
in the land of the living."
Psalm 116:7-9