A Novel

And so the story goes: alarm goes off, snooze, okay snooze a couple of times, prepare for the day, start the day, chaos of work triggers anxieties, anxieties trigger needs, walk to store for a sweet treat, back to work, tension, times up, collect belongings, run to sporting event, refs are terrible, yelling ensues, team does not get the W, sad and angry kids, drive home unpleasant, food preparation?, food thoughts?, the peanut gallery has differing opinions, neither happy with the final choice, time nearer 8, play about to start, intermission conversations cordial, conversations trigger a memory, anxiety over this memory of work not completed, the final bows, what happened in the second half?, pleasantries during meet the actors, drive home filled with anxiety, preparations for bed,  alarm set, lay awake, toss, turn, clock says 3am, alarm goes off, snooze...and so it begins again.  The packed days, no time for prayer, no time for silence, no time for meditation so does that mean no time for God?  Can we alter the storyline?  Many would say no for work is what it is, we must not let societal demands decide our story; rather we must aline ourselves with God.  We are not talking 2 hour blocks of wandering mind and thoughtless meditation.  When brushing teeth, listen, not to the mind but rather the heart; what is do saying, how about just saying “thank you” to God?  In the car, on the drive to work, think not about the have to’s of the day, think rather of a closeness, a love, a promise to never be alone.  Feel, offer a, “Don’t know what to say or feel but I am listening”.  On the walk from the car to the office, a deep, cleansing breath, not a heavy sigh but rather a purpose-filled breath reaching beyond the anxieties of the day too hold on to the tenderness of the moment allowing God to embrace this moment.  While the microwave is counting down, clear the mind and listen to the soul; listen and speak nothing.  The ride from the office to the ball field, music playing but only half listening for a feeling a gratitude overtakes the moment.  The yelling, the screaming, the poor officiating at the ball field antagonizes not the heart for it is overcome with love.  A simple, “Thank you” precedes a smile; a genuine smile.  Noise is not being shouted, words heard as the kids buckle, a freedom, a wholeness, a difference.  Preparations for bed, another, “Thank you”, for words lost among feelings, lost among a wholeness of love.  This just one day, image the novel written over a lifetime of moments; a lifetime of claimed moments; a lifetime shared with the Father?