Of Rocks and Families

Ever have one of those weeks

Where so much happened in just a matter of days,

You wondered how that amount of living

Could’ve fit into a small space of time?

Well, that’s how I feel…

And here’s how it went:

A little over two weeks ago,

Mr. Wonderful answered to jury duty.

He came home that first day

Hoping he wouldn’t have to return the next.

But he did.

And his company in Aurora, Colorado

Was not happy about his missing work.

But he had no choice, as you know

If you’ve ever been chosen for jury duty.

Then, on Day Two,

Mr W came home a somber man.

He said,

“I’ll never discuss this case with you,

Even after it’s over.”

When I guessed at which high profile case

Was currently in the papers,

His reply was,

“You can’t ask me that.”

Then I knew I was right.

But I didn’t ask him about it.

Instead, I pulled him in close and said,

“Be a blessing to that family.”

It was a criminal case involving the

Horrible murder of a special-needs young man

By two positively evil people,

whom this young man trusted as friends.

Because special-needs beings are so

Trusting and naïve,

They give trust where none is deserved.

The impact of Mr W’s call to the jury would impact our family

In more than financial ways.

So much more.

Since I knew I would need to work some through this,

I met up with a gal I know a little bit from church

Who owns a house cleaning service

And was offered a job on the spot

In Albertsons, no less.

Then I got really sick,

And couldn’t start until this past Wednesday.

But she was patient,

And happy to have me on board.

So I began on Wednesday

To clean other people’s houses.

The shoe was on the other foot

For me.

See, I’ve had housecleaners over the years,

But I’ve never cleaned professionally before.

This was a new experience!

I was as excited about trying something new,

As I was about earning a little extra cash

While Mr W was on the jury.

In the past three days,

I’ve cleaned mansions on hillsides,

And a historic mansion in downtown Colorado Springs.

I’ve mopped floors for executives,

And Air Force Colonels,

Historians,

Ministers,

And working mothers.

Some homes are right outta

House Beautiful,

With fantastic views and gilded-gold-everythings

And some are just namby-pamby-mish-mashed

ordinary homes.

But, I felt privileged to be invited inside.

To wash and wax,

To fold and tuck,

To serve,

Even if it was for my own gain,

It still blessed my life.

The one thing all of those houses

Have in common is this:
Family.

Old photos, framed with care,

Of grand parents

And new photos of
families, weddings, grandbabies

Of days gone by,

all carefully displayed.

Letters and notes stuck on fridges

And nightstands,

Of “I love you-s”…

From little ones’ crayons

To big ones’ cursive.

So easy to see where hearts are knit together.

So affirming to me of the strength that is

Found in Family.

Whereas  Mr. Wonderful spent 14 days

Listening to testimonies of degradation

And violence that two men learned

In their families,

And how that life experience led them to the

Choices they’ve made,

Ruining their own lives,

Impacting an innocent family—

I was out in the world

Experiencing another kind of

Familial Love.

Mr W said that the victim’s father sat in the courtroom

every minute of every day for the entirety.

Even when the victim’s brother had to leave the courtroom

in frustration and fury,

and the victim’s mother had to leave with her grief-drenched heart

so as to avoid hearing the details of her son’s gruesome last moments.

The father stayed.

He sat there
and he listened
and he looked
at the evidence,
every bit of it.
Can you even imagine?

Mr. W met the father one morning in the hallway—

Just the two of them there,

The father smiled at Mr W. and said

“Good Morning.”

Mr. W. said he felt the Spirit wash over him,

“You’re here to bring comfort to him.”

Leaving no doubt in his heart that he was

where he was supposed to be.

No matter the financial burden that our family

might endure.

This was meant to be.

This past week was a long one.

Mr W did not discuss the case with me

until today, guarding my heart

because I am the mother of a special-needs son.

Today, the defendant was sentenced to

Two consecutive Life sentences

Plus 32 years.

No parole. Ever.

Guilty on 7 counts.

The defendant’s family wept openly.

The defendant stood alone in his sin.

The victim’s family wept openly too.

For their boy.

For justice fought for and won.

And Mr W wept to himself.

The weight of the moment was not lost on him

or the rest of the jury.

And now, we’re left to see if we can spit-shine

The dust off the experiences we’ve had this week…

Mr. W says he learned that the fight between Good vs. Evil is real—

And it’s not just “out there”

Its in our backyard.

And the Prophets are right and true—

There’s a battle going on for the souls of men,

And those battles start in the Family.

And I learned that it’s good to get out of my little

Cocooned world.

To try a new skill,

And not be ashamed to scrub toilets,

Or wax floors of total strangers--
that work is work and is good for us all.

Joseph asked me on Wednesday night if

I am a “maid”.

“I guess so.” I said.

Right about that time,

The phone rang, and it was my longtime friend and home staging partner,

Kelly.

She asked how my first day went.

“I am beat! It’s like speed-cleaning!” I replied.

Then she asked if I wanted another job.
So my maid-days were short-lived.

I’ll be working with Karen Jones at her brand new

All About Home Interior Design Center.

My dream job.

Total Apple Pie for me.

I start Monday.

So our rocks have been tumbled about,

Smoothing out the rough spots of ignorance,

Knocking off the high bumps of pride,

Polishing our Spirits in knowledge.

We see things differently today

than we did just 14 days ago.
I hope we're never the same.