Survival of the Not-so-Fit

Well, we didn't make it. Yesterday afternoon the sky grew wonderfully dark. The wind picked up. The temperature dropped. And...well, that was it. Until over an hour later when the sky cleared and just enough of what I understand is referred to as "rain" fell to make my car dirtier than it was. With that brief moment of hope, the anticipation of folks all over the "metroplex" (as these wannabe city dwellers call the Dallas/Fort Worth area) collapsed. For we didn't break the record. In 1980, there were 42 straight days of over 100 degree temperatures. Now 31 years later, we fell just short: 40 days.

Now I know what it must have been like for Noah with rain falling for 40 days and 40 nights. Only I can't remember what rain looks like. (And I'm just about serious: Haley and I watched a movie last week and it was raining. It looked really weird.) But I certainly know what temperatures over 100 are like. Day in and day out. They are draining. And exhausting. And irritating. And hopeless. And almost make me cry. Yesterday it hit but 98, and it felt like I needed a jacket. But no worries. Today it will reach well over 100. Just as it will on Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday, and...you get the picture. In fact, I can honestly say I don't have much hope that autumn will ever arrive. Let alone winter. And now I think I'm going to cry again...

I decided today when I stepped outside and just about melted that evolution can't possibly exist. Otherwise I would have evolved into a withered prune by now.

But on the up side, I have kids in my life again. It's been two years since kids have lightened my days, and I'm so excited I couldn't get to sleep Wednesday night. I was asked by the leaders at church to teach the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders on Wednesday evenings. And I didn't think twice about saying yes, even if it means long Wednesdays and lots of miles on my car. It's more than worth four kids who make my life and all its adult "issues" go away for one hour. This Wednesday I learned that the battle of Jericho is the best story in all of Scripture because a whole city gets demolished. (And what is cooler than that to 8 and 10 year old boys?) Or there is a shark called the "goblin shark" and, yes, it is quite ugly. (Had to Google it...) And that Kate loves the story of Noah's Ark not because of all the animals (as most 8-year-old girls would), but because a whole family worked together and God saved them. Somewhere in the midst of everything I learned, I hope God used me to teach the kids something. I also hope they enjoy our Wednesday evenings together because I intend to have a blast!