“Hot pay-shuntz, hot pay-shuntz” so sang little grandson Josh. Blond, always smiling, Josh talked early and sang from the moment he talked. He must have been around three when he sang:‘Hot-payshuntz, hot payshuntz, don’t be in such a hurry. When you get im-payshunt, you only start to worry. Remember, remember God is pay-shunt, too. And think of all the times when others had to wait for you!’ Of course my other grandchildren were equally precocious and talented. And the great-grands are showing even more promise!
I don’t know whether it’s a case of the double 8’s, or whether being shut-in due to Covid has aggravated it, but I’m having a hard time with im-pay-shuntz. Impatience with myself and with others. It carries the side effects of grumpiness, depression and being miserable company. The Bible does not say patience is a virtue in exactly those word, but it says it in comparable words in many places. It is one of the Fruits of the Spirit. And there are many other references to the fact that patience should be practiced. I really should work on it. If impatience is a sin, I’m grateful for the absolution I receive weekly.
I am so impatient with my memory. I get really annoyed with myself! When I want to recall something, I want to remember it now. Instead, my memory bank is like the cloud. I can remember seeing it, and I know I saved it. Or did I delete by mistake? What did I name it? Where did I file it? And, that file for names? Did I put it under their first name or their last? Or maybe their age or where they were from? Or when I knew them? I spend so much time trying to remember! It would help me if everyone wore their name-tag. I wear mine even when I’m alone in my apartment – just in case. I hate to spend so much time trying to remember any number of things. Time that could be spent on more important things. Like Facebook or Free Cell. Or maybe something really important like organizing the thousands of pictures I have in Google photos. I can’t remember which is most important. Often, I can’t remember why I thought I should remember it today. Important stuff, like who drafted the Constitution and how many times it was revised before it was adopted. Even more important, names of the states, in alphabetical order. Necessary in the Insomnia Games. And books of the Bible. And when did I have surgery on my knee? And what did I order for dinner tomorrow? And who is having a birthday or anniversary this week? Is it too late to buy and mail a card or is it email again? Is it time to write a Little Story for the Grapevine? What did I say last time?
It would be nice if I could purge my memory files and get rid of the junk. Do I really need to remember every address and telephone number we ever had? Maybe I could exchange those for passwords I need all the time but can’t remember. And something really practical, maybe instead of remembering the calorie count of every food known to man, I could remember what they look like when I’m wearing them. One thing I always try remember: how important my friends and family are. How much they mean to me. Father, give me the patience to always think before I send.
Tess Todd
Comments are closed