The law of motion in practicality

Inertia: the poem

“My sister runs

I plod

My brother ranches

I garden

My older sisters do budgets and payrolls

I count cats in the barn

My younger brothers are bigger than me

I can still touch my toes to my nose

My daughters play beautiful stringed instruments 

I pound the piano

My husband leaves for work before the sun rises

I push through the pain to get out of bed

My dog cries to come in the house

I cry because I feel alone”

   –by self 5-4-17
Sometimes we need the pull of nature’s duty to rise in the middle of the night. Other times inertia calls to the eminent crash at the end of the sidewalk as the child does not know how to break on the bicycle yet!  We all watch these types of videos over and over, laughing our fool heads off. 

What gets me moving isn’t the same thing that gets you going.  Or is it?

“Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/col.1.17.esv

Beyond launching into the theoretical physics explanatuin of God’s existence, how do I know that Christ is the glue of all things?  My belief in the power of words is what drives me to journal my life events. 

My sister that runs has grown into one of the most beautiful women I know.  I could tease her that the weight of spouse or children might mar that image, but having an eye witness view to her growth has me in awe as to the power of our Lord’s inertia in her life. She has run marathons, half marathons and climbed corporate ladders. Yet her smile just gets brighter everyday. It’s sometimes hard to believe that she is the tail-end of our family of six siblings. I believe her growing up as the second child in the years of my Mother’s single parenting days showed Natalie that she could do anything with the strength of Christ. 

My oldest younger brother has been on the receiving end of family dispute for nearly twelve years now. It amazes me that he has developed reputation and gentlemanliness virtually on his own.  My parents divorce as he entered his last two years of high school made him a child of the community. And he had adopted parents and grandparents along with aunts and uncles in extended family that raised him to who he is today.  Being such a gap in years from the first three to the last two, Wade fills in that void with boots that are larger than life.  

When our eldest daughter spoke her desires for a violin for her third birthday, we had no idea what catalyst it would become for our family’s “childhood” days.  Years of nursing home visits turned into years of chamber group practices.  Both girls were gifted with scholarships during college and now spend many spare weekends playing for weddings.  All those years I spent “pounding the piano” -my dad’s words- has brought music to far more ears than his unappreciative comments.  That is the law of inertia in full motion.  


When I first began thinking about this law of inertia, I was struggling with a quilting dilemma.  My second daughter had helped me get the pieces ready and having nearly completed all 18 strips, I was propelled into a faster pace by attending her camp ladies craft weekend.  My sewing machine did not keep up with my creative foe and after 22 years of service to our family broke under the burden if denim quilt.  

How could the ball keep rolling (so to speak) on this project? I was stuck at nine strips of twisted and wondered, what would become of this snowball” now?Shortly after accepting my sister’s machine into my world, I was once again stuck on a creative struggle.  

I decided to take a walk that day. For the first time in sixteen years of living in this country home I walked the section. Four miles.  I plodded with my dog Seymour much in front of me.  During that walk the God of creation visited with me.  I believe that with all my heart. For just as I thought about inertia and getting-the-ball-rolling, it also occurred to me that perhaps I could roll my quilt up and continue working on it that way. Just like on the quilting rake, the large and heavy quilt would be more manageable.  

Today the end of the sidewalk arrived and I didn’t even crash!  The five month quilting project is complete. But there are many other projects that are snow-balling. The greenhouse has been on maintenance mode as I finished the sewing up. The outside garden is planted and awaiting the sunshine to rise out of the dirt.  I know that God’s creative power is still available for those of us who love to craft.  

As our family dynamic changes through the years, I am glad that Christ is the stitching that holds us together. My siblings and I all seem to know just whose turn it id to take care of which parent. And without fighting!  We seem to find ways to celebrate each other’s milestones with joy and gratefulness.