Foundations...

So, we moved into a house in Omaha last year after our departure from Charlotte. One of the things we looked for was a neighborhood with lots of kids. That was certainly one of our main priorities, as least from my perspective. Well, we were very successful in that regard as we have neighbor kids coming out of the woodwork most days. They must breed like rabbits around here, because they are everywhere. They just keep coming. The cool thing is that it appears they like to be at our place, so at least we know where our kids are. One of the things they like about our house, apparently, is the backyard. We have a pretty good-sized backyard. At the very back of the yard is a landscaped area where the previous owner built a storage shed, a small pond, and a wooden playset area. The playset is built nicely, and is built in a giant sandpit. Well, as a dad, I hate sand. Gets everywhere, ya know? We lived in Florida for a while and I had my fill of sand there. In the cars, in the house, every-stinkin'-place. So the sandpit is not one of my favorite things. However, the kids love it, and I love my kids, so by default, I must love it also, right? Anyway, the whole area is landscaped with landscape pavers, so there are some pretty extensive walls and such. If I were guessing, I'd say a couple thousand dollars went into the pavers alone, so it is pretty extensive. The yard is sloped a bit, so the walls are at different levels. The previous owner was a single mom for whatever reason, and apparently she did most of the work around the house. I'm not sure I would have tackled this project myself, but she did. God bless her. Well, the pond is in need of some work. Serious work. The wall that separates the pond from the play area is about 6 or 7 levels high. It's been leaning a bit lately. The problem? No real foundation layer. Seems as though she started the wall and did a pretty good job all the way around, except where the wall meets the sand in the play area. And, the pond tends to overflow with heavy rains, so when it does overflow, the water runs down to the play area. And the play area is built on? You guessed it. Sand. We know what happens when water meets sand. In fact, unless we are talking about the Sandman, Spidey's latest villain, water always wins. So the main part of one of the walls was built on sand. After we moved in, I noticed it was leaning a bit. Bad foundation. Up top, around the pond, lies a lot of decorative slate. Used all around the pond, and inside the wall. Apparently, at some point, some pieces of the slate were used to prop up the foundation-less portion of the wall. Bad idea. Foundations built on sand? Bad idea. Heavy paver walls propped up with pieces of slate? Another bad idea. You know where this is going.

A few weeks ago, I had the bright idea that Christian (my oldest son for those who don't know...just turned 13 in April...new teenager) and I would rebuild the wall. It would be a teaching moment. Teaching my son about foundations while actually rebuilding a bad one? Brilliant! Actually having him help me with the work? Even more brilliant! Having him do the work while I lounged on the deck with my beautiful wife would have been even more brilliant. So, anyway we've been kind of planing on doing it for a few weeks now. Well, for various reasons, we kept getting pushed back. Until yesterday. You see, for some reason, Nebraska has weather "events". In the winter, we are blessed with blizzards. In the spring? Ahhh, the spring brings severe weather. Severe thunderstorms. Occasionally loaded with hail. Sometimes, tornadic activity. Robin loves it here in the spring! For me, it always brings the return of – Robin Laney, Meteorologist! And this past weekend? Torrential rain. I mean, keep you awake at night it's so stinkin' loud kind of rain. And did I mention hail? Well, this weekend we were welcomed back to the plains with a little severe weather. Not so much as the poor folks in Greensburg Ks. God bless that poor town. Tornadoes destroyed 95% of that town. What must that be like? And I sometimes I think I have problems? Anyway, this was a typical Nebraska, spring, severe weather weekend. There is a golf course just east of our housing subdivision that now has new water hazards. Not good. So back to the wall. Well, it was leaning. Before the weekend, it had a little top-heavy lean going on. Well, with the opening of the skies this weekend, the wall came down. The forecast for the remainder of the week? You guessed it. More rain. So if I want the play area to become the new home of the pond, I would just do nothing. Didn't want that. So yesterday after we got home from our downtown activities, Christian and I set out to rebuild the wall. New foundation. You see, Christian is 13. Brand new teenager. A little too late to build a foundation for him. But hopefully, Robin and I have done our job and the foundation has already been built. He's 13 ya know. Tough years ahead, but great years so far. Now I am of the belief that those early years are the foundation building years. I could be wrong. Lord knows I'm wrong more than I'm right. At least according to my new teenager. So, we set out to re-build the wall. Of course it starts raining again. Not as hard this time. But enough for me to question whether or not we should continue. We do. Now for those who don't know Christian...let's see...how can I put this delicately? I can't. He talks a lot. I mean a lot. Hey, he has a lot to say. Always has. So when I'm trying to determine how we are gong to piece this wall back together, he has lots of ideas on how it should happen. But being the bullheaded one that I am, I have my own ideas. The wall wasn't really constructed correctly in the first place. But like I said, I don't know if I would have taken on this project, so I give her credit to the utmost degree. She really did a pretty good job overall. Just a bad foundation on this one part. So it's raining. I dig out the area where we are going to rebuild the foundation. I get a little sand in there for leveling purposes. The nice thing about this project? No trips to Lowes or Home Depot. Everything I need is right there. Sand? Check. Pavers? Check. Shovels? Check. Good help? Labor? Check. Christian is on the job with me. Talking. :)

So, after what seems like a good while, we have the foundation layer ready to go. Actually, it probably only took us about half an hour. Then we start rebuilding the wall. One paver at a time. One at a time ensuring all the pavers are level. Backfilling the dirt that washed out. It goes pretty quickly. Christian is his normal, wacky self. And did I mention talkative? So, part of the deal for me here is to figure out how to now continue to develop on the foundation that God has built in Christian. This kid is really smart. I'm not saying that from a purely fatherly perspective. I really mean it. If you can get past the wacky, 13-year-old exterior, he is a brilliant kid. Reads all the time. I mean all the time. He's a pretty normal boy. In fact, he's about to buy a new door for the downstairs bathroom. Seems he put a foot through the door while horsing around with Nick. Came clean the other night. The point is he's pretty normal. And I think he has a great foundation. Time will tell.

Here's one thing I don't understand. Or maybe I do, I just don't get it. I see guys that are homeless every Sunday. All ages. Some as young as 20. 20 years old and homeless!! How? How does a 20-year-old become homeless? Where are the parents? How does anyone become homeless? Well, that can't be answered here. I mean the reasons are endless. 20 and homeless? Christian is 13. That's only a seven-year difference. How does that happen? Where's the foundation? It's a tough job. Any parent knows that. It's easy to be complacent and occasionally disregard the building that needs to take place. The constant construction. It's pretty easy to develop a relationship with your own kids. I mean, they really have no choice for at least the first 18 years or so. Now the teenage years can be different, or so I'm told. I'm just getting there. It is, however, the very definition of a "captive" audience. And after that, you just hope and pray that with God's help you've laid a foundation that will carry them.

So, for us, the foundation is being laid for a ministry here that will someday carry a few folks to places they may not have known. Carry us to places we may not have known. Or take them home, wherever home may be. And to be sure, it has nothing to do with us. We can only hope and pray and be there for the guys that have now come to expect us to be there. I met a guy named Earl yesterday. Earl is from New Orleans. Arrived in Omaha via Seattle? Who knows? He's staying at the Open Door Mission. Most of my time yesterday was spent chatting with Earl. As I made my way through the line, glad handing folks and doing my best to remember names, I came upon Earl. He asks what organization we are with? I tell him none. We just come. God's organization. He really doesn't get it at first, but he comes around as our time progresses. We chat off and on for the duration of our activities. He needs to get home. To New Orleans. Been in Omaha 3 days. Sounds kind of desperate. I try to tell him that we can do our best to try, but we just don't always have the resources to help everyone all the time. He plays the God card on me. Tells me that if we are Christians, we have to help him. Have to. I tell him that we will do our best, but it won't be on his (Earl's) time. It will be on His time. Ya know? He tells me he needs 70 or 80 dollars to get a bus to New Orleans. He has 30. Can we help him with the rest? I told him I'd call him around Tuesday of this week to see where we are. But he has to go the extra mile and go to the temp agency to try and get work to see if he can help out with the remainder. I tell him I'll pray for him. He has to pray also. Says he has been. I'm sure he has. Nothing wrong with Omaha, but if it's not home, you might be praying to get out. Especially with the crazy weather we've been having lately.

Pray for Earl this week. I think he just wants to go home. I hope and pray that we can help him. Our donations have been a bit down lately. The cool thing is we get what we need when we need it. That has been the case for us from the beginning. It's always the case. Sometimes I think I need to do more to "control" our situation. But I can't. I have no control. Man do I struggle with that one. :) Hopefully we can help Earl get home. Or better yet, hopefully Earl can help Earl get home. That would be better.

The foundation for us is there. I hope. After 6 months, we've built our foundation on a concrete slab at 14th and Douglas. Right there on a public sidewalk. Interesting foundation. Hopefully our tax dollars keep it in good shape. I'll let you know how the wall holds up. The foundations. Both foundations. All three foundations actually. It'll be interesting to see how long they last. A great friend wrote to me recently in a time of real chaos for Robin and myself. Lots of "stuff" was happening. We have found ourselves a little weary lately. Emotionally, physically, etc. But he told us this. Anyone can start a ministry such as this. The difficult thing is to keep it going and keep it on track. One definition of foundation at Websters.com is the act of founding, setting up, establishing, etc. We'll do our best to keep it going. One brick at a time. It's our plan. It has to be His plan. Otherwise, why in the world would a bunch of people from our neck of the woods be doing this every week? Got to be in His plan. We've seen far too good things come from this. Far too many. If you are reading this, could you pray for our foundation? Thanks...

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

..."it matters to that one"... :)