July

“July is such a fun month,” mused Iris, as she made a pitcher of lemonade. As a professor, she had three months “off” in the summer and enjoyed the freedom that provided plus the warmth of the Iowa sun. The weather was either the boon or bane of Iowa depending on the season. Iris did think Iowa was a great place to live because of the nice people and, well, it was just home. Overall, she was glad she had settled in Iowa, returning to it after she earned her Ph.D.

Iris had always loved school and had been a good student, but she had trouble figuring out exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She had finally settled on a math major, but at the beginning of her senior year she became enamored with statistics. With just a bit of hustling, she applied to and was accepted into a respectable statistics graduate program. Iris graduated in four years with her Ph.D. After graduate school, she had a couple of job offers and chose one in Iowa; she had been hired by the Statistics Department at the State University of Iowa.

After stirring the lemonade, she poured some over ice cubes and headed for the deck on the back of the house. It was so peaceful there that she was going to do the Daily Jumble before anything else. She loved puzzles and had read some research that seemed to indicate that puzzlers had “younger” brains.

“Now who wouldn’t want that!” thought Iris. She had her pencil in hand and wondered how quickly she could complete today’s jumble.

It didn’t take her long to unscramble the words. She liked this puzzle format where the yellow highlighted letters, in order, were the theme; no unjumbling of those letters was needed. Iris thought the puzzle theme was so appropriate given the gorgeous afternoon ahead!

After completing the puzzle, Iris decided to read for a while and finish her beverage. She was going to start again with the Heaven book by Randy Alcorn that she had found in one of her mom’s boxes of books last month. She moved from the table to a comfy deck chair with a soft cushion. As she opened the cover, the BRG tract stared at her. Iris quickly reread it and decided she should pray and see if God wanted her to start her own BRG. She tipped her head and said a silent prayer asking for His guidance.

Iris had pondered and prayed about starting her own BRG for a few days and eventually mentioned it to her son, Jeremy. He was a bright kid who also tended to have strong opinions and to be a bit blunt.

“I wonder where he got that,” Iris thought and smiled. He had, in the end, been partially responsible for her crafting both a text and an email, then sending them to a few people including her dad. Earlier she had been stewing about it and her son had said to her in his usual blunt manner, “Mom, what’s the worst thing that can happen? You know Grandpa and I will read with you.”

He was, of course, right. Jeremy shared a strong relationship with her dad; they had been pals since he was born. She had convinced herself that it would be a wonderful thing to read even one book of the Bible with her dad and son; it shouldn’t be a big deal if everyone else she invited said no.

She had called her dad earlier and he was onboard and excited. He even recalled, although vaguely, that her mom had done something similar many years ago probably before Iris was born. That was a fun piece of history to learn! With that and her son’s little push, she had written the following message to send to family, friends, and acquaintances:

Hi, I hope you’re enjoying your summer! This month is ending soon and I would like to invite you to read a chapter a day in Proverbs starting the first of the month. There are 31 chapters for the 31 days! Please let me know if you’re interested in joining me. I think it would be fun to know others are reading the same thing on the same day. If you’re interested, I’ll send a few reminders during the month. Take care, Iris

Choosing the people to invite had been pretty easy, but she didn’t want to ask too many people in case she didn’t follow through with the readings herself. Iris had looked through the contacts on her phone and decided to start with 10 people. Most of them she knew fairly well although a couple of them she had only interacted with through volunteering. Iris addressed the written message with each name so it would have a personal touch, then she sent the texts and emails to everyone on her list.

As Iris continued to reflect on the people in her contact list, she realized it had already been a few decades since she started volunteering—mostly for church, but for the community as well. In fact, in recent years she was active with various charitable organizations and businesses as well as supporting missions that affected children and families around the globe. As for the church, she was still serving as a choir member, but she had served for a few years as a Sunday school teacher. Later, she had been talked into becoming a youth group leader for girls. “Funny,” she thought, “I never would have imagined this, but being a youth group leader for middle school girls and following them as their leader when they got into high school was a very rewarding ten years of my life.”

“That reminds me,” she spoke out loud, hoping that would help her remember, “I need to catch up again with a couple of those girls.”

There were a couple of girls, women now, that Iris had kept in contact with on a semi-regular basis; one from her years as a Sunday school teacher and one from her years as a youth group leader. They had built a bond and kept in contact with an occasional text or email, sometimes even a phone call. Life, it seemed, was keeping them all busy.

Finally, Iris had, after reading a book by John Ortberg and before her mom’s diagnosis, decided to “get out of the boat” and attempted to put together and lead a Bible study for a women’s group that met every Thursday morning at church. The prodding from Ortberg’s book with such a great title, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, inspired her to try her hand as a leader in a different setting. It was much different than speaking in front of and interacting with college students and she found herself struggling at first. However, she did not allow fear to get the best of her and felt like she had improved her listening and encouragement skills during the time she was leading the Bible study. She knew there was more work to be done on both.

However, due to her mom’s unexpected diagnosis, Iris hadn’t been able to finish leading the group. Thankfully, she had been able to smoothly transfer leadership of the study to another woman. Her mom needed her or, more accurately, Iris needed to be with her mom once she became ill. All these events had worked together, at least for the most part, to strengthen and grow her faith and trust in the Lord. Unfortunately, she didn't have the energy to do much more than attend the weekly group after her mom left for her eternal home.

“Maybe that’s what is driving me to try to start this BRG. Others have helped me navigate the last couple of difficult years in my life, so perhaps I can give back in this new way,” she thought to herself.

It had only taken a few minutes before people responded. Stephanie, a younger gal she met at church when they both volunteered for the summer Bible school program in early June, was the first one to text back with the following:

I would love to join, thank you for thinking of me!

Iris had just finished reading that text when she got a second one from her friend Ryan with the response:

Hey! That sounds like a great idea. I would be interested in joining you all for sure!

As the day went on, she heard from Mary who just sent two thumbs up emojis. Another encouraging response came from Kate:

Thanks for thinking of us Iris! My daughter and I would love to partner up in this.

It hadn’t occurred to Iris to include kids except, of course, her son. Maybe she’d consider inviting a few other kids she knew if, in fact, this was something God wanted her to keep doing.

All that afternoon the responses kept trickling in so by suppertime she had heard from seven people which did not include her dad, her son, or her friend’s daughter. Being a numbers person, Iris quickly calculated that altogether that was over 75%! Amazed, she silently thanked Jesus for his grace.

Stephanie hung her keys on the hook and set her purse and groceries on the island. It had been a chaotic day at the Nevada Medical Clinic where she was a full-time nurse. As a result, she didn’t spend much time in the grocery store, instead wanting to get home and relax. She pulled a casserole she had prepared the evening before out of the fridge, turned on the oven, and started transitioning from work to home life. While she was putting away the groceries, the oven chimed that it had reached 350 degrees. Stephanie quickly put away the last few items, placed dinner in the oven, and set the timer. She grabbed her purse on the way to the bedroom, set it on her dresser, and then changed out of her scrubs. She kicked off her white work shoes and removed her socks to her much-preferred bare feet and then donned shorts and a t-shirt. She headed back to the kitchen where she checked on Tuesday’s casserole, set the table, and then sat down to review her emails and texts before James got home.

Stephanie had been particularly excited about a text she had received and responded to earlier in the afternoon from Iris; a woman she had become acquainted with while volunteering at church just last month. After rereading the conversation, she added an event to the calendar on her phone: “Start Proverbs Today.” She highlighted it in red and entered it as an “all day” event on August 1st which was right around the corner. “Wow! The summer is just flying by this year,” Stephanie thought.

The timer went off and just as she pulled the casserole from the oven, she heard the garage door open. James was home! He came in, hung up his keys, and proceeded to give Stephanie a kiss on her forehead.

“Anything interesting happen at work today, dear?” he inquired.

“No, not really, it was crazier than usual though. But I did get an interesting text today. Let’s get our dinner because it’s hot and I will tell you while we eat.”

“Sounds great! I didn’t have time for lunch so my stomach has been growling all afternoon.”

They sat down at the dining room table. First, Stephanie asked James about his day; it turned out to be as similarly chaotic as hers.

“So, what about this interesting text you mentioned?” James looked up from his plate.

“Oh, yes! It was from Iris. I don’t know if you recall me mentioning her last month. I met her when I volunteered for Vacation Bible School at church.”

James took a sip of water and nodded that he remembered, so Stephanie continued.

“You probably remember that week was very busy. Well, we somehow managed to get to know each other a little during lunchtime, at least enough so that we exchanged numbers. I didn’t really expect her to contact me so soon.”

“Well, what did she say?” James’ curiosity was piqued.

“She’s going to start a Bible Reading Group and invited me to join!” She couldn’t quite subdue the happiness the thought of participating in something new brought her.

“Nice! Are you going to join?”

“I wrote her back that I would. I think it will be fun! And, of course, helpful! We—I don’t know who else, but I know there will be others—will be reading a chapter a day from the Bible. We are going to start August 1st with Proverbs, you know, the book of wisdom?”

“Wise choice,” James winked.

“Funny guy,” Stephanie feigned a hearty laugh.

“Personally, I think it’s a great idea. It’s different and challenging, and I like that there’s some built-in accountability. I am certainly looking forward to trying it.”

“I know exactly what you mean. It seems like we start every new year with the resolve to read Scripture every day, but after a few weeks or months, we allow life to take over and another year slips away without much spiritual growth. This group might be the best incentive to finally achieve that goal and make Bible reading a priority. I am excited for you!”

Their conversation paused briefly as they both finished their meals. Satisfied, James spoke again.

“Thanks for supper, Steph. You know Tater-Tot Tuesdays are one of my favorites.” James started to push his chair back from the table but suddenly stopped and asked, “Say, where’s Mandy and Josh tonight?”

Stephanie glanced at James as she stacked their plates to clear the table.

He continued, “I’ve been thinking lately—you know I love it when you and I get to eat together sans teenagers, but it’s been a while since we ate together as a family. I am really starting to miss that.”

“I hear what you’re saying, James. Well, tonight, Josh has tennis practice for the club until 8:00 and Mandy is babysitting for the Johnsons until 10:30,” Stephanie replied empathetically.

“Oh,” James replied with a twinge of disappointment. “Remember the years of looking forward to the summer, anticipating the weekends when we would go camping? It wasn’t that long ago, yet it seems like ages ago,” James’ mind was clearly reminiscing while he picked up their empty beverage glasses.

Stephanie thought for a moment, her mind catching up with James’, then agreed, responding thoughtfully, “I know what you mean. It seems like the years have passed in a flash since they both entered high school. Josh is already gearing up for his senior year, taking extra courses online this summer while doing everything he can to get a tennis scholarship to Central State, and Mandy, well, she is busy with her writing class plus working trying to save as much as she can. You’re right, James, it is pretty rare that we are all home at the same time, let alone finding time to vacation or even eat dinner together. Of course, it doesn’t help matters that Mandy and I don’t see eye-to-eye on much anymore either. Even when we are together she seems so distant or I say something that ruins the moment.”

Sensing disappointment in her voice, James placed the glasses on the counter, gave her a hug and assured her that it would all work out one day. This was a constant prayer and hope that Stephanie had been hanging on to for the last several months.

“Still, I’m glad that although our lives are busy, you and I have moments where we can connect with each other, even if it is while doing the dishes,” Stephanie smiled as she handed James the drying towel.

After cleaning up the dishes, James needed to work on some financial and administrative tasks for his newly expanded ophthalmology practice. He was currently managing a practice in Nevada a few miles from their home, as well as one in Ames, about a 20-minute commute. Stephanie looked out the kitchen window and noted it was a bit breezy but that the sun was still shining. While James worked, Stephanie decided to go for a “short” walk in the neighborhood and listen to a couple of encouraging podcasts.

Four miles and an hour and ten minutes later, according to her fitness tracker, she was home again. A gust of wind blew her in the door just as she opened it. Luckily, she held onto the handle so it didn’t hit the wall and got it closed again before the next gust. Thirsty since mile three, she retrieved a large glass from the cupboard and filled the bottom fourth of it with ice cubes knowing she wanted more water now than ice. Just as she pressed the water dispenser to fill her glass, she felt a sudden rush of wind; she heard the door slam as Joshua rolled in from practice like a tornado was on his heels.

“What’s for dinner, Mom? I’m starved! No—wait—what day is it? Oh! Tater Tot Tuesday, right?” Stephanie's confirmation was cut short by the thud of Josh’s tennis bag hitting the floor.

“Why don’t I fix you a plate and we can sit down at the table? I’d love to hear about your day.”

“No can do, Mom. I have a test in world history tomorrow that I have to study for, and three more problems due in my calculus class. I’ll just fix a plate and eat in my room so I can get started,” Josh multitasked his response while scrolling through messages on his phone.

Stephanie sighed as she watched her son bound up the stairs with his plate in hand and backpack on his shoulder.

“He’s a busy kid, isn’t he, Steph,” James commented as he headed toward the kitchen from his office, done with his business for the evening.

“Yeah, he is. Makes me grateful for the times we spent together going on picnics, all those hikes, and week-long camping trips when the kids were younger—”

“—when we were all less busy with our own lives.” James finished her thought. He fixed himself a snack and per routine, got comfortable in his recliner.

“Hon, can you turn on the TV for me? My hands are kinda full.”

Stephanie responded with a bit of a grimace, but proceeded to turn on the television for James, finding the home restoration series he routinely watched. Now that James was busy, she decided to relax with a book by Ann Voskamp that she had started reading a few days ago called One Thousand Gifts. Reflecting her mood, she opened the weary sliding glass door to the screened-in porch.

“Hello, friend,” she greeted her favorite space as she settled into the cozy glider cushion and picked up her book from the end table.

She loved this space. It was quiet here; it was her place of solitude. In this room she could reflect on her day, collect her thoughts, and listen to the emerging evening sounds. It was also where she watched the late summer sun painting the clouds above the horizon with the glorious oranges, yellows, and blues—His one final masterpiece before handing the brush to the night sky.

“Thank you for displaying your majesty to me, Heavenly Father,” she said as she opened her book to read.

“Whatcha reading?”

Stephanie jumped at the sound of Mandy’s voice, “Is it 10:30 already?”

Stephanie glanced at her watch as she looked up from her book. Mandy didn’t seem to mind interrupting the solitude her mom had apparently lost herself in during the nearly two hours that had passed.

“You wouldn’t believe those kids tonight. I had the hardest time getting them to bed, so I had very little time to get any writing done, and then the Johnsons came home early which is kind of good because I am kinda tired, but that means I didn’t get paid as much, so now I don’t have enough money to buy the dress I want at the mall this weekend. Oh yeah, Julietta invited me to go with her and Jayden to the mall—Can I go?”

“Never mind about what Mom is reading or how my day has been,” thought Stephanie. “Mandy, I thought maybe you and I could do something fun this Saturday. You know, maybe go get our nails done and get lunch or something?”

“Mom, you know our ‘fun’ plans usually end up with us arguing about something. I think I’d rather spend Saturday with my friends,” Mandy replied in her matter-of-fact way.

She was speaking the truth, Stephanie had to admit, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel an acute stab of frustration and hurt. Hoping Mandy didn’t witness the emotions she was trying to hide, she answered that Mandy could go to the mall if she got her house chores finished. Mandy squealed and just as quickly as she opened it, she closed the sliding glass door and headed upstairs. Stephanie couldn’t help but wonder if the door to Mandy’s heart was going to continue closing as well. “Please, Lord, don’t let it,” she whispered as she closed her book and rose to close another day.