November 4: Preparing, Mary Oliver, "Making the House Ready for the Lord"

I have a lot of preparing to do today.  Tomorrow night, my book club is coming to my house.  So, today, I have a lot of cleaning to do.  Clean the bathroom.  Fold and put away clothes.  Sweep and mop the floors.  Dust.  Make everything smell like lemon.

Then I have to take down Halloween decorations, put up Christmas decorations.  Out with the cobwebs.  In with the tinsel and garland.  It makes me tired just thinking about it.

I will have help.  My wife and daughter and daughter's boyfriend.  If we all pitch in, it will only take a few hours.  If I have to poke, prod, cajole, and yell, it will take forever.

Saint Marty is trying to make his house ready.

Making the House Ready for the Lord

by:  Mary Oliver

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
     still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you.  Under the sink, for example, is an
     uproar of mice--it is the season of their
many children.  What shall I do?  And under the eaves
     and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances--but it is the season
     when they need shelter, so what shall I do?  And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
     while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do?  Beautiful is the new snow falling
     in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door.  And still I believe you will
     come, Lord:  you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
     that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon:  Come in, Come in.