Piper's Proverbs

There was a time in the late 1990’s when I was working at Agilent Technologies when production in the fabrication area was running beyond full speed.  Order’s were booming and we had added an extra shift in the Milling Shop.  We were down one supervisor at the time, so I (as one of the two Production Supervisor’s left) had the responsibility to cover parts of both the swing and graveyard shifts.  To put it mildly, it was a crazy time.  I had some 36 permanent and temporary employees under my leadership and was working an average 50 – 60 hours a week.

Piper was so sweet to me during this time.  She would call me everyday and leave a message on my voicemail as I was usually not at my desk but either in a meeting or out on the shop floor.  Her messages always followed the same format.  First, she would give me her sweet little personalized greeting, in that unique voice of hers that I could recognize in a noisy crowd anytime, anywhere.  Then she would say a few very encouraging words and conclude with a scripture that always seemed to perfectly summarize and accent what she had said.

When I would get wearily back to my desk, my heart would always skip a beat when I saw the red blinking light on my desk phone.  I’d collapse in my fancy desk chair, call up the voicemail, close my eyes and absorb every word, every inflection of her voice and every breath she took between words.  It seemed like she just supernaturally knew what I needed to hear at that particular moment in time.

I quickly got into the habit during those very stressful months to save her voicemails and then listen to them, on a as-needed basis throughout the day!  I’m not really sure if I would have made it, had it not been for those calls.  I’ve been wanting to carry on that legacy of hers... and now I will with you.  So, every-so-often I will post a short… what I am calling: “Piper’s Proverbs” to encourage and bless you.  They may not be her words, but my intention and thoughts are the same…  Enjoy and be blessed!

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  Piper's Proverbs 1:1

I thought about those calls as I was standing on the berm surrounding the pond in our neighborhood on Fiver’s and my early walk a few moments ago.  When I looked out over the back side of our neighborhood, across the playground/picnic/pond area and the golf course next door, I was captivated by how bland but yet beautiful things looked!  I realized that even though we are in the dormant season out here in Oklahoma, that I could still see the Lord’s hand in the order and serenity that surrounded my vision across the horizon.  Before Fiver started tugging on the lease because he had caught a new scent, I found myself in a place of peaceful repose and caught myself quietly whispering “Thank You, Lord.” 

If you’re going through a hard patch in life today, then maybe this word is for you.  Take your eyes off the blandness around you, let go and look for the Lord’s hand in the midst of your need.  I pray that each of you can find a special place of repose in His peace and serenity today… and then find yourself quietly whispering, “Thank You, Lord.”

“One handful of peaceful repose is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind.”   Ecclesiastes 4:6