Weekend, we don’t need no stinkin’ weekend.

A lot of things happened this past weekend. So much that I’d likely have a ton of blog posts if I would remember to write them. Of course I’m likely to forget sooner rather than later so I am forced to try and decide what to share. I could write about Angel Food again. This was Angel Food weekend and it was great with a few exceptions. We had a lot of volunteers, several new people came out, but there was a pretty big mix-up on the truck so that caused some stress.

I could also write about the annual church business meeting on Sunday. This was quite possibly the highlight of my weekend. I have been in many church business meetings and there is usually something that just grates at me during them. This one was almost perfect. Sure we spent forever going over the business report but it went swimmingly. The deacons were elected in a single ballot and there was no drama at all.

Instead I want to write about how fixing a septic tank is nothing like working with teens. A month or so ago I was helping to take down a giant oak tree. The base was pretty close to 3′ across and it easily stood over 70′ tall. The tree was dropped before I arrived but it was dropped perfectly. I went chainsaw crazy until I couldn’t cut anymore because the tree was just too big for my saw. Then I got my split on with an axe.

While I was busy doing that one of the other guys was cutting that massive trunk. It came off the stops and rolled over the lid for the septic tank. Repairing this in the snow was a no go so we sealed it up the best we could until  the thaw. Friday we picked up supplies and fixed the lid and riser. It was simple. Just cut off the broken part, clean up the base, install an adapter, and put on a new riser and lid. I think it took longer to drive and pick-up the supplies than to complete the repair.

Saturday night was some kind of insane teen drama fest. I had to stop a fight from happening, talk to the guys involved, talk to 3 depressed students, and try to keep up with everyone else. There is something about being able to fix something quickly that is therapeutic, but life is never something simple. You can’t just cut the brokenness out of a person and put functional pieces back in.

I am grateful for the opportunity to to work with my student even if there is no simple fix for their problems.