Will April Sadness Bring May Gladness?

Yes, I know it’s a cheesy headline. But work with me.

It’s not that I’m sad. To the contrary I’m far too busy with editing deadlines and rehearsals (on top of life and work in general) to be sad.

But I have been missing a few things.

You see, for the past two years, I’ve worked weekends at Kings Dominion. This year, after careful consideration, and perhaps some divine guidance I decided not to go back. After all, with where gas prices are going, even two trips a week from Chesterfield to Doswell in my F-150 just wasn’t going to be cost effective. So, after accepting the offer, I called back and said, “Sorry, not this season.”

They were great about it, and I’ve got the opportunity to go back in the future should things change.

Part of me wishes I could have dropped the day job and kept the job at King’s Dominion. After all, what’s not to love about working in an amusement park?

Most of what I’ll miss are the people I worked with. There was a great camaraderie among the employees in our section. I’m hoping at least that I’ll have a couple of chances to visit over the summer.

The other thing I’m missing is New Orleans. Our church mission team leaves for the Gulf Coast this weekend. I’ve been twice before, and I’m feeling just a little sad that I won’t be going with them. But again the economy and rehearsals, and ironically at decision time, the weekend job, kept me from signing up. I wish them well and can’t wait to hear about the progress they make while there.

Both of those things are significant, but not a real cause of sadness to me.

They’re more in the category of “aw, shucks.” But they do represent a change or a shift from where my priorities were at the first of the year, More or Less.

On the one hand, I said I’d work less. Not taking the weekend job is a step in the right direction. Then again that leaves me free to attack the yard that suffered the last two seasons when I was working seven days a week.

I also said I planned to read more this year. And so far, I have. But thanks to Mary Queen of Scots, I’ve set the library books aside for a while. I’m still working through Bible Gateway’s year –long reading plan. I’m currently in the book of Ruth in the Old Testament and just about to finish up Luke in the New. I hope to be able to keep that up.

But I’m not carting around a book and reading at every opportunity. I need to regroup again there. It needs to be a matter of not going to the library and picking out six or seven “those might be interesting” titles. Rather it needs to be a selection I want to read and something that will keep my attention.

Along with reading more, I said I wanted to write more. That’s sort of happening. This feeble attempt at a profound essay is part of that.

Still, I know the best way to become a better writer is to keep writing.

Even if it’s garbage. That’s what editing is for.

So, now that I’ve rambled on, April’s not going to be a sad month after all. It’s spring, the temperatures are getting warmer.

And at the end of the month we celebrate the Resurrection.

What better example of sorrow turned to joy than the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday?

Hang on, Sunday’s coming.

Will April Sadness Bring May Gladness?

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