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Writing from My Heart
7/8/2009
Theres a Hole in my Bucket
I’ve heard 2 different versions of this song. Version A: made Liza sound like a spoiled brat ordering Henry around, while Henry seems to have sensibly thought through this bucket issue and found no exit. Version B: makes Henry sound either autistic or moronic and can’t figure out what to do about this stinkin’ hole in his bucket. While Liza is more than a little bit naïve in telling the moron what how to fix his bucket which has no fix. I hope I have portrayed neither Henry nor Liza as autistic, moronic, naïve, or spoiled.
L: Henry!
H: Yes Liza?
L: You fetch the water?
H: Go fetch the water?
H: There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza. There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza a hole.
L: Well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. Well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry fix it.
H: With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?
L: With straw dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. With straw dear Henry dear Henry, with straw.
H: But the straw is too long dear Liza, dear Liza. But the straw is too long dear Liza, too long.
L: So cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. So cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, cut it.
H: With what shall I cut it dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, with what?
L: With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, an axe.
H: The axe is too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza. The axe is too dull, dear Liza, too dull.
L: Sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. Sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, sharpen it.
H: On what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza? On what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, on what?
L: On a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. On a stone dear Henry, dear Henry, a stone
H: The stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza. The stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.
L: Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, wet it.
H: With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, with what?
L: With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, water.
H: In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, dear Liza? In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, in what?
L: In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, a bucket.
H: There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza. There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza a hole
Ever have just a completely random thought run through your head? I have them all the time and sometimes the next thought that runs through my head is “where in the world did that come from?!” Then again, sometimes the random thought leads to another thought and to another thought and before long the thought runs through my head, “How did I get here?” I retrace my thoughts back to that one random thought and realize it wasn’t random at all, but a planted seed. Strange things happen like that, even among those entertained seeds, some grow into helpful plants, but most grow into weeds that are quickly pulled up and burned.
Well, one night I was working around my apartment cleaning up and I started singing There’s a Hole in My Bucket. Why? I don’t know. I think my next thought was “I wonder if there’s some spiritual significance to that song…” and guess what. I found it!
Like most people, I can’t say I’ve actually heard God’s voice in a conversation, but sometimes I feel like the thoughts going through my head aren’t my own.
Oh! So that’s where all this came from! God was singing about the hole in his bucket and somehow the song got stuck in my head! Ok, so maybe not, but it’s an entertaining thought. Anyway, see if this sounds familiar:
G: Hey Rachel, I need you to do something for me.
R: Yeah, what’s up?
G: I’ve got these kids that need help.
R: What do you want to do about it?
G: Well, I want to get them some help.
R: Ok, where are you gonna find some help?
G: I want you to help them.
R: Me? Why me?
G: Because you’re good at this sorta thing.
R: I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.
G: Neither has anyone else.
R: So, how do you know I can do it?
G: Well, you won’t be alone. I’ll be helping you.
R: But I’m only 1 person
G: With God on your side
R: Ok, that makes 2 of us. How many kids do you want me to help?
G: As many as you can.
R: Uh…Ok. So, I’ll help. How am I-
G: We
R: How are we going to help them?
G: Well, you see these kids can’t hear. So we need to give them someone who will always be there to help them hear.
R: Ok…so you want me to find someone to help deaf kids hear…24/7?
G: Yes.
R: Who’s gonna do that?
G: A dog.
R: Ok, so you want me to train hearing-ear dogs for kids who can’t hear?
G: Right.
R: Ok, so how do I train these dogs?
G: I’ll show you.
*silent pause*
R: Ok…when will you show me?
G: In time…
R: What time?
G: When you’re ready.
R: Ok…so what do I do until then?
G: Work on it.
R: What’s “it“?
G: Your skills, things that will help you along the way. When you need help I’ll be there to point the way.
R: You’re being very generic.
G: Well, if I laid out all the details right here right now you’d never get anything done because you’d be trying to do everything at once.
R: True. Ok, so, where do I start.
*G hands over book*
G: Here.
R: And where do I go when I finish this?
*G slaps hand on face*
G: Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you when you get there.
Ever feel like God’s running you in circles? Feel like you keep asking the same question over and over again with no answer? Or an answer you don’t understand or don’t like?
The youth did an exercise a while back. We were asked “if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?” Most of the responses that were gathered said things like “I wish I didn’t question God” and “I wish I had more faith in God” “I wish I didn’t doubt God.” All fine and dandy, but mine. Hehe. My wish was that I didn’t have glasses. The reason I chose that is another sermon entirely, but the reason I didn’t choose to change how I react to God is that I’m happy questioning what God tells me. It means I’m still hearing God. I don’t want to change my doubt in God, because it means there’s still someone out there who knows more than I do. I don’t want to automatically have more faith in God, because I enjoy the journey getting there, no matter how many circles I run in.
So, here’s how it works, in my mind at least, God asks you to do something, we ask questions, lots of questions, get really confused and ask more questions, but for every question we have God has an answer, liked or not, understood or not. In the end we give up asking questions and say, “Alright God, what do I do now?” And he tells us what we need to know, right now. |
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