(4:45AM & THE GOSPEL OF MARK, NOT SO) SHALLOW THOUGHTS FROM THE DEEP END WITH MISS JULIE’S POOL BOY: On this day one year ago, Miss Julie unlocked the pool gates at 4:45 in the morning. She did it not to fix the pool’s condition but to help adjust a human’s condition.
      The day before, she got a late afternoon call from the minister of the church that shares a parking lot with a pool. Two firefighters from Anaheim, CA were in town for the Ironman triathlon & one of those gentlemen had a dilemma.
     He had promised his father he would complete a triathlon in 2024 & his father passed before he could complete his journey. Adding insult to the injury, the remnants of Hurricane Helene had blown through our town & canceled the opening swim leg.
     The other firefighter googled local pools to raise his friend’s spirit, found Miss Julie’s & called the church to see about two dudes from Cali doing their own swim leg before heading downtown to bike & run. The minister that answered the late Saturday call knew he had a 337,000 gallon ministry & he called the swim director, Miss Julie, & she knew it too.
      Loving your neighbor is easy when it fits where one conveniently schedules God. Dark, damp, 4:45AM & never seeing your neighbor before isn’t easy & is a time slot God reserves for those that let Him make the reservations.
     Those that know Miss Julie like the Pool Boy does, would have known she was going to make it happen. It happened because she knows about competitive athletes, missing your dad, & the common thread in each of those tapestries, the thread of some days are easier, but none of ‘em are easy.
      As you read this, 365 days have passed since those firefighters completed their swim, pedal, & run odyssey. I’m sure  if Heaven allowed it, a proud fireman’s dad watched his son. MJPB also knows if it was allowed, another dad, Miss Julie’s, looked down with a smile. He was around before a spade turned dirt on that olympic sized ministry of chlorine laced healing waters.
    And there’s a chance the story will continue, another generation will pick up a check with a whistle around the neck. You see, when school started last year & boys & girls got to fill out a form with their name, age, likes, & what they wanted to be when they grow up, the oldest of those that call Miss Julie “Jules” wanted to grow to be a swim teacher. If that becomes a reality, her first lesson was delivered by Miss Julie in the dark & damp & inconvenience of 4:45AM & it was not a walk, it was a swim, pedal, & run to the talk of Mark 12:31..