Life With Us...

It is the third of November, and as seems to be a Facebook tradition, I see different people doing different things to show their thankfulness as Thanksgiving approaches.  I don't participate in those, mostly because I don't have the memory to remember if I posted today or not, and trying to make sure I do it, so the whole world knows I am thankful this one month out of the year, is more stress than I choose to take on at this moment in my life. :) But tonight as I was doing the dishes, I was thinking of the one my Pastor's Wife is doing.  It appears that each day is a new letter of the alphabet about things one is thankful for.  Looks like a challenge, for some letters. But as that came to mind, I thought "I wonder if I can come up with something that reflects God for each letter.  And I did it! But I was washing dishes, and didn't write them down right away. :)  (remember I have a memory problem), But I am going to try again here, just because it was kind of...

It's her birthday. The mother figure I am blessed with. My best friend.  My superhero (I have several superheroes, and they are all blessings beyond what I have words for). I know my life would not be what it is today without her support. God has done it all to make me who I am, and get me where I am, but get support and encouragement and understanding, and willingness to spend anywhere from 2 to 4 hours every single week on the phone with me, and read every email sometimes as many as 3 or 4 in a day. Sometimes just a sentence, sometimes pages. Who has that kind of willingness to endure?  I have seen her not endure others who seem to be far less needy than I have been over the last quarter century, yet she loves me. I don't understand it, other than God did it.  But she has had to be a willing vessel in the Master's hand. If she didn't want to she didn't have to. I am so thankful to know her, to count her my friend and to be able to call her mom...

It is a small thing, and maybe a stretch, but it makes me smile. So on Friday I spent literally 3 hours trying to clean a house somewhere in this town, I clean empty rentals between ranters.  Anyway. I went to one house, no water.  I went to another house, also no water, and so much sand in the meter box, I couldn't find the spout handle to turn try to turn the water on at the street.  So I went and bought a small shovel. I went back to the second house, and dug until I found  something to turn. I don't think it was the right thing, and it didn't turn much, and there still was no water.  So we (the kids are almost always with me) went back to the Realtor's office and I told them my problem.  They said they would send the water company out to get the water fixed for me. We went back to the first house, still no water.  So, I had a third house, I was wanting to wait and clean on Monday, but I was frustrated and wanted to feel like I accomplished SOME...

She loves me.  She says I am "the daughter of her heart". We both think it's cool that I have her curly hair,  and her smile.  We laugh when people who should know better,  refer to her as my mom.  We are repeatedly amazed by how we can color coordinate our outfits without talking about it,  living 30 miles apart. Most of all, I am amazed that she loves me as much as she does and I know I can trust that love,  and I can trust anything she says to come purely from that care for me.  I can't comprehend it.  Understanding it is beyond my ability.   But I know it is truth. Somehow tonight we got on the topic of my self image.  I confessed to her my reality.  I know my lack of accepting whether or not I am pretty goes back a long way.   I was never told that I was pretty as a child (not that I can remember, anyway). In junior high,  I was convinced by my peers that the only reason my mother and grandmother said they ...

It is so amazing, how so much change is coming so easily to the three people I know who hate change the most.   But God is good,  and makes it comfortable when it is what He wants. Today,  the kids returned to home schooling.  They were not too thrilled about it, because they loved the Christian school they were attending,  but I can't afford it anymore.  But today we met with the teacher for the first time,  then went to the "school of record" and got their books. They recognized some of the books as the same kind as they had in Oregon,  and were excited to get home and do some work!  And they did! Four hours of work,  stopping only to eat lunch,  quietly working,  without having to be put back on task.  (too wonderful to last,  but I can hope, lol) Then tonight we visited a church closer to home.  Loved it.  The pastor and his family are so real and genuine and caring,  we feel like we fit already...