Good Saturday to you from the Midwest where Fall is hanging on here in Iowa while just two hours north of us snow blankets the ground. We did have a dusting a couple of days ago. I had to chuckle as I watched Joel out mulching the leaves from our one Maple tree that just won't let go until this time of year. Joel was mowing and mulching as large snowflakes fell to the ground! He managed to get it done pretty quickly and the snow melted soon after it's arrival. Hoping to hold off on the white stuff!
We have pumpkins sitting on our porch and Christmas lights strung across the front! So far there is no tree gracing our living room although since it is 2020, anything goes, right? In fact, our neighbor already has their Christmas tree decorated and shining brightly out their living room window. I confess it is kind of nice to see....... Maybe we will see more healing in us all, body, soul, and spirit as we focus on Jesus this Christmas season. I only wish the chaos would end with 2020, at least that is our prayer for 2021. Restoration, revelation, renewal, and removal of this virus. Let it be, Lord. Let it be.
Speaking of the virus, we have started to know people who have the virus.....a couple of family members infected but doing okay, family of family..........all infected in different areas and in different ways. Iowa is ranking pretty much at the top regarding hospitalizations and infections. Nothing is really being done about it by the powers that be here. As from the beginning, we are following what the scientists say, not the governors or government alone. Scientists have a pretty good track record! If it wasn't for them we would still be dealing with smallpox, polio, etc. I remember getting the first polio vaccines with I was a kid. In a sugar cube we put under our tongues. Anyone else remember that?
Speaking of tongues, I recently wrote a post about the impact of our words and am still feeling pretty convicted by it. God keeps speaking to me, using His words I guess, to help me along the way. Speaking of words, Joel's book will hopefully be ready soon. After we both reread the book and he revised and made corrections in the way it was laid out by Amazon or Joel. For Joel it has been a challenging process, this self-publishing! My conclusion and opinion is that self-publishing with Amazon is a nightmare!
We managed to clean the whole house this week. Our home is just too big with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a large family room we hardly ever use, besides the dining, living and laundry. It is really time for a smaller house, but we sure would hate to leave our neighborhood. I was thinking about all the places we have lived over the 52 years we have been married. Apartments, a small airstream trailer, a townhouse, many parsonages small and big, and the houses we have bought. It is interesting that one of our favorite is the "internage" we lived in when Joel did his internship in Malta, Montana. It was an old house brought in and placed right next to the church. It was small for a family of six, with a short hallway from the dining room to the kitchen that slanted downwards because the kitchen had been added on with a basement built underneath it. The small living room had a smaller room next to it and a long closed in porch up front. The bathroom upstairs had a large lime green clawfoot tub. Two bedrooms upstairs and one large hallway where our oldest had her bed and space. The house had a very warm atmosphere about it. We were the 19th Intern to be at this parish. We had a wonderful year there with many new experiences and certainly the house held it's own memories for us.
My sister Jo is home being cared for my Janelle and a nurse, aid, and OT and PT that come in off and on throughout the week. Hopefully her strength will continue to return and she will be more independent. Thank you for praying. So thankful for them all!
This week I am grateful for Gr. Jo getting home, for the house being clean, for walking 30 minutes a day, for the yard work getting done, for memories of homes we have lived and raised our family in, for lime green clawfoot tubs, porches with pumpkins, Christmas lights to brighten the nights, my hubby's determination to get the book published c.o.r.r.e.c.t.l.y, for hope for a better 2021, for laughter, tears, the power of prayer, and every day we are blessed to be here!
Have a great weekend.............
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