A New Thing In Old Wrappings

A scripture given to us at Bethel Church

Joel has accepted a call to be a part time interim at two churches south of Mason City.  He began this past Saturday, preaching yesterday at St. Peter and St. Paul Lutheran churches in two small towns about twenty minutes apart. We left the house before eight and arrived home half past twelve.  It felt familiar, the routine of Joel up front and me in a pew.  As I said before, it was not on our radar.........or our bucket list, but it was on God's.  The journey to this decision was orchestrated by God.  It is a story to be shared.  

A few weeks ago a friend told me God had spoken a word to her for me.  "Tell Renee; to get ready.  I am going to be speaking to her."  I began praying, telling God I was ready and if I was not, then make me ready.  It was only a few days later that God showed up in my dreams.......

But first let me back up a bit.  A few weeks ago Joel told me that a pastor we knew had retired early to help out her brother, so at the time I wondered aloud if they had gotten an Interim yet.  He felt the people would be hiring a lay person who was helping out at the church already.  Then we ran into someone from that church In Rockwell IA where Joel was once an Interim.  After visiting with her  I remember thinking "They are going to want Joel for their Interim" since he had worked there before and they enjoyed him so much.   This did not really bring up any feelings for me since Joel was not interested in doing any Interim work.  He liked the "fill-in" Sunday work, leaving most of the week free for other pursuits.  But God......

A few weeks later Joel and I had just finished listening to the prophetic session we had experienced while at Bethel Church and were discussing the words spoken to us about doing a "new thing" , a new ministry, when the phone rang.  When Joel answered it an Asst. to the Bishop of our synod was on the other end asking if Joel was interested in being an Interim for the Lutheran churches in Rockwell and Thornton.  Joel looked at me and I said, "Say yes", then wished I could take back those words.  This would not be a new thing but more of the "old" ministry and that is exactly what I expressed to Joel as we discussed the possibility.  
During this time period is when our friend, who knew nothing about our current situation,  told me to "get ready".  Now...............the dream............

About 4 in the morning I woke up from a dream I had.  In the dream I was looking at what I thought was our SUV.  I heard God say, "I am giving you a new car."  I immediately began arguing with God...."We don't need a new car.  We like our car".  Joel was there and chimed in....."We like our car, we don't need a new car."  God said a second time, firmly..."I am giving you a new car!"  Then I woke up.

The next morning I told Joel about the dream and felt we were to meditate on it.  As soon as I closed my eyes Jesus was there taking my hand and saying, "Come with me."  I asked Him where we were going and He said, "For a ride."  Then he got into the driver's seat of what I believed was our SUV.  I got in the seat behind Jesus and Joel got in up front on the passenger's side.  I said, "Is this a new car?  Jesus said, "Yes."  I said, "It looks like our old car, but it is a new car?"  Jesus said yes and then threw his head back and laughed and laughed.  He then turned to me and said, "Let me drive."   I immediately found myself outside the car with Jesus.  I said, "Ummmm, thank you?"  And Jesus said, "Yes!  That is what I wanted to hear!"

This visual encounter and dream made things pretty clear to Joel and me.  So, out of obedience Joel interviewed with the churches and accepted a call to work part time as they transition and search for a new pastor.  This Interim position looked to me like something "old", not a new ministry.......but God was telling us something different.

A week ago we drove to Rochester MN, about 1 hour and 40 minutes from us, to attend Destiny Church, which is somewhat based on Bethel church in CA.   After church you could meet with someone who may have a prophetic word for you.  Three women met with Joel and me and once again God came through about us doing a new thing.......wrapped up in an "old package".  

It often amazes me how much God wants to speak to us and uses others to do so. I love hearing stories about how God has made His voice heard for His purposes.   For us there was no way to avoid what God was saying through our friend, the dream, the visual encounter and the prophetic words at Destiny church.  His message was clear.  We are grateful for how clearly God spoke to us about this position, grateful for the opportunity to serve others, grateful for God's guidance. We don't fully understand it, but God does.  Sometimes a "new thing" comes in old wrappings and we look forward to how God will unwrap this opportunity before us.  

A Gift

I know tis an overused cliche, but it holds so much truth.  Every day is a gift.  It is an absolute bloody
gift that I pray I will never forget. It. is. a. gift. Never guaranteed in our broken messuddd-up world.
Over the 70 years I have lived I have seen just how fleeting life can be. My dad died when I was seven. A college friend I spent spring break staying with died soon after in a car accident at the age of 19. Several Bible college friends were gone before there 50th birthdays. And in the churches we have served over the years? Too many died too young.

On a side note, many would say it "was there time"....or God needed another angel in Heaven.  No disrespect intended, but that is just not true.  It is the enemy who comes to kill, steal, and destroy, not GOD!  Jesus came so we could have an abundant life.  Bad things to happen.  People die too soon.  Thankfully we do have the victory so "death has no sting".  Eternal life with Jesus.  Another gift!

So, just how do we live believing everyday is a gift?  Especially when our circumstances weigh on us like those aprons the dentist puts on us before taking x-rays? 

For myself, God has been giving me a message over and over.  Praise Him.  Sing songs of worship.  Rejoice, despite what is going on.  Rejoice.  Love on those you love.  Always let them know how important they are to you.  Forgive each other.  And did I say love on those you love?  That can't be emphasized enough.  I picked up my gratitude journal and dusted it off the other day.  It had gotten waylaid and forgotten.  Writing down what precious gifts have come my way ~ in the form of fresh blueberries, a phone call from our son or daughter, a text from a friend.  Yeah.  Nothing is too small or too big to be remembered when we walk int he knowledge that each day is a gift.  Life is a gift.

A Look Back To Remember With Gratitude

It was 44 years ago that our family was in San Francisco CA taking in a day of tourist sights before getting on an airplane and flying 18 hours across the world to The Philippines.  At the time our daughter Beth was four years old and our son Matt was going to be three.  In fact due to the time changes, we left the day before his birthday and arrived the day after!

This all came to mind recently when our son Matt texted us that he and his family had arrived in San Francisco and had seen the Golden Gate Bridge.  It immediately took me back to a photo we have of myself, Beth and Matt smiling at the camera with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.  Here it was 44 years later probably to the day that our son was once again at the Golden Gate Bridge.  What are the odds?  Sometimes life just comes full circle like that, reminding us how unbelievably amazing our world is.  And our Creator.

I have been writing some about our adventures with God over the past 50 years.  Our two years in the Philippines impacted us more than any other two years of our lives, that is for sure.  If I pause, I can take in the sights and smells as we landed that day into a tropical world of extreme heat and humidity.  A third world country that would shape our views of life to this day.  You cannot see children digging through your trash to eat your throw away scraps of food and not be affected.  You cannot live under Marshall Law, nor hire armed guards to patrol your off base homes filled with military personal and their families without being affected.  You cannot watch and live in the midst of such poverty and not realize how rich Americans are.

Sometimes I forget how rich we are here, how many freedoms we have.  We live in a lovely house that is too big for two people. We have two fridges in our house.  One that is old, but still works and holds the overflow food when family comes or when we buy in bulk.  Seriously.  We have laptops, phones, a Bose speaker, two TV's, and electricity and Wi-Fi to run them all.  I could go on...................

When we first were married we were pretty "first world" poor.  As an airman Joel brought home $200 a month.  We spent $13 every two weeks on groceries, eating a lot of pot pies and white rice with cinnamon and milk.  We never went hungry.  We never had to dig through someone's garbage for food.  We were and are richly blessed.

It is healthy to pause at times and just be thankful.  Thankful for a house that is too big for two people.  Thankful for a full fridge and one to spare.  Thankful for full tummies and conveniences our parents could never have imagined.  Thankful we do not live under Marshall Law.

It is always good for us to look back at our two years over in a third world country.  It stops me in my tracks and brings balance back into my thinking.  We have so much to be grateful for. 

God's People Packages

Recently during my quiet time, I visualized an angel handing me a shofar.  From what I understand, in the Old Testament a shofar was made from a ram's horn and was used for special occasions, for confusing the enemy, and for declaring God's goodness.  After I was handed a shofar I heard the words, "Declare the works of the Lord".   It is always a good idea to do what God instructs! so I am sharing a recent story of God's goodness today.

A couple of weeks ago at our group Bible Study a woman stated she wanted to pray for me.  She asked everyone to lay hands on me and they did.  She said the enemy was trying hard to stop me from doing the ministry God has for me.  She commanded weakness to leave, the devil to get lost, and asked Jesus for healing.  She then prayed for Joel telling him "it has been a trying time for you.  God has something new for you. He knows you need a purpose.  It is coming."  She new about the Vit. D toxicity but did not know about Joel's desire for a new purpose.  I did not see much change at that time but we were grateful for the prayers.  There is nothing like prayer to bring comfort to a situation.

The next week I shared I was going to Mayo for help with the Vit. D toxicity.  Later when most people were gone, she and a couple others lay hands on me again and prayed over my body, sharing words of knowledge from God.  She said to me, "Something is happening tomorrow, and you will know it.  You will know!"  I went home that night ready for a change.  The next day I felt better than I had in a long long time. As the days went on my energy returned and strength came back into my body.  I began walking again, 20 minutes at a time.  I feel the best now that I have felt since February when this whole D drama began.  So today I am declaring God's healing work in me and I am so grateful.  Thank you Jesus!

This woman who prayed for me is quite a character.  She comes from the deep south, and after decades in Iowa she still has quite an accent.  She was not always the easiest person for me to be around......until God opened my eyes.  And after she started sharing words from God with others and they were "spot on" I gained a high respect for her.  And when she prayed and my energy returned, I became more than grateful for her gifts she willingly shares.  She is a unique vessel blessed to be a blessing.

This is not the first time that God has used someone that I have "struggled with" to change my life.  There was a man a few years ago whom we met at church here in town.  I talked to God about him because he liked Joel so much,  and truthfully, he scared me.  Then one night after services he tells me he needs to come over to our house because God gave him a dream about us.  He also spoke about a ministry God had for me and he had many others words to share.  It was quite powerful.  Later after he left I asked God why he chose a burly biker guy like R. to share His plan for us.  God said, "You need to see my people the way I seem them."    Needless to say, I was humbled by this.

How often do we brush off what God is saying to us because we are not comfortable with the person who is sharing?  Or maybe we are not comfortable with what is being shared?

Do you ever ponder if God can use you?  Too often we see ourselves through our own eyes, and not God's.  He sees us as we are called to be, and as His kids, He loves us so deeply, seeing us at our best....expecting the best.....knowing what we can be even when we can't imagine it. He sees all His children through His Fatherly eyes.

God comes to us in so many different ways.  We get this idea of how He speaks to us or of who He uses to speak to us and if we get stuck there, we can miss so many blessings God has instore.  It is so important that we keep our hearts open to all that God has for us

I remember hearing a story about Bethel, when God began to bring big changes to that church.  One of the elders came to Pastor Bill Johnson and said, "I have to leave this church.  I know God is moving here.  I know that what is happening is from God, but it makes me uncomfortable and scared, and I just can't deal with it so I am leaving."  This man knew God was moving in the lives of Bethel members, but he walked away from it because it came in people packages he was not familiar or comfortable with.

I wonder how much we miss out on when we judge people by how they look or how they come across.  I just wonder how many of us would embrace Jesus if He came into our world today as a radical man speaking in parables, performing miracles of healing and multiplying food, and raising the dead.  Or casting out demons?  You can go online and see how such men and women are spoken of.  They are often "crucified" as false prophets or liars.  We look at them with a skeptical, critical mind, so would we do the same with Jesus?

I began this post writing about declaring God's goodness.  Sharing our testimonies, our stories with God, brings Him glory.  He likes that.  Today I am more than grateful for the healing that continues to come and I am grateful that God sees fit to let me see Him working through others like myself,  people who come in different packages.

D For Drama

I woke up Tuesday morning thinking, "This is it.  I need to go back to the doctor.  Something is wrong."  I had the flu over six weeks ago.  It hit me hard....vertigo, sinus infection and UTI added to the mix.  I seemed to get better and then worse.  And worse.  I was so weak and shaky and bloody tired.  I knew I had blamed it on being more stressed due to eye issues but this seemed off somehow.  Could the flu last so long?

The doctor first told me it could very well be left over symptoms from the flu.  It seemed to be lasting longer than normal in people and she mentioned my history........... BUT she thought some tests were in order to rule out anything else.  All my tests came back normal but one. But let me back up here............

Before going in to see the doctor we prayed that if anything was wrong, it would be revealed.  Let the doctor find it.  So when the doctor was telling me she wanted to do a B-12 and Vit. D test I told her I have taken those supplements daily for 11 years. My Vit-D level had been only 7 (50 is average) when I started taking it.   She still wanted to check them, but told me she needed a "reason" to test Vit-D or it would not be covered by Medicare.  Seriously?  We discussed my history and the reason cropped up, so it was a go.

The doctor called me at 5 pm that day to tell me that all my tests were normal but one.  The Vit-D test was off the charts.  Higher than she had ever seen in anyone.  Say what?  It is rare, but it appears I have Vit-D toxicity and several of the symptoms I have been having are listed as side effects of having too much Vit D.  Too much Vit-D creates too much calcium in the blood which creates a host of problems......  SO, I am off of Vit-D and drinking salt water, as that is one of the things that removes calcium from the blood.

Who would have thought.  I have done my own research, and cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for the toxic levels in my blood.  I was taking 2000 - 4,000 iu's a day which is the dose recommended by many doctors.  It stores in fat though, and evidently my body stored it well.  Too well.  The levels may take awhile to drop.  So I am resting, praying, drinking salt water, taking in more fluids and no Vit-D or calcium for now.

God answered my prayers.  The doctor found a problem that did not even connect with the flu.  I am so grateful she decided to test the levels.  She was sure they were low................turns out they were high!  She was stunned and told us she had never seen anyone with this high a level before.

I was talking to our son about this, trying to figure out the "why" of it, when he said..."Mom, it is kinda cute how you are trying to answer the why of this.  After all these years of having a body that is in no way "normal" you still believe your body does things normally."  Ha.....

I am sharing this today for two reasons.  One, our answered prayer.  God led the Dr. in the right direction and a problem was revealed. Thank you Jesus.  Two, to give you a heads up.  IF you take Vit-D supplements make sure the doctor tests you periodically so you do not end up with toxic levels in your system.  I don't want you to have your own D drama to share!

Keeping Thankfulness Before Us

I was listening to a young man read Psalm 138 before services started at Bethel Church, and he ended the scripture reading by saying, "Let's keep thankfulness before us".  I immediately saw in my mind people walking forward and right out in front of them was thankfulness leading the way "sitting in a zippy little golf type cart"!  It made me laugh.  Thankfulness was leading the way and making it possible for people to follow Thankfulnesswith joyful faces.

Putting aside that unusual visual, this reminded me of the story of Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20.   All the armies were coming against Jehoshaphat and his army, and he knew they were no match for the others, so he asked God for help.  The Lord told Jehoshaphat not to be afraid because He would fight the battle.  Johoshaphat, king of Judah, sent out his singers first, just ahead of the soldiers.  They were to sing songs of praise, leading the soldiers into battle.  The songs of praise, of thankfulness, were more than enough, because the other tribes all began warring with each other and by the time Jehoshaphat and his army got to the battle field, everyone was dead.  His people were led by praise into victory.  They kept thankfulness before them!

I can't tell you the number of times God has highlighted praise to me in a circumstance or struggle.  Praise is a great weapon of warfare, and the enemy hates it when we praise our God.  Thankfulness brings our focus right back on to our Lord.  It leads the way for our own victories, whether, spiritual, physical or emtional.  Spirit, soul, or body.

In 2 Timothy Paul talks about us being given a Spirit of love, power, and a sound mind to replace the spirit of fear.  Maybe there is a Spirit of Thankfulness for us too.  Thankfulness can lead the way through tough seasons into seasons of blessing.  Thankfulness is KEY to spiritual warfare and to peace within.  Maybe Thankfulness is what unveils to us our victory.

Ann Voskamp has certainly changed her life one step at a time by writing down one thing at a time that she was thankful for.  She went from being a woman terrified to leave her home to a world renown speaker and author who is changing the world for others in places like Africa and Haiti.  All because she put thankfulness ahead of fear and found peace and victory over the enemy.  I love that!

Psalm 138 says, "I thank you Lord and will with all the passion of my heart!  I worship you in the presence of angels, Heavens mighty ones will hear my voice as I sing my loving praise to you!" (The Passion Translation)

My dear friend Linny Saunders has shared her own story of childhood abuse that lead to fear controlling her life.  She struggled with being alone for any amount of time, often having panic control her life.  And then God set her on a journey, and fear took a backseat in her life.  She is co-director of the International Voice of the Orphan, and flies to Africa a couple of times a year to work with her daughter and family at The Gem Foundation,  leaving her husband and family home. She still has 9 children at home, many with special needs. She is also an author and speaker, and I have been on the receiving end of her continual thankfulness to her Lord.  It centers her.

Keeping thankfulness before us shifts the atmosphere around us.  Keeping thankfulness before us keeps our eyes on Jesus,  guides us on the right path, and defeats that which comes against us and those we love. Keeping thankfulness before us brings us into His Presence.  It is a place where we can say as David did in the Psalms, "I sing my loving praise to You."  In His Presence, in thankfulness.

So Grateful

Our oldest daughter and her family were at their cabin with friends.  It was bitterly cold and they had been using the gas fireplace to bring extra warmth into their living space.  Our granddaughter and family friend had often laid on the floor in front of the fire, staying toasty and warm.

Then suddenly......while they gathered to eat supper on New Year's Eve, the fireplace exploded.  Glass shattered and was strewn out into that same area where our granddaughter and her friend had been.  Glass that was so hot it melted and stuck to the carpet.  No one was hurt.  No one.

So grateful.   So very grateful.

Another daughter and her treasures were in a terrible car accident.  The car was totaled.  Our daughter and the grands walked out of the car alive.  The grands physically unhurt, and our daughter able to recover from home.

So grateful.  So very grateful.

I have been praying for the son of one of Bethel Church's leaders, Joel Taylor.  A nasty strain of ecoli has nearly taken their son Jaxon's life and they continue to believe for his kidneys to function, his lungs to heal, and the organs to restore fully.  The other morning as a small worship team came to the hospital and prayed praise music over Jaxon as a declaration of healing, they saw a shift in his medical status.  He started to slowly and steadily improve.  He continues to need more healing, but the journey has begun.

So grateful.  So very very grateful.

Our whole family gathered together on December 28th.  This does not happen very often at all.  It was only for a couple of hours that our five, the in-loves, and ten grands were in our home at the same time, but our hearts were so full as we observed, participated, and embraced family and all that means.

So very grateful.

I was sitting in yet another doctor's office, this time in West Des Moines Iowa.  I was having a battery of tests to see why my vision had become wavy.  It was obvious it was connected to macular degeneration but where were the blood vessels leaking?  I had so many numbing drops I lost count.  I had dialating drops, iodine drops and a florescine dye IV.  before being given a shot of novicaine and then a shot of Lucentes in my eye.  In the past I would have been reacting with some pretty scary symptoms.  I did have a couple "minor" things arise but my body has recovered and healed enough in the past few years that I tolerated all the chemicals being poured into my body.  Thank you Jesus.

So grateful.

It was while I sat in that office that I realized my mantra of late has been the words...........so grateful.  So grateful for the many blessings, the gift of family and friends, and even the doctors who are at this time playing a part in my journey.  When I looked in my Christmas stocking this year I found a small magnet for the fridge that speaks of having a grateful heart.  It resonated.

So, I have taken my "count your daily blessings" journal off the shelf and am making 2018 a year to put in writing the "so grateful" things.  There are so many.   Like the doctor who suggested a medication to me and then told me to go home and pray, and ask Holy Spirit about it.....(I had never mentioned Holy to her, but evidently He whispered into her ear.........  Or my dear friend Katherine who lives so far away but knows my heart.  God brought us together for such a time as this.  Or the amazing story that can be told with how we bought our latest car.  Or the blessing of having a warm house on a cold day.  God is in the midst of it all.

Recently someone told me they are having a difficult time being thankful.  I told them, I understood.  I got it.  But at times we need to be grateful and praise God before we SEE things change.  That is why it is called faith.  That is why it is sometimes called a "sacrifice of praise".  Because no matter how difficult our circumstances we can find the many "so grateful" moments if we take our eyes off of the problems and unto the solution.  Our Savior.

So very grateful.  It is a good way to begin 2018.

Gratitude WIns The War

"Gratitude wins the war".

Ann Voskamp

Ann Voskamp is the author of the book, "One Thousand Gifts" and most recently "The Broken Way".  As a woman who at one time was fearful of leaving her home, God has used her to reach people across the world.  He had other plans, and it all began with her making the commitment to give thanks for every blessing, and soon she saw blessings in everything, every place, event, moment of her days.  As a mom of 7 who homeschools, and lives with her husband on a farm in Canada, as a well known author and speaker and advocate for those in great need, her days are beyond full, I expect.

Recently Ann wrote on her blog "A Holy Experience" about health issues in herself and three of her children.  They adopted a little girl from China who has a broken heart, in need of much repair.  They have a son who was diagnosed with diabetes at a younger age, and another child with health issues.  And Ann herself is recovering from heart failure after a problem was left undiscovered until her heart was struggling to function.  Her life is filled with challenges, but her gratitude still rises to the surface with mighty power.  She believes gratitude wins the war, and her life tells that story one thank you at a time.

So as I ponder giving thanks, being grateful, lifting my voice in praise to the One, I ask myself what I believe.  And can that belief be walked out in my daily life?  There is something powerful about giving thanks in all circumstances.  Not for all, but in all.  Gratitude shifts our attitude.  Gratitude makes it less about us and more about Him.  It can take an ordinary day or a challenging one and make it extraordinary.  That "extra" attitude of gratitude makes the ordinary extraordinary.

Thanksgiving is behind us, but giving thanks today and tomorrow and in the tomorrows that lay ahead is a choice.  Some days it is not easy....it is more of a sacrifice of praise just like we are told in the book of Hebrews.  But that can make it sweeter, that praise that lifts us out of the darkness.  The gratitude that releases the light of Heaven like a million stars.  Speaking of that..........a verse from a song comes to mind.  "If the stars were made to worship, so will I."  Worship is a form of gratitude and praise.  It wins the war.

God in all His wisdom, created us to worship.  To praise.  He created us for gratitude.  He created us to give thanks in all circumstances knowing that in doing so, we find the peace and joy within that empowers us to win in life.  No matter the circumstances.  Jesus made sure we win the victory.  Our gratitude wins the war.

Moms Make The World Go Round

It is in the mid 70's. the skies are blue. and the world is filled with shades of green.  Pops of color draw our attention as the tulips, apple blossoms, and lilacs show off their beauty.  Two rabbits have built a nest under our back deck, and a wren has returned to her familiar birdhouse hanging in our tree.  She sings to us throughout the day a joyful song.  Hopefully, Mrs. Robin found herself another place to nest, having been shooed away from the porch by the residents of this house!

It is a beautiful time of year.  Spring brings with it new life and watching the mother birds, ducks, and rabbits nesting makes me smile and remember when our nest was filled with oodles of kids.  All those homemade Mother's Day gifts still make me smile.  Mother's Day may keep Hallmark in business, but those homemade specialties are treasured forever.

Our daughters and daughter-in-law have their own homemade Mother's Day gifts to cherish.  They, along with the dads, have made nests for their children, nourished them and encouraged them to learn to fly.  So many of our grands are now in their teens, and two will be heading off to college next fall.  And so it begins, the road to the empty nest. Difficult, and different, but as mothers and fathers this is our goal.  Not unlike the baby robins who are nourished and cared for until it is time for them to leave the nest and fly!  It is our "job" to teach our children to fly.

The Philippines

Montana

Minnesota

Some favorite photos of kids

For most parents, and especially moms, this is not an easy journey.  I came across a book recently with a title that caught my attention:  "Release Your Grip:  Hope For A Parent's Heart as Kids Leave the Nest and Learn to Fly" by Kami Gilmour.  She speaks of the "sacred season of parenthood" and the changes that come with adult children going off into the world.  I remember those days well.  Lots of tears flowed from this Mama.  Lots of prayers from both Mom and Dad.  Our hearts and prayers are with our two sets of parents beginning this well worn pathway, and with all our children and spouses as they prepare their families to fly.  Good thing God has it all covered.

Reflecting on Mothers, they certainly come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.  They are all races, all nationalities. They are defined through birth and adoption, foster care, Aunties and friends, sisters, and even teachers nurturing those in their care.    I am reading a book about the missionary, Lillie Trasher,  who had an orphanage in Egypt, with thousands of children over the years who called her Mama.  Moms make the world go round.

SO thankful for the 47 years I have been blessed to be a mother.  I am grateful for the love and support of my hubby~ what a great dad he is~ , the love and forgiveness of my kids when I did not get it right.  The fantastic people they are now!  So proud.  Looking back, my heart is full, living in present, my heart is grateful, and looking to the future my heart is hopeful.  It is all good.  God has it all covered.

Nesting and Finding Joy In January

The wind howled, the temperature dropped, and the wind chill made it feel like -26.  Winter was puffing out it's chest and reminding us of what the first days of the new year are known for.  Snow.  Ice.  Cold.

Defending ourselves from the coldest month of the year means winter gear in layers as we venture outside....a sweatshirt or sweater.....wool socks maybe.....winter coat...scarf and hat and gloves or mittens.  Don't forget the boots!  The warmer the better.  Most people hurry in and hurry out, and if you are lucky enough (it is on our bucket list) you have heated seats to keep car travel more comfortable. Otherwise you start to warm up just about the time you get to your next destination.  Yeah....

All those beautiful pictures you see on social media of winter white landscapes, lights reflecting from windows, smoke rising from chimneys.  Beautiful, yes, but brutal at times too!

Today a storm is crossing our country.  Much needed rain in the west, unneeded snow and ice in the southeast.  The weather seems extreme right now.  Or do we just forget from year to year what is ahead as the calendar turns over a new leaf.

We spend a great deal of time indoors when January makes itself known,  and while nesting, we dig out puzzles, games. and stack books to be read on cold winter days and nights while the fireplace warms the room and a quilt keeps the legs toasty.  The TV is on more, and walking takes place on our treadmill.  So grateful for the treadmill this year!  Thank you neighbor June!!

So, it is about this time that we start to long for Arizona.  The neighbor Kent just got back from Colorado and asked Joel if he thinks about going to Arizona......and much to Joel's surprise he said immediately..."Every day."  Every. day.  Hmmmmm

The desire to escape winter for the desert has not left us.  My body reacts strongly to the cold and Joel has a bit of stiffness himself when the cold comes to stay.  Mostly the SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) is what challenges Joel.  We keep speaking over it to go....but it is stubborn.  And then there is God's vitamin D.  Sunshine.  I need it.  We both do.  So we ponder, plan, praise, and pray for answers as we hunker down here, grateful for a cozy warm home.  I can remember when Joel only wore a vest in the winters and was never cold.  I can remember when he felt exhilarated and challenged by winter.  No longer.

I think back on the pioneers who lived through brutal winters in sod houses.  How did they do it?  Why did they do it?  They were looking for a new life....a way to make a living....a way to live out their dreams or the promises made.  Some were prepared and survived, some lasted only a few years, and unfortunately a few are buried young where the weather or disease overcame them.  Most had skills to survive and thrive in spite of what came their way.  I am always fascinated by the strength and courage of the pioneer women. Did they nest in winter  out of choice or necessity?   I think we know the answer to that.

Nesting in January is not a bad thing.  A time to unwind, rest, and reflect on the year behind us while setting new goals and plans for the year ahead.  In yet another day with waking temperatures at -9 we hunker down.   Could be worse.  Could be a whole lot better!  With a push of a button my living room has a cozy fire going.  With the lift of a finger I am connected to others.  With the opening of a book cover I am transformed into another world. With my voice and heart I am communicating with God. All while January makes us grateful for a warm home.  Stay warm, stay safe, laugh, learn, love.......nesting and finding joy in January.