Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where cloudy skies and warm sticky weather are giving us the last days of summer before temperatures "below normal" show up for the coming week. It is lovely to see some of the trees showing off their oranges and yellows. Our flowers are still in bloom and we have added a mum plant to the mix. You can smell Fall in the air and even some of the sounds are a reminder of Autumn, like the geese flying overhead or the leaves as they hit the deck.
This past Thursday we drove to a state park about 25 minutes away and enjoyed a lake view and a walk on a road surrounded by trees, a duck slough, and a few fall wildflowers. It was nice to get out in nature again. On our way home we stopped at an indoor/outdoor market where we bought our mum plant and several squash. Again, it was nice to get out and do something away from home.
Joel has been working on the back deck. It was power washed, and then he sanded down the wood and added a few screws to keep it all solid. He hopes to stain, but the winds have kept him from doing so since when it is windy, the locust trees drop their leaves right on the deck~ so he is hoping for the perfect day....sunny, dry and no wind before proceeding. He has ridden over 1200 miles on his bike now. Yay for him!
I am still "putzing" around the house with cooking, baking, cleaning, writing, doing puzzles, and walking 20 minutes. We decided Tai Chi would be good for us to try. Well, actually I decided! Joel is willing to go along with it....ha...So we are starting out with Tai Chi for Seniors which I found on YouTube. I think it will be a good thing, right?
Speaking of good things, we are so happy my sister Jo is now in rehab. Of course there is good and bad with that. It is great she is finally at that point. But......She can't have any visitors for 2 weeks which is very difficult for her as she is relying on Janelle so much as her caregiver. She still needs prayer for strength and for the memory issues that have popped up since all this started. Of course we also are praying she will not be exposed to Covid. Ugh.......At times it feels like she is going through a mine field.
Speaking of that, can't it feel that way for all of us? Life is a mine field and we are just trying to avoid stepping on anything that would bring chaos and destruction to our lives or those we love. Okay, maybe it is not that bad....but it feels like each step, each decision, each encounter is filled with more pressure to have the best results. And this would be where Jesus says, "I've got this. Rest, let me be your Guide. Follow me". And you know, sometimes He leads us right through that mine field and we are able to do it because we trust Him. Trust. So vital to our faith, to our ability to get through life.
Last night Joel and I were sitting on the porch and somehow got talking about some of the jobs we had as kids and in adulthood. Joel did farm work of course, and got a two degree in wildlife management, When at Bible college he worked on campus in the mail room and also in a food factory. It swore him off packaged ready to eat jello, mac. salads, etc. for life! He also worked as a custodian at a grain factory in Mpls nights. Scary job that did not last long! When we were first in the military he worked after his training hours helping out a farmer. We only made $200 a month then so every penny helped. My brother-in-law who helped raise me came home one day when I was 16 and told me he got me a job at a new nursing home. I worked there in the kitchen and dining room until I went off to college. In college I worked downtown Mpls. in a jewelry exchange building putting together earrings. Then I worked with a friend cleaning houses of some wealthy people. They would hire people from the Bible college. When we were married, I first had a job as secretary/assistant to the president and business manager of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren in Joel's hometown where we were living. A few months later when we were living on only $200 a month in Illinois I worked 1 day in a factory putting together transistor radios! Hated it........went to daycare instead. I also worked one summer in a large restaurant, and when we had four kids at a hardware store, and also at one time had my own Daycare business. In my 40's I worked as an Interpreter for the Deaf in a school setting. Our jobs shaped us both.
I remember how that the 1 day in the factory came back to bless us. We were out of money and had nothing substantial left to eat until payday. We had dug through the car seats to come up with any loose change and were eating plain rice with cinnamon and sugar for meals. Joel picked up the mail one day and there was a check in it for the eight hours I worked at the factory! A $15.00 check that gave us enough food and gas to get to payday!!! God provided for us just what we needed when we needed it. There are so many stories we have like that over the years, and I am sure you have them too!
Speaking of stories Joel and I listened to Wm. Paul Young speak on a podcast. He is the author of The Shack. It was written for his immediate family but that book has sold over 22 million copies. He made a statement that resonated with me. "We all ARE a story". Not have a story, but are a story. Four kids growing up in the same household will all have a different perspective that gives them different stories. They are each a different story. And every story is important to God!
Speaking of what is important to God, I know gratitude is. So this day I want to give thanks for Fall colors, smells, and sounds, for mum plants, squash, Gr. Jo going to rehab, memories of past jobs, porch sitting, learning something new (Tai Chi), a clean house, a walk in the state park, texts and phone calls, and family. The beautiful gift of family.....
Enjoy your weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment