Sista Time

My middle sister and I have gotten close over the last couple of years, we talk or text nearly everyday. It has been a blessing to reconnect after so many years.

She had some time off and had made some plans to spend some time with us. We had been talking about it for months. I looked to see what was going on in the area, while she continued to reassure me all she wanted to do was to hang out together, weeding in the garden and sitting on the deck.

Then the week before she was due to come down her friend, who was also her way down, found out she had to work. The trip was canceled! I was really disappointed and my husband even remarked that he was bummed that she wasn't going to be able to come down.

Heres where things got creative, we knew we had to make another trip to the Mountain House, and we had scheduled the trip for Mother's Day weekend, why not go a week earlier and pick up sis on our way? I pitched the idea to her and she was game, we now had a new plan.

It ended up being a lot of fun for all of us. There was still quite a bit of sorting to do in the house. One of our goals has been to preserve any family photos or family items before the property goes up for auction.  My husband concentrated most of his efforts on going through HIS dad's shop while we "Girls" went room by room through the rest of the house, her help was tremendous.

It was a media free weekend (with the exception of watching our son play in a concert via the internet) We talked and laughed all weekend. Sister tried to talk us into moving into this Mountain House and for about 24 hours we considered it. We talked about how we could remodel it, checked the area for churches, scoped out stores in the area. The house has a beautiful view and I envisioned my sister living there with us. Long evenings on the porch talking and watching the deer.

We talked and we planned while we were sorting and packing, but as soon as we hit the bridge on our last leg home we knew we loved where we lived. We had friends and a church and a community we had become a part of. I'm not saying we would never move, if God directs us somewhere else we would pick up and go, but to move just for a pretty house in an area where we have no friends or family isn't enough.

This has been our fourth trip to the Mountain House this year, each trip a little different, each trip a time of relationship building, as odd as that may seem, but thats what sticks out to me the most about these trips. The first trip we reconnected with family members not seen in many years, the next trip it was about getting to know one of the neighbors, the next trip was with my youngest and the latest with my sister. I can see God's hand in all of these trips.

God has been faithful through all of this, protected us in so many ways. There may still be a trip or two (or three) still on the horizon or we may be done. Thanking God today for his mercy and goodness and the opportunities for relationship building he has provided for us through this Mountain House

Monday's Memories

The last couple of weeks have been full of memories as we've been trying to secure paperwork. While sorting we have come across tons of photos and this was one I though was worthy of posting today. The toddler in the photo s my first born, now a grown man with four children of his own, and the man beside him is my husband. We were a family of three just starting to navigate the parenthood thing. We were so young and had so much to learn. Our roles have changed but the learning never stops.

The photo below was taken while on a vacation to celebrate our 35th anniversary. Sons were both grown and we were vacationing solo for the first time.

I mentioned that the last several weeks have been memory filled. I expect that's going to continue for quite some time. Today I wanted to stop and honor my sweet husband on his birthday and thank the Lord for letting us walk this life together, the good, and the not so good. He is a man of God who seeks the Lord, a loving husband and father and a fun and loving Pop Pop. He is my go to guy when anything needs to be fixed, high things need to be reached or bugs need to be squished. I think he can fix just about anything (he tends to disagree) One of the qualities he has that I love is that he doesn't take himself too seriously, I am the more reserved in this relationship, so we make a great match.. Our lives have changed over the years, from newlyweds to young parents to parents of teens to empty nesters. From active duty military to retiree to working in the civilian sector. My husband has served and continues to serve our family well and in so many ways. I am thankful to the Lord for him and want to wish him a very Happy Birthday

Refreshment and Relaxation

We recently attended a wedding several hours north of us. It required a two day drive each way, only because after 5-6 hours on the road I am done for the day. This worked out well for us because my sister was at the 5 hour point (each way) so we spent the night at her house coming and going.

It was a wonderful time to catch up with family. while at my sister's house the first night my brother brought over a delicious meal of Chicken Chesapeake, Roasted Potatoes and Fresh Corn. He is quite the cook and loves to whip up things for the family. He finished off the meal with fresh Cherries Jubilee over Ice Cream. Unfortunately I was too busy eating to think about taking any photos. It was delicious and we were blown away by his kindness in going to all the trouble of making this special meal for us. My sister on her end, did all she could to make her home a comfortable stop on our journey. I am so thankful for my sister and the relationship we now have and that we have also been able to reconnect with my brother. God's grace alone

We had been looking forward to this trip as a little get away from schedules that were seeming way too busy and responsibilities that were feeling overwhelming, and as a way of reconnecting with each other a little.

The trip provided all of the above and some much needed "food" for our weary souls, a bonus I wasn't anticipating. (I don't think I realized that in addition to being physically weary, we were in a bit of a spiritual drought as well.) Prior to the trip I had downloaded several of our favorite podcasts to listen to on the trip. The car we had rented had a USB port to plug my IPod in so we were set.. We had various sermon series, apologetics, teaching and bible studies to choose from. It made the time go by fast and we felt refreshed by the time we were home.

So we had time with family, a small town to explore, a beautiful wedding to attended and hours listening to the word of God preached....I really couldn't have asked for more. We enjoyed it so much that it has influenced the type of Anniversary Trip we are planning for later this year...it's going have many of the elements as this trip had....and it's going to be very laid back

Exploring Main Street, many stores and eateries were closed for the 4th of July as well as Sundays...so refreshing!

Fireworks were held at the local high school, it seemed like the whole town was there, so we decided to join in.

Can you think of a prettier wedding venue?

I had to get a photo after the ceremony. The view was breathtaking

November Gathering The Moments

Can it be November is over, and Thanksgiving is now behind us?

These photos give you a little window of what our month looked like. We spent a bit of time outside cleaning up flower beds, planting pansies and storing summer items.  I was sad to see the hammock put away for the winter, but thrilled that we found on small greenhouse on sale.  Husband had the challenge of assembling it.

The leaves have been beautiful and we made some excursions to get some photographs,. I am really thankful for these opportunities.

I had dreaded Thanksgiving because neither son was going to be home (remember I love a full house) but in the end it turned out to be very enjoyable (and relaxing) And it gave us an opportunity to better know some friends of ours. (and yes, I was well for Thanksgiving)

Even though it was just the two of us we took our family photo for the year this past weekend.

What my husband and I are beginning to see is, there are things we would not have been doing and opportunities we would have missed had all of our family been here. Still miss them but learning to find the blessings and the grace moments in this new season.

 

                                       Joining  Cheryl  in Gathering the Moments

Blessings and Celebrations

How did it get to be the end of May already...our spring has been so cool that this holiday weekend kind of snuck up on me. No big plans just hanging out with family and friends and finishing the outside spring cleaning...still plants to pot and furniture to get out.

But on to the purpose of the post... that is to stop a moment and take time to list some of the things I have to be thankful for.

• For little helpers always willing to lend a hand (I know you have seen this little one with a swifer before...I really don't make them clean when they come...they want to help) (and I don't usually wear socks with sandals...really, I don't)

• For the roses blooming in the yard and at the Gardens

•  For the mild spring,we have been having, I have not had to run the air conditioner...we have been able to open the windows which has brought in lots of fresh air...love it

• For the opportunity to go strawberry picking with the two youngest grandchildren...we later made strawberry freezer jam and froze some for smoothies later

• For the opportunity to attend a free concert in Washington DC last weekend...especially thankful that I was physically able to make the trip...there was a moment when I wondered how I was going to do it

• The trip to DC wasn't just to attend a free concert, that was just an unexpected blessing. The purpose of the trip was to attend the graduation of our youngest son. Excited to see what the Lord has for him in this next chapter of his life

"How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light."  Psalm 36:7-9

Ordinary Blessings

Opportunities to play with grandchildren

Ordinary Blessings

Been quiet here lately. Summer in full swing and the temperature shows it. Son and his family adjusting to a fourth child. "Sweet Lady" has been in her new home a month now, and things are beginning to fall into place. Youngest son will be moving, husband will be making a road trip soon to help make that happen, but for right now things are routine.

We are enjoying the ordinary.Watering the garden in the evening, pulling weeds (for some reason I find satisfaction in doing that) sitting on the porch after dinner, watching the hummingbirds and listening to the cicada sing. Grateful for the mundane, aware of my many blessings.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever"  Psalm 136:1

Grateful

Another visit to the plastic surgeon another "fill".  I know what to expect by now so it is easier to plan. I know that I will be sore, so planned for a low key afternoon, OK, so my afternoons are already low key but I decided to make sure I napped. Have also learned that taking Advil regularly before I get too uncomfortable is key. The nurse showed me some exercises to do to help with left arm pain and tightness from surgery and I will begin doing those. Will get another "fill" next week, so much for my 2 week break, but at least this part will get over with more quickly. Spoke with my surgeons nurse and she said doctor may order therapy after I see him on the 29th. Made some calls about extending my FMLA a few weeks, does not look like it will be a problem, it goes to the 24th of November right now. I would like the option of being out until mid December but we will see what happens. There are still so many unknowns. I also called my manager at work today, gave her an update on my status, talked about what I would be doing when I came back. I would like to decrease my days to three days a week (Monday through Wednesday) and she was fine with that. Talked about time I wanted to take off for travel and she was fine about that. This was a call I was dreading and it went very well. Work is still one of those things that is hard for me to think about, but I had to start talking to people and make some tentative plans. Thankful that the Lord cares about all the details of my life. I continue to be blessed by the care of those I work with, not only is my manager showing me much grace but I continue to get kind words and encouragement from coworkers through emails and phone calls. An old hymn comes to mind....Count Your Blessings

"Count your blessings, name them one by one
 Count your blessings, see what God has done
 Count your blessings, name them one by one
 And it will surprise you, what the Lord has done"

I want to be very aware of the blessings that God has given us, what we have to be thankful for despite the cancer diagnosis. There have been hard things we have had to go through these last couple of months, but the Lord has provided for us so well, he has put people in our lives that have helped lighten the burden, events he has orchestrated.  When I get discouraged my prayer is that I will focus on the many blessings that God has given us and that I will have a heart of gratitude.

Gift of Time

Improvement seen this weekend, things feeling a little more "normal". Pain as been more manageable and was able to get out a few times the past couple of days. Realizing I do have a window of opportunity for any "outings", two hours seems to be the maximum, then my "anchor" drops and I am done. This was quite apparent when I went to the grocery store on Saturday with my husband, we were just about finished when the fatigue set in and all I was doing was going thru the motions as he finished the shopping. We spent the rest of the day chillin and then I was fine.  We were also able to go to church on Sunday, which was nice because I had missed three Sundays and although you can get fed on your own there is just something about being with other believers praising God. We finished the day with a quick trip later in the afternoon to Botanical Gardens for some picture taking and a short walk. The day was sunny and cool but also beautiful and I loved the opportunity to be outside in the gardens. With feeling better comes the desire to do to more and more. This is a good thing, but for me it is also a time of caution because my tendency has always been to try to do more than I should. The Lord did quicken to my heart that my limitations are really a blessing and they have given me the gift of time. My life is usually pretty busy (not sure why because children are grown but...) There is work and errands and stuff that is just clamoring for my attention. This has given me a new view of all the stuff that took up my time and perhaps some changes need to be made, that will be part of this journey I am sure, but for now I just want to be thankful. Thankful that I am feeling better, thankful for this time, looking for ways that I can be used in my limitations. Husband has given me several suggestions, stuff I never seemed to have time for when I was working. We give extended family photo type gifts for Christmas, he wants me to work on that, calls that need to be made, checkbook to balance etc. Then there are the pleasures of just reading a good book or looking through gardening magazines and seed catalogs planning next years garden. I also have this great camera husband gave me as an anniversary gift that I am not using to it's full potential because I never had the time to really learn all the functions. I have that time now. Limitations are going to give me time, time to do things that need to be done. I want to see this as God's care for me,  providing for me, I want to see this as a blessing not a curse. A time to be used for good, a time to rethink things. A time to seek him, hear from him now that the busyness of my life has been quieted. A time to "bloom where I have been planted"

"Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance"  Psalm 16:5-6