New Year - New Word

New year, new word!   This year is going to be life altering, complete change for me, and I am not sure how I feel about it.  We made a decision as a family that I would move back home to live with my mom and dad.  They are in their 80's and not doing very well.  I need to make their life better. They did so much for us, it is only right.  It is not an easy solution for me, I have two kids in high school, a junior and a senior, both boys, one struggling to graduate, one in a wheelchair, with cerebral palsy,  Fortunately my husband is very capable, understanding, works at the same school that the boys go to, and it was his idea in the first place. Did I mention that my folks live 8 hours away?  Or that I have 2 sisters that live on the same ranch as my folks, who aren't doing enough to help them?  I am going to live either in a hotel or RV trailer because I can't live with my parents and work as their caregiver too.  My sister who lives in a huge house down the road from them knows this and hasn't even offered to let me stay with her, she just has asked me if I really wanted to put my life on hold for this!!!!  I am so sad to leave my family, but so excited to help my mom and dad.  I have never been so torn in my whole life, except for the time when our youngest son was born and we had to spend 4 months in another city while our baby struggled to survive.  We had to leave our 9 kids with various family, friends, on their own(the teenagers) ack!
     All this to say, my word of the year is...TODAY.  I am going to live for today this year, focus on what is going on at one point in time, today.  Whether I am at home with my family, or at home with my parents, I will focus on Today.  I may not have a job, I may not be there to see my boys last year in high school, I may not be there to see my grandkids growing, but I will focus on today and live in that moment, enjoying my time with my parents, making their golden years just that golden.

Word of the Year

It has taken some time, but I know what my word for the year is.....Joy!  I need to learn to be joyful in all things, for my family, friends, my self!  Life is too short to be annoyed with anyone about silly things.  I want to be joyful in everything!  I am excited about this!

His eye is on the sparrow...

I know his eye is on the sparrow, but I am so full of anxiety.  We just don't make enough money to live on, Mark and I both work full time, and I have the coffee stand on Saturdays at our farmers market, but we are always so behind on everything, and always have something being threatened to be shut off, down, or taken away.  Things are so up in the air at work, everyone is retiring, getting lovely high paying new jobs, or going to travel the world.  There are only 2 of us left, every one else will be new in just a few days, I am poorly paid for a very physical job, i am exhausted when I get home, and it is that way 6 days a week!  To top it off, I just feel like my work has no lasting purpose.  I want to make a difference, and all I do is cook and clean, then do it all over again.  I want purpose, and enough money to live on.  We don't have extravagant lives, I haven't got new clothes in a year and a half, and then it was just a couple shirts, I need new shoes, mine have no tread, but we can't afford them.  I haven't bought groceries on a regular basis for months, ( I am amazed how the Lord has made our food stretch)  I sound like the children of Israel when they were in the dessert, I just want to know what to do.  What should I, we, do?

My word for the year

Thought I should update how I am doing on my word for the year.  It has really been a wonderful experience!  We have had some really hard things to go through recently, my husband falsely accused of bullying of all things (if you knew him you would understand how absurd this is), me having trouble at work and wondering if I would continue to work there, some really hard times with not enough money to go around, etc., just normal but really hard stuff.  I have really been working on trust, and while we haven't won publishers clearing house, we have had some real events that we could see God working in our lives, and the most important, I am learning to trust and not to spend so much time fussing and fuming.  I can't even give you any sort of formula on how to trust the Lord, I can just tell you that I am learning at the Lord's feet and it is good, not perfect, but good.

Prayer reminders

I have been impressed upon lately the need for prayer for my children. We have 11 children ages from 30 - 13 years old,  they, their spouses and their children (my grandchildren) are in the middle of establishing their lives, finding what they will do with themselves, discovering themselves, if you will.  I read a paper written by  "An Appeal to Parents to Pray Continually for the Welfare and Salvation of their Children" by William Scribner,published in 1873.  He said, "Few will pray for them if you do not."   That struck me, what a responsibility and privilege.  I decided a while back to be more methodical in my prayer for my family, and I needed something to remind me.  I watched catholic and muslem people use their prayer beads and I thought that was a great idea, why don't Evangelical Christians do this?  I got some silver beads, a leather strap, and put one to represent each of my children, and their family, and one for my husband. I keep it in my pocket and I can feel the weight in my pocket and it reminds me to pray then I feel the beads and go one by one holding each bead and remembering a specific child, and what they are going through right now, them, their family, and I especially pray for my family members who have not accepted Christ as their savior and for their salvation.  I pray for my husband and his health, his ministry.  I think it is such a great inspired idea!  I want to share it with others, make them for others...what do you think about this?

Wood lesson 1

I went to my first woodworking class last night.  I was so nervous (not sure why)  but it was really a great experience.  I learned about the grain in wood,  (theoretically at least, I still have more to learn) AND  I learned to use a band saw!  I am really excited to go tomorrow and learn how to use a table saw and start making my picture frame!  Whoo hoo!

Woodworking for women

I just got my approval today to be part  of a beginning woodworking class for women!  It will meet over Mondays and Wednesdays for two and a half weeks in the evening, and will teach me how to use hand tools and power tools to create a craftsman style mirror!  I will learn to creatively use reclaimed lumber to make things!  I am so excited!  I have done this my whole life, but not very well.  Now I am going to learn the skills to really do a good job (I hope!)
I helped build our house last year and really loved it, I love knowing just what the house we live in looks like from the inside out.  I love knowing where the studs are in the wall, what is behind the walls, under the floors and foundation,  I just really enjoyed it a lot, and now I am going to go to another level and learn even more!  I am excited.