The Move

So . . . the move has occurred and we are in our mountain home - well almost!

Our place is currently decorated with cardboard and plastic boxes dotted amongst the furniture. There are piles of things yet to be placed where they should go, and in some cases, there are not sufficient places for those things. Yes, we are downsizing, but even having done a lot of that, it's not quite enough! We have moved from approximately 2100 square feet to 1568. It's a tight squeeze! We do hope to add on a family room/studio, but that'll be when we have sufficient funds to do so! It will allow us to film things at home rather than flying east or driving 2 ½ hours one way to a studio and then paying for studio time. In the long run, it'll pay dividends both in energy and saved money, but to begin with, it's an outlay of cash we don't have!

Thank God we have wonderful friends. Kenny, Donna, Deb and Doug helped with packing and loading the truck and trailer. Our children and church family and Donna (who drove with us for company and to help for 5 days) helped to unload on this end. Donna was an unbelievable help! I bet she is still exhausted and attempting to relax at home.

Things surely do change as time goes on. Twenty years ago probably everything would be in its place already, but one week of being here has not been sufficient to empty boxes, build shelves and place things where they need to be. Our backs and legs ache and we wonder if we'll ever be "normal" again!! We try to work a bit and then rest a bit, but that just slows down the process, doesn't it?

Sometimes I think it's a bit scary to be feeling my age, and other times I am thankful that I am not a teen or even in my thirties in these times we are experiencing. I think about how grateful we are to be near our children and grandchildren, to watch them mature and experience their accomplishments. Abby (age 14) sang in a spring concert at her school. She shined especially when she did her solo, while both grandmas and her parents cheered her on and delighted in her flawless performance. Hannah (age 9) came to the house and saw Donna and me putting the legs on our dining room table and asked, "Are we coming here to have dinner with you tonight?" Bless her heart; you couldn't see the fridge for the boxes! The day before, she had been a real champion mover!

So as the boxes slowly disappear and the place begins to look like home, I shall thank the good Lord for the mountain home He has provided and the friends we now miss who helped us to move, and the family nearby who bring love into our hearts and home.

Spring

Spring has sprung - in some places anyway.  This weekend, we took a ride with some friends and in three hours passed through rain, sleet, snow, sunshine and a beautiful rainbow.  Having experienced various weather conditions in such a short span, we took the rainbow as God's promise that spring is definitely on its way - as usual!  This year it just seems to be taking its time. 


 
Every year about this time, daffodils, crocus, singing birds and tulips here and there announce that the deadness of winter is being replaced again by new life.  Delicate light green new leaves sprout on what looked like dead branches and folks begin to spend time planning their plantings for the summer.

Me too!  I've been thinking about the little garden near the main entrance of our mountain home.  I drew it on a napkin as we flew home from a seminar last week, and pictured the colorful blooms surrounding our three wooden bears - Mama, papa and baby. Our butterfly bushes are hopefully springing to life again, and I look forward to the winged activity that surrounds them when the blooms appear.  Our Blue spruce trees will have their soft new growth in a couple of weeks, and the large cedar beside our hillside driveway will have a bench placed beneath it and perhaps a few flowers that do well in shade planted nearby.  I hope to plant something nice in three huge pots we will take from Arizona to the mountains, so that there will be some color on our deck. We sit there in the cool early morning with our cups of hot tea - our special time of the day to enjoy the crisp, clean air, plan our day and listen to the sounds of the nature that surrounds us.


 
There is something very special about each season, but spring has an emotional component that is different than the other three seasons. It's a time of hope, of birth, of reassurance that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world.  Even in this time of strife everywhere, there's something about a cheery daffodil, a pansy's perky face and the sweet chirping of birds who have been away or hiding for the winter, that says to me that God is still in charge, the seasons change on time, life springs even thru the winter's snow and God will still take care of his children.
 
It can be easy to get discouraged listening to and watching the news. Fears for the future can pop up out of nowhere, just like the crocuses through the snow.  But if you find yourself in that state - wondering what will become of the world around us and the people in it, just go out in God's glorious fresh air, find some spring flowers, and be reminded that God is still in control.

Losses and Blessings

Ever noticed how when something really negative occurs, something positive is sure to follow? Ever notice how when something is taken away from you, somehow entirely different other blessings arrive on your doorstep?

I've been feeling rather "down" lately. Life as we have known it for the past ten years is taken a giant turn. The friends I love and hold so dear are going to be miles away from me, the quick trip to the grocery store (my favorite place to roam up and down the aisles when anxious or overburdened, is going to be miles away now - like 15 - instead of 3 blocks away. The kitchen we had renovated and decorated in shades of a beautiful mellow green, will be left behind, with my wonderful double ovens (something I had dreamed about owning for years) are, of course, going to be left behind as well.

I've discovered already, that the older we get, the harder it is for change to take place. Rest assured however, we are going to a beautiful spot. The weather couldn't be nicer, and being near our daughter and her children will be great, but still, the change, the packing, and the deciding what to sell, what to pitch and what to keep is challenging!

I was having what one could call a meltdown the other day. I was packing some things in my lovely kitchen, and the tears were flowing. My mother had given us a small amount of money and it was used for the kitchen. Somehow, that room represented her, and the connection of the loss of her and the loss of the kitchen became muddled with each other.

And then the blessings arrived! Ron, who was working in the study, just arrived in the kitchen, put his arms around me and literally hugged me with his heart. He asked what the real problem was, and the dam let loose. That was OK with him - he just let me weep until I could explain. I then decided to take a break from the kitchen and catch up on my e-mails. There was an e-mail from a pastor we had done seminars for years ago. He reported on two wonderful stories of success following his members completing the recovery program. There was another from another country, where current success is occurring far beyond our wildest dreams.

There they were - three wonderful heart-felt blessings to make me understand that our marriage and our work are far more important and impacting than our momentary losses.

As you struggle through the effects of these difficult economic times, look for the blessings that the good Lord pours on you with one hand while the times in which we live and the circumstances of life seem to take away with the other.