Looking Ahead

Last week I was out shopping to pick up some last minute items for my sons trip to China this week. While I was out I noticed the back to school items in the store already - you know - pencils, papers, notebooks, scissors, crayons, etc. All of those things that conjure up thoughts of fall. I know I mentioned some of this in my last post. But my mind keeps going back to it. This will be a different fall for me with only having one son at home. Usually during this time I start thinking about what ladies Bible study I will be teaching and what God wants me to focus on. My thoughts continue to stray in that direction and I still don't have a clear idea of what God is calling me to do. I need insight of what things to be involved with. I don't want to have too many things scheduled. I know that my son will have sports practices to be carted to, as well as his job once a week.

Perhaps things are a little more 'cloudy' right now because of the past few months that we have had, dealing with my husband's skiing accident. He hopes to return back to work full time sometime soon, but still will be undergoing therapy - perhaps for a while yet. These months have been difficult ones. The people that we thought would be with us, supporting us, often were the ones that were not. God often used people that we didn't know very well, to reach out to us. We did have ones that were extremely faithful. I still am seeking the Lord's direction in where He wants us to be in relation to all that we have been through. Sometimes He uses something like this in our lives, to point us in a new direction. My husband and I are trying to remain open to God's leading in this area. No definite answers have been shown us as of yet.

My prayer is that above all else, I will remain close to the Lord, and seek His direction for our lives. I want to be in the center of His will.

Catching Up!

It seems hard to believe that it has been almost a month since I was last able to post a blog entry. Things have been pretty busy in our household. My oldest son graduated from our homeschool, my Mom celebrated her 70th birthday, my husband has returned to work part time and we are in the midst of preparations for my youngest son to leave for China next week. I feel like my life has been a whirlwind lately.

I have been trying to squeeze in time as well to do some lesson planning for the fall. I still have a long way to go. Before long I will be sending my oldest over 1000 miles away to attend Pensacola Christian College. I already have started accumulating some items for him. I still have a ways to go. I only can buy a little at a time since we are on a reduced salary right now.

Here in PA we have had an unusually cool and comfortable summer so far. I have been loving it since I don't do well with heat and humidity. Right now it is raining, which means I won't need to water the garden today. As I picked up a few grocery items this morning at a retail store, I noticed the school supplies already lined up for fall. I ended up buying some supplies for my college bound son.

Fall is a favorite time of year for me - looking ahead to a new school year. Enjoying the beauty of the changing leaves. Walking in the crisp air and hearing leaves crunch underfoot. I always have enjoyed getting new school supplies - for my sons as well as for me too! :) It seems hard to believe that I only have three more years of teaching homeschool with my youngest son...

I know the next week will be busy with getting my son off to China, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write, but soon hope to be a little more regular with my entries. Will you please pray for my son as he will be gone for 18 days. I pray that God will use this trip in a mighty way in his life, to draw him closer.

Blessings to you all!

Three Months and Now Walking

I just had to share a praise. Today my husband had another follow-up appointment after his pelvis surgery. After 12 weeks of having no weight bearing on his left leg he now is able to begin to have weight on it again. He has attempted some walking here at home and I can't tell you how good it is to see him up on his feet again without having to use crutches, a walker, or wheel chair.

We praise God for this big step in his recovery. We know that there still is a longer road of healing with his hand, but we are so thankful for the healing he has had so far.

No matter what we face, we pray God will use us to show others the importance of serving and following Him. He never promised an easy path for us, but yet we choose to serve Him!

Happy Father's Day!

In just a couple short days it will be 12 weeks since my husband had surgery to repair his fractured pelvis. We return to the doctor later this week to see how he is progressing and whether he can start putting his full weight on his leg. The days and weeks have blurred together. By next week it is likely that he will be able to return to work at least part time for a while.

He still has a long road of recovery ahead of him when it comes to his arm/hand healing. It could be anywhere from another three months to two years before he gets back full movement and feeling. Through it all we have felt the Lord's peace and strength upholding us. I have often had people comment to me about me being glad when my husband returns to work, and that never has been the case. I will miss him.

On this Father's Day I can't help but think of how proud I am of my husband for being a man of integrity. He has made a point to be an active part of our boys' lives. He helped out with Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and even with swimming. I am blessed to be married to him!

Yesterday we celebrated our oldest son's graduation which will be in a week. I had several poster boards of photos of our son in the early years of his life. I smiled as I looked through and chose photos for this event. Many memories are portrayed in those photos. I couldn't help but think of all the things we have done as a homeschooling family. Many vacations were spent doing educational things together. I realize the sacrifices my husband has made so that I can stay home with our family.

So I salute you honey on this Father's Day, for all you do and for all that you mean to me. I know that we have been through a lot lately and times have been hard. But there is nowhere I would rather be than right by your side, serving the Lord together.

Quiet

On Tuesday my sons left for training for the summer as they both serve at a local Christian camp. My oldest son will be a senior counselor and the youngest son will be serving through maintenance. I have mixed feelings as I think about the summer. I know with the beginning of training, and then right into camps, the time will quickly pass. I am proud of them for being willing to serve the Lord in this capacity, but I also am missing them as well.

On July 23rd my youngest son will be boarding an airplane by himself to head to Los Angeles where he will meet the Youth Quests International team that will be traveling to China for 18 days as part of a summer mission trip. Originally my son, husband and another teen were to go on this trip together. Due to my husband's accident, he will be unable to go. The other teen opted to go on a different trip to China. So we are stepping out in faith, letting our 15 year old go by himself.

After my husband's accident I figured the trip would have to wait a year, until he could go too. But my youngest son was persistent. I knew that over a year ago he felt the nudging of God to go on a missions trip to China. As I was praying about it one morning I felt the Lord saying to me, "Can't you trust me to take care of him in China?" Gulp! I know that I can. So we have taken a leap of faith and are in the midst of preparing for him to go.

I don't always do well with it. When we recently paid for the flight from Virginia to California, I started to panic a little when I thought about my son having to navigate through the airport on his own, finding his luggage, and figuring out where to check in. But yet, I know that this is something that God is calling him to do. I felt another tug on my heart this week when we received his passport back from getting the Visa approved.

Finances still haven't come in for his trip. I guess I struggle with this since my husband will have some days of receiving no pay and only partial pay as he hopefully returns to work at the end of this month. I know that we have very little extra that we can support him. So I guess it means stepping out in faith that God will provide - for our needs as well as my son's needs.

I guess I rely on the truth that I have been telling my sons the past several months. I don't know what God has in store for our future, and how He will provide for us. But I am assured of one thing....I know that I can trust Him!

Fences

I have noticed lately the number of fences that are around me. Our neighbors just installed a tall fence that completely encases their back yard. In fact all of the neighbors that have adjoining property to ours, has a fence of some sort. As I saw the newest fence going up, I couldn't help but think about how much things have changed in our world.

We build fences to have privacy. So many of Americans today come home and drive into their garage, and enter their home without having to talk with the neighbors. We have become a society that focuses more and more on self. We build hedges/fences around us.

Even within our own hearts we can have fences built - fences that provide a barrier from someone becoming too close and learning our inmost thoughts and feeling; fences that prevent God from dealing with sin issues in our hearts as well. When we face tough times these 'fences' prevent us from opening up and sharing what is really on our hearts. We miss the opportunity for others to come alongside to help and support and we also prevent people from being blessed in the process.

Are their any fences that you need to tear down in your heart and life? Is there anything that is preventing you from reaching out to others?

Farewell to a Dear Pet

Today has been a traumatic day for our family. About a week ago our guinea pig Squeakers developed a respiratory infection. I took her to the vet and got some antibiotics, but she never recovered. When I went to give her the medicine this morning I could tell that she was dying. She held on for several hours and fought until the last moment for breath and to stay alive.

It hit all of us hard. We've had her for about seven years, which is pretty long for a guinea pig. We buried her under our cherry tree, which was one of her favorite spots to be, because she was in the shade and loved to eat grass.

Even though we knew that she was dying, it still was difficult to watch her suffer. It has affected each of us. It made me realize the importance of sharing our faith. Death is an ugly thing, unless we have the assurance of spending eternity with our Heavenly Father. You never know when you will be facing death. Are you ready?

A God of Detail

I was on the road quite a bit today as I drove back and forth several times to take care of getting our van inspected. During one of the times that I was driving I happened to notice all of the various shades of green along the side of the road - leaves, grass, trees, bushes, weeds, etc. Each one was a varying shade of color. It made me think about the beauty of God's creation and the fact that He chose to have multiple colors and not just one single pigment.

I love that God is a God of detail. He took time with creation, and He takes time with us as well and doesn't gloss over one single detail about our lives. Matthew 10:29-31 says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." This verse came to mind as I noticed all of the fine details of God's creation. It also made me think about my poor sweet husband who has lost hair since he had his pelvis surgery. We aren't sure why, but he has lost a patch of hair. I realize that God even knows about each hair that my husband has lost.

I don't know about you, but I am thankful that God does care about detail. He knows about all the things that weigh me down and consume my thoughts. He knows about each of my aches and pains. He knows when I am hurting or feeling discouraged. I am thankful too that He is a God that cares about us. He knows about everything and also cares too.

When was the last time that you thanked God for knowing and caring about the details in your life?

Weary Woman

I just can't seem to keep up with things lately. Maybe it has something with turning 44 a few days ago...all right, that's not it either. Life has been pretty busy in our household lately. We are still trying to finish up our school year, work on evaluation paperwork and portfolios for homeschooling, as well as taking care of my husband's daily needs, etc. We also are in the midst of several doctor appointments, x-rays, occupational therapy three times a week, and the list goes on and on. I get weary when I just think about all that needs to be accomplished.

It's been a long day and I find myself very weary. It probably has something to do with all of the running I have been doing today with taking my husband to his various appointments. Each time we go somewhere it means I need to haul the wheelchair out, and then back into the van. I am finding new muscles that I didn't know that I had. The other day we were heading into a building that had a steep downhill ramp. I didn't realize how many muscles it took to hold back a wheel chair that is quickly gaining speed!

Tonight even though I am weary I rest on the following verse: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 Aren't you glad that when we get to those times where we are too tired to even think, we know that God promises to give us rest when we come to Him. What a reassurance!

My dear sweet husband is worn out from his long day of doctor visits, x-rays and therapy. My prayer for both of us is that God will give us rest!

God Knows All About Us

I have shared some about the difficulties that my family has been facing this past month since my husband had a skiing accident at the end of March. Funds have been tight because we have not known what will be facing in the future since my husband has used up all of his leave and still can't return to work for quite some time due to the nature of his injuries.

On Sunday evening while attending a parent social at our church, I had someone come up to me and told me to write up a big grocery list and that she wanted to pay for it. So on Monday morning I began to compose the list. I debated on what to write, and was just trying to write basic needs and not desires. The list was still in progress when she called me to ask if I had room in my freezer. I said that I did and she said she would be by in about an hour.

When she arrived with many bags of groceries in hand, I was astounded. Almost everything that I had written on my list (and had not given to her yet) was in those grocery bags. Even a lot of the brands that we use, she picked up. She even had things we wished for too. My husband had been craving a ice cream and a certain brand of chips, but we hadn't gotten them because they weren't a need. She had those as well as pistachios, which he loves. She even bought the brand of laundry soap that I like. I hadn't bought it personally in quite a while because the cost had risen so much.

As we opened all of the bags of goodies, my husband and I wept as we realized how good God is to us to provide for our physical needs as well as our wants. I stood amazed as I thought about too how God had prompted this woman on what things to buy for us. I told my kids that day to never forget the goodness of God and how He knows everything about us. Even when the future is unsure we know that He is faithful and we can trust Him!