Family makes an ordinary day special!

It's been a beautiful day in the neighborhood!  Despite my late night/early morning activities, I was up and at 'em early this morning.  You see, there was this amazing aroma floating into my bedroom from the kitchen.  Tim prepared Eggs Benedict for us.  We ate out by the pool and started our day with positive conversation and general planning for the day!

Some days are just nice days ... ordinary days made special just by being alive and sharing life with family.  Just waking up to another day is special in and of itself.  My life has been fraught with drama from the time I was tiny and I am enjoying life on a more even keel.  I enjoy routine sprinkled with a bit of surprise!  I also enjoy the planning of a project as much as the completion.




Lots of work to be done!

 It was laundry day here and I laughed as my child started going through the house gathering laundry, striping beds, pulling up rugs, etc.  What a chip off the old block.  I remember the days when she was small ... I would start cleaning at the back of the house ... closets, drawers, dusting, floors, bathrooms ... the mountain of laundry would be pushed toward the laundry room.  The nice thing was that by the time I got to the laundry room, the laundry was finished and everything ready to be put away.  I said when she was small, but I'm afraid I still do that.

I took on the laundry as my job today.  Holy cow!  I've been at this all day and there are still piles.  Jane has one of those fancy washers and dryers which makes doing laundry fun.  It is important for me to feel like I am contributing to the family.  Come to think of it, that's healthy!!!  This morning, there was an assessment of what needed to be done, jobs were doled out and oolala, everything has gotten done without one person being over burdened.  I like that!  The family worked together as a unit, each pitching in to help another when they were through with their task.




Dining Room at the Little Casa

My husband can attest to the fact that I am an organizer and a bit of a neat freak.  I like to be able find anything at the drop of a hat.  When clutter begins to take over my life, something has to be done.  What is that saying, "a place for everything and everything in it's place"?  I like my relationships that way too ... not too up, not too down.   At the end of each day, I take stock and clean my slate.  What do I need to do to renew relationships, care for the ones close to me, and, in general, not let the sun go down on anything that needs to be fixed.



Oscar

 After breakfast, I took Teddy and Cricket for a walk.  It was cool with a bit of a breeze which made the walk quite nice.  They are learning to walk alongside each other which is a blessing.  They used to go their separate ways on leashes pulling me this way and that.  Teddy has adjusted quite well to the family and the other pets.  He sits, stays, shakes, does a down, and is such a gentleman.  Nothin' much rattles his feathers.  Cricket, on the other hand, is much more vocal.  They make me laugh!!  Oscar, the cat, sits high on his perch and oversees the dogs.  He and Teddy rubbed noses last night ... how sweet!

They have my favorite store  here in Wesley Chapel ... Lowe's.  We made a trip there today to get supplies to refinish the top of Madison's desk.  That's a good project for tomorrow.  We made a trip through the garden section and oh goodness, I could hardly contain myself.  The flowers were just gorgeous!!  All of a sudden, the gardener in me wanted to plant some pots and dig in the dirt.  Michael tells me that it's cold back home in North Texas ... maybe it will warm up by the time I get home.

I talked with sweet Mom S today.  She will be in the hospital another 10 days at least.  The pneumonia is being stubborn and it is difficult for her to breathe.  Her voice was weak and I wished I could reach through the phone and hug her.  I told her that I would be there to care for her as soon as I returned to Texas.  Being a caretaker of the elderly is a full time job at times and it's difficult to be so far away when they are in crisis.  I pray for her wellness and that God would look after her.

I don't know about you, but I just love the Psalms.  When I have questions, the Lord automatically takes me there.  He blows me away with comfort and wisdom. Today, I read Psalm 18 ... past conquest, future confidence.  Anyone with a troubled past who  has conquered their demons can look forward with confidence to a better future.   "The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me."  (Ps 18:2)  As a child, I always had a fort as a hiding place.  I always knew that I would be safe there and I headed there every chance I got.  It was like being in the eye of the storm where the wind couldn't get to me ... or angry people!

Who do you cry to when you are in pain? "In my distress, I screamed to the Lord for his help.  And he heard me from heaven; my cry reached his ears."  (Ps 18:6)  In the 1980's, I was going through a horrible divorce.  My phone was tapped, the windows were shot out in my bedroom and I lived in constant fear.  It was a time when I prayed for a hedge of protection to be put around me and my children.  In the end, the way things worked out, I knew God  had his hand on me.  "He bent the heavens down and came to my defense; ..." (Ps  18:9)  "He reached down from heaven and took me and drew me out of my great trials.  He rescued me from deep waters.  He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me -- I who was helpless in their hands." (Ps 18:16-17)

If you will open your Bible and read the entire Psalm, you will read about my story and how my Lord rescued me from the pits of hell raising me to new heights of wellness.  "...You have been loving and kind to me me and will be to my descendants."  (Ps 18:50)   God doesn't break his promises and my children will tell you how Jesus has held them in the palm of his hand protecting them and providing for them.

I shout to the Lord ... for it is because of Him that I am who I am! 

Let me leave you tonight with a quote by Dale Turner:  "Some of the best lessons are learned from past mistakes.  The error of the past is the wisdom of the future."  Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite ... now isn't that a goofy saying?  Anyway, I heard it a lot growing up...  Take care, my friends, we'll talk again soon.