Saddle Up Your Horses

Saddle up your horses 
We've got a trail to blaze
Oh oh oh
Through the wild blue yonder of God's Amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the Glorious unknown
This is the life like no other whoa whoa
This is the great adventure

Truer words were never sung by one of my favorite Christian artists, Steven Curtis Chapman. It's definitely 90's music but I still love it! Because it's true! 

 Just when I thought my life was taking a turn for the normal then BAM! 2020. The teens were clicking along, blow-ups getting fewer and farther between. So much so that I took a part time job at Loft to fill my time. Even in lockdown, God provided meaningful time with family, including the teens! We established virtual school habits, worshipped online together, watched movies together, even painting the kitchen since what else was there to do? If there's time, I will fill it, not only for myself but for my charges. Mr. Jakstadt has his own list and it's usually bigger than mine so I learned long ago to not attempt to fill his time.

Then, the teaching job of what dreams are made of appeared before my eyes. I had a virtual interview of course, and next thing I knew I was on a speed train to teaching in 2020. Despite working way more than the "part-time" job I signed up for, I love everything about teaching second graders. I had forgotten how much I love being in the world of seven year olds with their eager young minds and open hearts. So I'm set, right? I have a challenging job that is a gift from God when He has another adventure that I'm pretty sure I'm not equipped for. Turns out, that's exactly what God is looking for.

Eric's dad is 92 and had been living alone since his wife died almost three years ago.  One Saturday evening, we went to visit him and he unexpectedly told us that he was not making it alone anymore. It was apparent that he had had a bad day and he told us to put him in a nursing home. I had never seen him like this and I knew it must have been very hard for such an independent man to admit this to himself and to us. Eric told his dad after his mom died  that he could come live with us but he had always refused. I honestly couldn't blame him not wanting to move in with the two of us and three teenagers! I had been tempted to move out myself! Eric told him again that he could come live with us and this time he said ok. Little did I know, he meant right then! He told us that he would not be staying with us long as he was on his way "home". One week later, he was moving into our two story, no master on main, house. Yikes!

I did not know what to expect or how our life would change as we would become Eric's dad's primary caretakers. I was definitely not prepared for the great adventure that God had in store for us. Having Eric's dad in our home has given us a front row seat to God's amazing love. This man who is now very dependent on others to care for him, nevertheless, exudes the joy of the Lord with every breath he takes. It is humbling beyond words to witness and a gift to our whole family. It reminded me of a quote from  Corrie Ten Boom's book, "The Hiding Place", "And so I learned that love is larger than the walls which shut it in." We could have not have a more gracious guest in our home. Every time I see him, he greets me with a warm smile and thanks me for taking him in. He is somewhere between heaven and earth I think, sleeping a lot and dropping the cares of this world to spend more time with his Savior and Lord. It reminds me of when Moses came down from the mountain and the glory of the Lord shone on his face. 

Eric is caring for his dad the way he cares for all of us with incredible patience and love. He is rock solid, doing what needs to be done in his methodical reasonable way. I have never loved my husband more than now, watching how lovingly he cares for his dad and how he is trusting God with all things.

It happens every time. God's ways are higher than our ways. I had no idea of the blessing He had in store for me. This is the great adventure!

Love in the time of Corona - week 3

I knew it was coming but I realize that I was still hopeful that school would resume after Spring Break. I am a hopeful person. Hope is good. Still school has been cancelled for the remainder of the year, meaning I will never be alone in my house again. ever. Also, every trip that I had planned has also been extremely cancelled. And I like to take trips. I need to take trips. I used to take trips apparently. I am still taking trips, around the neighborhood on foot now. Lots of them. But I soldier on. I find myself relating to Easy Company on Band of Brothers that we are watching with Ben and Kristen. You do what must be done and don't complain. Complaining is not an option and what's the point. That may or may not be my Enneagram number coming through.

Today is the first day of Spring Break. We will be spending it in my house. I walked by a neighbor who set up a blow up pool, umbrella, and lawn chairs to give her daughters some kind of spring break, nice. Another neighbor is making Micky Mouse pancakes and taking them on a virtual spring break at Disney complete with a parade. She needs to be a Preschool teacher!

I decided to egg Kristen's house.  Before you call the police, it is actually a good thing. I filled plastic Easter eggs to hide in her yard for Wyatt and Piper to hunt. Inside the eggs were items related to Bible verses about each day from Palm Sunday to Easter. So sweet to look at the Easter Story through the eyes of little ones. Piper also came over to dye Easter eggs which was fun since she is adorable and in desperate need of diversion like everyone else. Piper has a tutu for everyday!

Every member of our family is handling our quarantine differently. Eric's life has hardly changed at all since he has worked from home for several years and loves it. He is slightly annoyed that there is more noise and activity in the house, but he is very capable of tuning us all out very well. Thank goodness for our basement!

Summer has taken to writing letters with stamps to friends and family and is still in denial that school is out. She gets down about not being able to go to school but her attitude is mostly, " this is not happening". One of her friends that she has identified as her new "best" friend is sending letters and care packages daily with ramen and stickers and balloons with confetti! Summer doesn't deserve this friend.

Lucas is doing pretty well as he has more time to go outside and play tennis, soccer, etc. with Wyatt who is loving the attention he is getting from his older uncle. Lucas is perfectly fine to spend minimal time on school work with minimal expectations which is what the school is requiring right now.

Stormy's classes have moved exclusively online so has school work to do and she is not working. She is communicating frequently with her boyfriend who is equally bored with no job to go to.

I am so very thankful for streaming strength and cardio classes, yoga classes and our treadmill! They are a necessary escape and so much cheaper than a Target run! I also love the additional prayer zoom chats with various prayer groups and more time to read the Bible and memorize scripture. The time is definitely uncovering the useless things in my life that will burn up and not last.
 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deut. 4:24

The biggest challenge for me is watching my teenagers not take advantage of all this extra time that they have and put it towards learning something like a foreign language or a musical instrument or making face masks to donate or anything besides watching memes! Even reading a book with some literary value would make me smile.

We are spending more time playing family board games and watching movies together, cooking together, doing virtual church together, basically doing everything together. It's like Little House on the Prairie with memes and Zoom. Conflict resolution and bearing with each other are daily themes and a great opportunity to teach them without outside influence/temptations of peers and social pressure.

 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way,and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deut. 11:18
God is serious about this and seems like He is trying to make a point if you ask me.

 I actually love the challenge of being in quarantine. I love a challenge and this is one. It is a challenge that I can choose to be content where I am in my house, with my family, with my God. I accept.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24