What a busy, wonderful week...here's a little peek!
-I finally finished de-cluttering and re-styling Trent's Bedroom. Letitia is so good at keeping after her room, but Trent's hadn't been de-cluttered since before I had Covid. I just haven't had the strength.
So I have been working at it in time blocks during the past month, and I was happy to finally finish it on Monday.
I got rid of all of his outgrown clothes (he's grown a LOT since Nov. of 2021!) We donated his outgrown clothes to Christian Aid Ministries.
Trent isn't good at finding things...and he was tired of a dresser in his room. He wanted a cube-shelf system. So we got rid of the dresser, and put in cube shelves, with totes in each cube. He loves it...socks in one cube, pants in the next cube, shorts in another, etc.
He also wanted a bean bag in his room. I ordered one on Amazon, and it came all vacuumed-packed in a little cube, much to his delight. We punctured the plastic wrapping, and immediately the bean bag began to grow. The directions said that it would continue to expand up to 24 hours. We put it into his room.
The next morning, I went to wake Trent, and he was not in his bed! "Maybe he's downstairs," I thought as I glanced around his room. My eyes fell on that bean bag. It was HUGE! Much higher than I ever thought it would get. I reached out to feel it to be sure that I was seeing correctly. "Wow!" I said to myself. "I can't believe it grew so big."
Just then, the bean bag moved a little. A curly black head popped out from underneath the bean bag. "Gotcha, Mom," Mr. Trent teased me. And he wiggled out from underneath the bean bag, laughing happily. "Did you really think that bean bag was That big, Mom?" I kept finding all kinds of pocket knives, a long knife, and even a wicked looking hatchet in his room. I told him it was like cleaning out a weaponry hideout. He laughed enthusiastically and we devised a way to display them.
He also put LED lights all around the corners of his room, and it looked fabulous. So much fun. It was wonderful to finish his room. I felt so accomplished.
-The Relatives Came. All week, we geared up for family to come. My house was too little for everyone to stay inside, but we decided to go tenting in my beautiful back yard. I bought a string of patio lights, and EJ mounted them for me around the porch ceiling--it gave forth a little light in the night. We also bought few tiki torches, set up the hammock, and mowed the lawn.
When my 3 brothers & my sister and their families arrived, we set up tents all over the back yard, and also a canopy. We filled my 5 gallon igloo with ice water...it was so hot outside, and we tried to keep ice water on hand at all times. We grilled a lot of our food and enjoyed it outdoors.
-Trent was baptized. On Friday evening, I watched with great gratitude as he stood up and gave testimony of a good conscience towards God. Truly, there is no greater joy than to see your children walking in truth.
-My family helped to do some painting & repairs at my house. Painting my bedroom, getting rid of used furniture, replacing some light switches & receptacles were some of the things the men in my family did for me while they were there. I was thrilled with my new look to my bedroom.
-We gathered around my living room and sang and sang as a family. Sometimes, tears fell down my face as we sang songs of Heaven & the Goodness of God...how my heart overflows with love and gratitude...All my Life, God has been faithful.
-Mom's second hip replacement surgery was on Monday at Ephrata Hospital. Mom is the now happy owner of two new hips. Her limp is gone, and we are so happy for her. I'm currently sitting by her bedside. She has another 2 weeks of recovery ahead. I'll be running back and forth from my home to Ephrata for that amount of time...an hour and forty minutes one way.
-My sisters and I rented a little house not far from the hospital, and our children and we are staying there. We were so very grateful for house-owners who gave us a wonderful deal...we stayed at that little house for $80 a night. I shed a few tears of joy over it...& determined in my heart to pay the favor forward someday, the Lord Willing.
What are some take-aways that I learned in the past week?
1. Love is sacrificial. Love commits.
My family was willing to take off work, drive hundreds of miles to come and help me with tasks that were too big for me, and to attend Trent's baptism. They were also willing to sleep in tents in the hot summer nights. My Mom was also overwhelmed as four of her seven children traveled many miles (from Vermont, Illinois, Delaware, and Southern PA) to gather round her bedside as she was wheeled off to surgery. Over and over, she thanked us fervently for being by her bedside.
2. Family is important. Respect is vital.
We don't all see eye to eye in my family. But at the end of the day, we respect our differences, and pitch in to help one another. We had an open-table discussion about how much effort it will take in the future to keep on a close family relationship with our children getting older. It's something we know that not everyone has, and we want to maintain and treasure it.
3. Prayer Changes Things. As I watched my son being baptized, I thought about the many times people told me that my children "wouldn't make it" and how many times I would fall to my knees after that, pleading with God to raise them up. (My children are very, very far from perfect...but they have chosen to follow Jesus, & that trumps everything else.) If it wouldn't be for prayers of the saints, I don't know where we would be. When I look at Letitia and Trent, I remember where they so easily could be, and I am so very grateful.
4. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully created. As I watched Mom take her first steps with her new hip, mere hours after her hip replacement, I was amazed. Because that hip is now where it's supposed to be, she's not limping, and her sciatic nerves no longer bother her. I am so thankful for modern medicine...no longing for the "good old days" for me!!
5. The best memories are the ones that are made on a dime. We reminisced about many memories, but the ones we automatically kept returning to, we suddenly realized, were the times we got together and decided not to spend very much money. Usually, they were also impromptu family times we just decided to do on quick notice. We loved the trips we took that were more expensive, don't get me wrong, but our favorite times were usually the things that happened when we were trying to watch our pennies.
6. We live in Goodness Of God. I think back on my life. I'm so glad I choose the way of gratitude. I'm so thankful that I chose to hope in what God can do, no matter what a situation looks like in the natural. Gratitude is essential.
7. The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. Making the choice to rejoice in the God of our Salvation brings strength to face the day. It also forces you to think about what you are grateful for, and helps you to count your blessings. Also, the Bible talks about the sacrifices of praise...sometimes it's just hard to sing when things go wrong. However, it brings victory and power.
So, that sums up the crazy, busy week. God bless you all, and I'll be back next week.
Love, Glenda
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