Friday, April 19, 2013

I failed at writing every day.

And that's okay. I just didn't have the time each day to sit down and write. Life is too busy right now as we approach the end of our school year.

More later.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

I haven't written in over a week...

...because I've just been too tired, and had nothing to write about. Well, that's not really totally true. The being-too-tired part is, but not the nothing-to-write-about thing. I have so many things that race through my mind each day, but finding time to sit down and actually address them in writing is nearly impossible. I would say I've had nothing to write about when I've had the five or ten minutes to sit down and stare at the "New Post" screen. There's honesty.

This week I'm going to try just writing a little bit each day.

Yesterday I was out of the house for most of the day, which I don't like to do on a Saturday. I really need to clean the house! From 8:30 to 12:30 Mary and I were gone to an American Heritage Girls event. We got home, ate lunch, and then I had to go get a few groceries to last until tomorrow afternoon when I can do a big grocery shopping trip. At 2:30 we had to leave to go down to the Historic District so Mary could participate in a scavenger hunt with our homeschool support group's high school group. The mom who organized it used a local company that sets up scavenger hunts in one area of the Historic District. There were about 16 kids there, and they all had a blast. Mary wound up on a team with 3 teens she didn't know, but that didn't phase her. She made three new friends, and their team won!

During the scavenger hunt my friend Cindy, (whose son Aaron is Mary's age and also went on the scavenger hunt) and I went to Panera and hung out having a cinnamon crunch bagel with honey-walnut cream cheese, chai tea, and excellent conversation. She's always so much fun to be around, and we talk about everything together. I usually talk to her on the phone every couple of days, anyway, but it was nice to have about an hour and a half to just sit, have a yummy snack, and discuss life. The weather was gorgeous, there were tourists everywhere, and I was impressed again with what a blessing it is to live in such a beautiful city.

Once Mary and I got home I had to make supper, clean up from supper, and then prepare to make food this morning for our fellowship.

Tonight I still have to write up Mary and Bobby's schedule of lessons for the week.  So off I go.

Thursday, April 04, 2013

I Bought a Mango....

...in the grocery store today. I couldn't help it. It was overpriced and not very fresh, but when I picked it up and smelled it, it smelled like my childhood. In my mind I was in my backyard playing with the sun shining warm and bright, the lush tropical trees and flowers all around. I used to swing and sing on a swing someone, probably my dad, had set up right next to our neighbor's fence. To my right was a hibiscus bush. To my front and left a banana plant and other greenery, and further ahead to my right, and over the neighbor's fence, was a mango tree. It dropped huge mangoes in our yard, which we were free to enjoy.


It's funny how a smell can evoke a complex memory that way.

I had to buy the mango.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The Prayers of a Righteous Man (or Woman)

Yesterday afternoon when my first piano student arrived I was feeling pretty stressed. I have been battling iron-deficiency anemia for several months now, and had an allergic reaction in February to the iron supplements my doctor prescribed, so I've been trying to concentrate on eating lots of iron-rich foods. Last month my hemoglobin was a 12.1, which is just above the low end of the normal range for a woman my age. I've been eating lean red meat, spinach, cream of wheat, and other iron-rich foods, but yesterday when I had my hemoglobin checked it was only 10.3. So, now I have an appointment next week to discuss this with my doctor. I'm feeling tired, stressed, and completely without energy. Exercising makes it worse.

On top of all of this, I got a call from Dustin at the automotive shop that has Caroline's car, saying that the head gasket is fixed ($1700) but that the car appears to have some sort of electrical problem, and could I please authorize some labor hours for them to find the source of the problem.
Me: "How many hours are you talking about here?"  (labor is $80 an hour)
Dustin: "I don't know...we might find it in an hour, or it could be two or three."
Me: "Ummm......so maybe $80, and maybe $240?"
I called Eric at work to discuss it, and he said to give them the go-ahead. We don't really have a choice here; Caroline needs to have a car to go to college and her two part-time jobs. If she uses my van it leaves the rest of us at home with no way to drive anywhere if there is an emergency, or if we have a doctor or dentist or optical shop or any other sort of appointment.

Trusting God to provide for our needs, and that He has a plan in mind, is just so hard for me sometimes. Yesterday He provided me with two people who helped me put things in perspective.

First, Eric reminded me that he would be praying for me and for the whole situation as he worked. He also reminded me about Job and all he went through; we haven't experienced anything like that, and I pray the Lord will spare us from such great suffering. Eric also reminded me of just how amazingly God has provided for us in the past. I need to trust Him to do so again.

My other encouragement came from my first piano student's mom, Melissa. She is a sister in Christ, and when she asked me "How are you doing?" I decided to be honest instead of just saying "Fine." So I shared my struggles, doubts, and exhaustion with her, and she listened patiently. And then she went one step further. When I said "whoops, look at the time, I need to start teaching him!" she stopped me and said "First, I'm going to pray with you." I don't remember all her words, but I do know that she put her arms around me and talked to God on my behalf, asking for His intervention and grace in my life. What a blessing to have friends like her! She even texted me later in the evening to see how I was doing. Thank God for friends who love the Lord and who lift each other up to Him in times of trial.


Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16 ESV)

Monday, April 01, 2013

Monday, Monday...

We are all back to work today after a nice relaxing weekend and a bit of a break all last week for Mary, Bobby, and me. Eric is at JCB working, Caroline is at the Chatham County Courthouse working, and Mary and Bobby and I are working at home. It's a dark-cloud-and-thunderstorms kind of day here, so here is a picture to cheer me up:



On the bright side of things, we're entering the home-stretch of our school year, with about seven or eight weeks left, depending on how motivated the kids are to finish up their various subjects. As they finish up one subject they can begin doubling up on others, which hastens the end of the school year. Did that make sense? For example, Mary has worked hard on her American Literature this year, and only has about two weeks more of work. Once she's done with that she can do twice as much of her American History every day, thus finishing it much sooner. We should be completely done with school by the middle of May, or at the end of May at the very latest. Bobby has already completed his history for the year, so he has more time to work on his other subjects, too.

I'm looking forward to summer break.