The ugly...freeing truth

Truth is...

People will always disappoint you.

God will not.

There may be days that it FEELS like He has forgotten you.

He has not.

There may be days when it FEELS like He doesn't see.

He does.

He sees the now.

And all of your tomorrows.

There may be days when it FEELS like you are alone.

He is with you.

He promised to never leave you or forsake you.

There will be days that you FEEL confused.

He is wisdom.

He is truth.

He will guide you.

There will be days that you FEEL uncertain.

He will be your confidence.

There will be days that you FEEL weak.

He will be your strength.

Yes, people will disappoint you.

But there is One... One who surpasses them all.

Jesus. Abba. Father. Friend. Faithful One. Beloved. Redeemer. Savior. Defender. Steady Rock.

In Him do I put my trust.

Keeping Up With The Jones

Picket fence. Beautiful flowers in bloom throughout the yard. Swing for the kids. Rocking chairs on the front porch. 2 story house with a 2 car garage. Mini van in the drive. & a mailbox with the family name proudly displayed.

The Jones.

You know them. Maybe you are them.

The ever striving to appear or be the "so called" perfect American family.

Whatever that is. I don't know. Truth is... We will never be them. And I'm ok with that.

This past week was in a phrase... laborosly tiresome. Or here is another for you... sweat equity.

Andrew took the week off  of work (well, kind of...but that is another story), Caden was sent to my sister's, & my oldest niece, Lyndsey, came to help with Hope so that Andrew & I could work on a few things on the outside of the house. We "thought" our small list of weeding, pulling up bushes, & painting was very doable in the time alloted.

Here we are... It is Saturday evening. Lyndsey has returned home & Caden is here asleep in his bed. Not one of our goals was achieved in completeness.

Our home is over a hundred years old.

We have a postage stamp yard.

Caden, our nearly two year old, would rather run down the ally.

We have bushes that are out of control. I lost count at 36 thistle weeds/bushes that I pulled out from among the bushes this week.

We share our home as it is split into 3 units. Because of this Andrew doesn't really "feel" it's home. I say we pay the mortgage & utilities every month so I don't know how much more "home" it can be.

Our failed attempts this week of finishing what we started weren't for a lack of trying...but rather each job created another job that had to be completed before starting the original job.

So, here we are. Our back deck is pulled away from our house.
We have a roof that needs completely replaced. Not only on our house but also our garage.
Siding behind our deck that needs replaced/repaired.
The house & garage have been mostly scraped & ready to paint...for who knows when now...
The sun window has been disassembled...
On & on & on...

That's just the way it is.

Andrew works a modest job. A job that he enjoys. It provides for our family. I'm grateful.

He bought this house at a time in his life when he honestly thought he wouldn't marry. It made sense to him then.

Now he's married with two kids.

...Many are the plans in a man's heart... But the Lord's purposes will prevail...

The Jones. We will never keep up with them.
And that's ok.

This is who we are. This is where God has us.

With that knowledge... That God has not forgotten us & takes care of His own... We can rest easy...Peace.

That doesn't mean the days ahead won't be long... Or more pennies won't be "pinched"...

It just means that we don't have to worry or fret or dispare because nothing...nothing....nothing...is too great for God... & anyway... I don't think He is really bothered by our chipping paint & overgrown bushes.

It is what it is

Mom life. House wife. Stay at home mom. What's in a title anyway? Lately, I've honestly been a little edgy & emotional... If I can just be candid for a moment... I know for some this may seem harsh or like I'm ungrateful, I'm not... Just wired up a little differently than other women, I guess. You see... I love my babies. But I didn't pick this life. In a way, I guess it picked me. Neve ever was I the girl that just day dreamed about being a mom & staying home & raising babies. But here I am. And it's no joke. Most days around 5-6pm... I'm just done... The final push to get dinner on the table, babies bathed, ready for bed... Is here and all I can think about is how I'd love a shower & the ability to climb in my bed by 8pm & read or journal or write those long overdue "thinking about you" & "thank you" cards... But that my friends, is a rare occasion. I honestly can't remember the last time I finished a book in its entirety...& to my friends that haven't heard from me in ions... I really do think about you... And promise... Some day we will catch up on life. Right now, life is a little "unpredictably" predictable... Meaning... I don't know what time of day Caden will dump his snack or if/when Hope will actually let me put her down... But at some point it will most likely happen... Life. Funny. The plans we make. That never purpose themselves. I think the Word says something about that... Many are the plans in a mans heart... But the Lord's purposes will prevail. Anyway... I don't think this "thought" really came full circle... Maybe another day...