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.