In just over ten days, April will be gone and May will be here! We have under six weeks of school left, and time is passing by quickly- for the most part. Sometimes the days drag a bit, but it’s not for forever. God has been faithful in the waiting, and I’m learning to trust Him again for grace for every moment. I’m proud of our children for working through some really big challenges this year, and while we haven’t been perfect, God’s faithfulness has been evident.
I’m still waiting for the April showers to stop and the May flowers to appear! It’s been a cold, rainy April with even a little bit of snow on Resurrection Sunday! We celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with family on Saturday and friends on Sunday. Roger was home for about five days last week (April 9-14) and we savored the moments. Roger came home on Saturday afternoon. We had dinner with the Davis family on Sunday afternoon. Roger and I spent Monday doing errands, laundry and visiting together. Roger needed to take a drug test before he could start his new job in North Carolina on April 18th. However, they said that there weren’t any places in Maine that he could get the drug test done. He was going to have to wait until he got to N.C., take the drug test, wait for the results and then be able to start the job. It wasn’t ideal, but we didn’t see any other options. However, on Monday afternoon someone from the HR department for Roger’s new job called to say that there was a drug place he could go to get tested in Augusta. Roger called immediately and they said that they didn’t take appointments. But if he could get there by 3:30pm, then they could probably get it sent out that day. So Roger hopped in the vehicle and drove down to get that done. The kids and I walked home, but it was a gorgeous day so no one minded. And Roger got the results back on Wednesday, and he was able to be ready to start the new job this Monday! Praising the Lord for that!
Roger spent some time with the boys individually on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He came and had lunch with them at the school, and he worked hard to find a time to do something special with each one of them. He had donuts with Emma one morning. It was good to have him around at the school spending time with the kids on their lunch breaks and making the most of our short time together. This year has been a sacrifice for us and it’s been challenging, but God has orchestrated every move in His perfect timing. I’m so thankful that we did not uproot our family back in September, buy a house in Michigan, and then be uprooting them again.
Roger had to be on a bus to Boston at 3:00am on Friday morning. We had off from school on Friday as it was Good Friday. Since it was going to be an extremely early morning, we decided to take a hotel in Portland as that is where Roger was going to get on the three am. Bus. It was a good time as a family as the kids went swimming, Roger and I sat and visited together. It was hard to get up at 2:00am to take Roger to the bus, but it’s nice that I can leave the kids asleep and take Roger to the bus. The days following Roger leaving are always hard, but this was an especially hard time for me. I think it was because it was Easter weekend, and we don’t know when Roger will be able to come back. We are thinking that the next time he comes back to maine, it will be to move us to North Carolina. The kids and I made the most of the day though as we did a little shopping (mostly for groceries) while in Portland. We were home by early afternoon, and it was nice to know we had a long weekend ahead of us.
On Saturday we were able to spend some time with my sister, Hannah, and her family. We enjoyed a delicious meal together, and my children definitely enjoy spending time with their little ones. Hannah had planned an Easter egg hunt, so that was a lot of fun for the kids. Travis likes about two kinds of candy, so he gave all his candy to Emma. Hannah hid different colors of eggs for different ages of kids. Garett and Chandler hunted for the blue eggs, which were really hard to find, but they had $1.00 in each egg. There were 20 blue eggs, and they eventually found all of them. Chandler found 13 and Garett found seven. One of the eggs was in the chicken coop, and when Garett went in to find it, Chandler locked him in the coop! Garett’s a good sport most of the time, so it was a moment of laughter. I’m thankful for these memories with family.
Sunday found us on our church lawn at 6:00am, with about 30 people gathered for the sunrise service. I had never been to a sunrise service before coming to Maine, but we’ve been going now for the past six years. There’s something very special about getting up early on Resurrection morning for a worship service. We went back home after the service to get ready for the church breakfast at 9:30am. We had a good turnout of people for the Easter breakfast, and the church building was very full for the 11:00am service. How good it is to worship the Lord and fellowship with other believers! I think that the older I get, the more I appreciate the body of Christ. Each person is unique and created for His glory. Sometimes it’s easy to be frustrated with people, but God’s still working on me and I know that He is at work in the lives of others also.
We were able to have dinner with our friends the Davis’s- they’ve seen a lot of us the past two weeks! Our children really seem to enjoy playing together, and the boys usually bring along their air soft equipment when we go to their house. Jess and I were able to go on a walk together, and I’m savoring these moments of friendship with her. God brought Jess into my life during a year that He knew I was going to need some extra encouragement. We’ve looked at each other and said, “Are you surviving?”, “Should we quit?” “We need a mental health day.” “I don’t think I can keep going.” But through the discouragements, we’ve been able to bear each others burdens, encourage and pray for each other. We’ve laughed with each other and at each other all school year long as well as cried and asked God to intervene in a special way. It’s just been that kind of year. God gave me a unique and special friend in Jess, and I am so thankful for her. I think it’s a friendship that will last long past this year, and I’m excited to see how God continues to use her life. I’m thankful that Jess’s husband, Tim, is willing to spend time with our boys and play airsoft with them and interact with them. We all need good mentors in our lives, and our teen boys are certainly no exception.
We had off on Monday, but back to school today which is Tuesday. Did I mention that we’ve had a lot of rain this month? Today was another rainy day, and I think four of our children asked if they could just stay home. No. We have less than six weeks, and we need to finish well. It was a long day, but we made it through. These types of days often give me a headache with the changing temperatures, so the day was a challenge. But, we did survive! God is good. A friend sent me the photo below and it was certainly fitting for today!
Roger started the drive to North Carolina on Saturday morning, and he arrived to Kenansville around 9:30pm. He was able to attend church with a friend on Sunday, and he’s been staying with a friend the past few days. We had a property that we wanted to look at, but it went under contract on Monday morning. Roger started his new job on Monday. As with any new jobs, the first few days can be daunting and overwhelming, but God continues to give mercy and grace. Roger will be staying at a campground for a bit until we can find the right property or place to rent or something. One thing is for sure- God does not operate on my time schedule! Learning to be patient is hard at times, but we know that God has only the very best in mind for us. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we press on for His glory.
Wyatt will be turning 13 years old tomorrow! Where has time gone?! We will have three teenagers in our house tomorrow as Wyatt will be 13, Chandler 14, and Garett 15. We sure do love these children of ours, and every day with them is a gift. Wyatt has had a difficult school year, and I’ve prayed long and hard for him. He’s a sensitive but strong-willed person. He enjoys sports, photography, and spending time outside. He enjoys working on challenging Lego sets, and he is good with little kids. He finds it challenging to be the middle child, as he doesn’t get the same opportunities as the older boys, but he often doesn’t fit in with what the younger two are doing. I know that God can and will do great things through the life of this boy. I am praying that Wyatt will find his joy to be in Jesus, and that Wyatt will live his live for the glory and honor of God. I’m so glad that he is a part of our family.
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