Days of WORK!

Travis announced to me yesterday that last week felt like a “lot of fun” and this week feels like a “lot of work”! Ha! I can see how he feels that way, as it’s just the way it’s been this week. Garett and Chandler have been faithfully working on a project for some friends of ours. They’ve been getting up early, working for a few hours, and then coming home. Yesterday they did some in the morning, and then some at night. They want to finish the project before leaving for Wisconsin, and Roger and I have been very pleased with their diligence. 

Yesterday, the kids and I, along with one of our Pastor’s sons, went to do some work for an older lady in our church. Actually, it wasn’t for her, but rather for a friend of hers that is also a veteran. I don’t think any of our children were overly thrilled with the thought of going to do several hours of yard work, but they did not voice their thoughts. It was a blessing to have Austin along, as sometimes having a friend along can make a job more pleasant. The kids and I spent several hours pulling weeds, moving brush, weed whacking, raking, oh, it was good hard work! Everyone was hot and tired after several hours, but they all stuck with it. I’m pretty sure Emma ate most of the snacks while her brothers were working! I rewarded the kids with some lunch from Burger King, and that all thought that was good pay! It was a good opportunity to show the love of Jesus through hard work, good attitudes, and a thankful heart for the veteran that had served our country. 

Garett and Chandler headed back over to their other “job” around six, and they worked for a few hours. Chandler ended up stepping on a nail that went right through his shoe. The boys have a phone, and they could’ve called me to tell me about the nail incident. Instead Chandler rinsed it out well with water, wrapped it up and kept working until the two hours was over and I picked them up. I’ll admit I was a little concerned about the nail, but the nail did not go in very deep. He’s done a good job of keeping it clean, and while it bothered him today, I think it’s mostly because he’s still using it. It’s not red, swollen or overly irritated. We will keep a close eye on it, but it’s just another day around here! 

We are having a baby shower at our house tomorrow, and I think that makes my children spend more time outside! I think they figure that if they’re outside, it’s less likely that mom will ask them to clean something! I’ve been busy with prepping food, planning a few things, cleaning and decorating. Travis did ask me why we were mopping the floors. “Everyone is going to get them all dirty again!” Sometimes, his thinking is quite humorous! 

It’s been a beautiful week here, but wow, we could really, really use some rain! We’ve been watering our plants and berry bushes every day, and the lakes and ponds are looking rather low. We are thankful for all the sunshine, but we will rejoice when the rain comes too. 

We are heading to Wisconsin on Tuesday. Roger is not coming with us as summer is a busy time of year for him. Our kids are very excited to see Nana and Papa and aunt Jen! I’m sure it will be a full and busy week and the ten days will fly by! 

I’ve removed the Facebook app off my phone this week. The negativity is getting to be over the top, and no one has nothing nice to say to anyone but especially if you don’t agree with them! Do I think it’s time to take a stand? Yes, I absolutely do. But wasting time arguing with people is not helping! Yes, I have opinions and deep, deep concerns, but I think my time can be better spent right now in much prayer and meditation on Gods Word. A friend sent me a message the other day reminding me of the song that “God sees the Storm from the Other Side”. I am so glad He does! He might not choose to spare our land or give us the mercy that I’ve been pleading for, but He does promise to go beside us. And who knows? Maybe God will chose to send a great and amazing revival through our land...that’s my prayer. 

I don’t know what the Coronavirus stats are in Maine today because I did not feel like checking! I already know that regardless of how few or how many cases that have been discovered that will be the headline and not the recoveries! I can read the news across our nation, and I gather that there are spikes in several states. If you’re already concerned that would probably be alarming, but the other side of the news is that the death count does not seem to be rising as quickly....less severe cases? 

We’ve been studying through Nehemiah as a church family, and I have been so blessed by that book of the Bible. Talk about a man faced with adversity! Yet, he prayed ...and he prepared! It was not just a call out to God for help and wisdom, but also a preparing of the people and setting a “guard”. That’s what my thoughts are on tonight. Praying, preparing and setting a “guard”. We serve the Almighty God, so let’s rejoice and act on that!