A Day Off

This week was my husbands 39th birthday, reports cards at school, and an evening of individual PTA meetings with just me and the parents.  I served them tea and told them all the lovely things I could think of about their children.  We also addressed a few things that were not so lovely and got through.  The parents were ever so kind to me and supportive.  Even so, by the end, I was drained from so much intense discussion.  I was ever so glad to put my ice block toes over on my husbands warmness while my soul drank in the comfort of him.   He comes home from the hospital as drained as I.  We both have a deep knowledge of this gift each night.  We both say, "Life is way crazy right now, but we have this, this place of stability and comfort."

  So many people don't have even a semblance of stability and the comfort of home. It hurts to think of how many people are sleeping under bridges and shivering through the night with only a thin blanket or less.   I think it is poor quality family time if we are able to get only one meal together as a family per week.  We have it very good!  And I feel very guilty.  How can we live in this luxury while so many others suffer?  How can I suffer with them, while I am so lavishly poured on with home and friends and warmth?

These are the thoughts that chase around my head on my day off school this week.  I knew I was getting floundered at home with laundry and dishes and cleaning, but wasn't having any luck at getting a substitute.  Deciding it was up to God and that He was up to date on what I really needed, I resigned myself to plowing through the pile.  Then, He found for me a substitute.  I honored this greatly by not calling any of my four friends and advertising my day off.

 On Friday, the kids were delivered to school at normal time like the other kids, and I went home like a normal mom.  The car was loud with quietness as I came down the hill into town.  I asked God, "Why do you give in such abundance?  I go from, starved for a moment, and get a whole day!"  I was not complaining.  It was more like a moment of worship.  And I prayed for the suffering.

For lunch, I warmed a bowl of curried, lentil soup... The same soup one of the kids at school said it looked like some unmentionable thing of which I will not repeat.  Before lunch though, I moved through a bunch of cleaning and laundry complete with candles and music and Pine-sol.  Every now and then, I glanced over at the table and was very tempted to warm another cup of coffee and sit in front of this puzzle... But I resisted...

However, when the noon whistle finally did blow, I took my lunch into my favorite spot in the house and watched Ree Drummond cook while I savored each bite of my lunch without the gross name calling my soup had endured earlier in the week.

Somewhere in my day, I did laundry at my own pace and also the vacuuming.  This mess made me feel whole and complete once again.  I may have issues...

Did I tell you about my chair?  I found it at the thrift store the first week of school.  I loved it from the very beginning but alas, it let me down in a very real way.  The leg was broken.  That explains why it was only ten bucks.  My brother in law, Jay took it in for a while and made a new leg for it.  Now all it needs is for the owner to paint all the legs white and it will be ever so beautiful.

I would like very much for this photo to turn... I wanted to share the beauty of the white on white on other whites coming through my little corner of the world, my favorite place in the house.  This is where I write and read and think happy thoughts...  Now, you must leave this post before you get a neck ache...

 Have a great week and remember to pray for the refugees and the persecuted Christians and those who were recently attacked by terrorists in Paris... Pray that in spite of our luxuries we will be filled with compassion to do what ever we can in our tidy, little corners of our world...