Grey Water Reflections

Easter came with mixed emotions.  We attended a different church service due to all the changes in our life.  On the one hand we celebrated Christ's resurrection, but at the same time we mourned the loss of celebrating where we usually did.  My husband used the word "sorrow" to express why he felt so emotional during the service.

On a completely different note, not unlike Christmas, we've left behind all the materialism that the world tries to bring to Easter.  I didn't buy a single chocolate and now understand why my parents didn't subscribe to that either when I was a kid.  Besides the fact it isn't what Easter is about at all, it is expensive to buy all that chocolate!!!!  Plus, I've got quite a few kids and, just like at Easter, I don't want to stop at just chocolate.  If I had my whims, I'd buy several gifts for each child - not just chocolate.  I'd want to buy something that is representative of the Christian faith, perhaps music or a book or a devotional.  I'd want to buy them something springy for clothing.  I clearly have to do all or nothing!

My mom used to make something sweet and we would go on a "hunt" for the homemade goodies.
All my friends got the HUGE bunnies which I'm sure I envied, but now that I have kids, I get why she didn't give in to that splurge of money and sugar.  Sure enough, this year I found myself doing the same thing.  I had my daughters make homemade chocolate covered apples.  The kids hunted and loved it, too!  I admit, I knew there my might be a sweet treat or two from some grandmas and even another hunt put on by a friend for chocolate eggs, so my kids didn't miss out one bit.  They still got their share of sugar.

We also used to have my parent's small group over for Easter breakfast each year.  It was always a group of new believers and as we sat around the circle eating breakfast in the living room, my dad would get each one to recall their favourite Easter memory.  His was always being in Africa at the early sunrise service with all the Zambians.  Those Easter mornings are easily my best memories.  I knew I was with people whose lives had been changed by the risen Lord - that was a true testimony to the real reason we celebrated Easter while the world was out hunting for chocolate.

Meanwhile, we continue to ask the Lord for help - our basement water issue is quite stinky.  It wafts up from the basement, the smell that is, and actually wakes me up sometimes.  The grey water from the laundry and the dishwasher has to get manually pumped out each time I do a load of laundry. Our friend recently waterproofed his century home's basement for $8,000.  It took 3 guys 6 days. Translation?  My husband, no crew and a two months of half days!  He'll have to pound out all the cement, put in a sump pump, weaping tile around the exterior of the house.....blah, blah, blah.....sometimes I ask him, "Are you sure you want to live here??????"  or "Are you sure you don't want to just tear down this house and live in an earthship?" (I recently found out about earthships and yurts - real places you can live off the grid in homes like a hobbit!  Sounds appealing sometimes!!!!!)

But then, I look outside - I see grass, trees, horses, cows, chickens and I realize beautiful views and animals wandering around has a cost - it is definitely not for the faint of heart.  Fixing up old houses is just part of the "fun"!  It's just not always considered fun.  But I do still try to make light of it.  I asked my son the other day to go down, get his life preserver on, his canoe, his paddle, etc. and go get a couple of chickens from the freezer. He didn't even flinch, knowing he'd be wading through some water on the way to get some birds! "Go with God!"  I yell out each time someone dares to wander down there.  So, we try to laugh about it, otherwise we'll cry.

I try to remember these will be stories that my kids will tell their kids.  "Remember when Mom used to tell us to get in the canoe when she needed chickens from the freezer????!"  I am sure God is using this to keep me humble, too.  We're hosting my sister and her family from out of town yesterday and today.  I wanted it to be such a lovely experience!  Instead I found myself telling her, "Plug your nose when you come in....."  I heard it described this way:  hospitality is when it is about "them". Entertainment is when it is about "you".  Having a home that needs work helps me make sure it isn't about me.  I can't help but be humbled by my home!

I made a decision this week as I looked around and saw things that needed work.  Everything from baseboards to flooring, to the basement, etc......I decided, "This is where I live.  It is my job to keep it clean, even if it isn't perfectly finished."  That little decision helped me the rest of the week as I cleaned.  Instead of looking at all the unfinished work, I started to make the unfinished work look clean!  It really helped me with my long list of "to dos".  One example of this was my front window. It hasn't been trimmed because we know we are going to change it all soon.  It seems to silly to put all the trim around the window just to take it all down again right away.  However, it is super unattractive with no trim, so I had been hiding it with a Christmas garland around the top edge.  Now that is Spring, I thought maybe it was time to take it down!!!  Was it ever dusty!  But then I thought, "No!  Now everyone will see my ugly window!"  But I remembered my new way of looking at things, to keep things tidy, clean and free of clutter, even if it leaves exposed windows with no trim. Suddenly, even though the garland was gone, it looked great - no clutter, nice and bright.

My little house issues are still really nothing in the big picture.  I hear from so many others what is going on in their life and I feel silly that stinky basement water is my biggest issue right now.  I know these little trials in my life will never go away this side of heaven.  How I'm going to face them is what I must remember.  I lit a candle this morning to help get rid of the pungent air.  I breathe through my mouth.  One day my crew of one will get to the basement.  I don't need to let the "grey" water determine if I am going to be "grey".