Plan A turned into Plan B, Day 1 and the Church Comes Together

I'm excited to write that our friends were able to come by on Sunday, no cancellations, no sickness, no bad weather.  I was so relieved.  Prior to them coming by, my little minions, I mean, kids, were put to serious cleaning work.  I wasn't about to have these friends come by who are used to high level cleanliness and order and then see our house which looks like a barn most of the time.  They didn't love it, nor did I, but it had to be done anyway and so for most of the week and all of Saturday we cleaned....

I had no idea how the meeting would go.  Would they walk in and start laughing?  or would they walk in and wonder where to begin?  or would they walk in and get excited about what could be done?  Well, none of the above happened.  In fact, the meeting took a very interesting turn that we could not have predicted.  But the best part was it was just an amazing time of reflecting and realizing how long we'd known each other and catching up over great food.  From the second they walked in we couldn't stop talking.  It was so great to see them again.  They've lived an exciting life and it was great to catch up and hear all they've been up to.  We had almost everyone, minus one son and plus one boyfriend, in the kitchen - so it was LOUD!  These people have no kids, just a cat, so, no doubt, it was a experience and a half for them.  Quiche, salad, fruit and cinnamon buns were on the menu and it was great.

The conversation flowed so naturally and slowly but surely we got our dreams out about all that we wanted to do with the property, the house, the winery.  We admitted we have lots of vision, an entrepreneurial spirit, but need more focus.  It didn't take them long to see we have lots going on.  We took them on a quick tour of the property in the cold.  They saw the winery and all the wine that is yet to be bottled and sold.  And that's when things started to turn in an interesting direction and their other skill set kicked in - marketing, branding and design.  I hadn't dared to think they could help us with that.  These people were in that business for 30 years ish and were super successful.  I thought they had left that behind to do home and garden design, but it seems they still do that as well.  They started to throw all sorts of ideas that could really kick us into high gear.  All talk of home and garden were suddenly put on hold as we all started to see certain priorities needed to be done first - i.e., get the wine sold.  This wasn't to say we couldn't move forward on certain things on the house, but now we were no longer just considering these people as home and garden designers, but really as business marketing resources.  

We had pulled all the kids together the night before to pray, to pray for the meeting - we weren't sure how to pray, so we just prayed.  I actually think the meeting was divinely guided.  They were the objective outside source we had needed, truly business angels.  As Christians themselves, they had a bigger picture in their head as well.  They observed our family while they were there and 7 of the kids, plus the boyfriend! were all sitting around in the kitchen playing a game while we talked.  The wife said, "You know that's not normal."  "What, the kids playing a game?"  "No, playing together...highly unusual and so great."  They started to talk of how our story as a family could really be a big part of the branding.  She had so many ideas bursting out of her, I wish I had written them all down.  All that to say, I feel our prayers were answered.   As we stood around before they left, they encouraged us to talk and pray and we'll reconnect by zoom this week and then we'll make a plan from there.  

A loooong time ago I wrote about rebuilding the ruins of this farm.  I had hoped it would be a magical year or two back then and somehow it would all get done.  I didn't know how or when that would be, but looking back I see how things are getting done in such interesting steps and in ways I could have never predicted.  I still have no idea what is next on the house, all I know if we have these people on our team, we have a much better chance of success.

Yesterday was the first day of the co-op.  If looks could kill we would all have been dead.  My one son walked around with angry eyes most of the day, except when he was having fun!  That's right.  There was fun involved.  The day is broken up with games and fun activities throughout the day as well as snacks so that was great.  Yes it was long, very long and rather overwhelming as there is a lot of new things to know and do and they are learning years of grammar in a matter of days and weeks, but guess what, they're actually learning it!  Everyone was rather impressed that we had power learned 12 weeks of stuff in one week prior to yesterday.  I was shocked to see how often my kids raised their hands to answer questions.  They got lots wrong, but they also got lots right.  This is 100% going to kill us all, but like I kept telling the women, oh well.

The day got interrupted with terrible news about one of the dads of the children who attend.  He starting going rapidly downhill yesterday while we were in class as he is sick with covid and in the ICU intubated.  The kids had no idea as we all hung out together.  The mom had stepped out to take the call I guess and never returned.  I figured she had work to do, not knowing she was on the phone.  Good friends of ours called an urgent prayer meeting and many many people joined on the zoom call.  It was actually so amazing and so profound as so many joined together in worship and prayer for 2 hours.  I was so grateful to be a part of something like that where God was glorified by His Church.  I dreamt all night about the situation and half expected news of the miracle this morning....still waiting to hear.  It truly is hard to understand why God has allowed this family over a month of suffering now and with no chance to visit him.  His ways are higher than our ways is the only thing we could pray and sing.

Life is full...how we need God in our lives to help us and direct us all the time.

Learning to Not Be Afraid of My Little Kings

I've learned something recently about myself and my kids  - I'm not afraid of them anymore.  That might sound funny, but in the past I think I've made decisions for them out of fear.  Small example - if they are working on an assignment that is hard and they want to stop because it's been a long time, I'll cave in and just drop it in the name of keeping them happy and keeping peace in the home.  How can that be great parenting?  Don't get me wrong, there are times when I believe it's wise to stop doing something and wise to keep kids happy, but not out of fear.

This homeschool co-op is a great example.  My kids are angry, well, 2 of them are at least.  The older two, 13 and 15, are actually ok with it, it seems.  But what I'm noticing is that I am looking past their anger, which hilariously I think is actually a form of fear, and I'm letting my vision for their future drive me.  As I power through these 12 weeks of missed lessons in English, History, Geography, Latin, Math and Science, I'm actually seeing them grow and learn in just 3 days and I think they secretly are loving it.  I had them so engaged yesterday.  They were jumping up and down trying to answer the questions before one of the other kids.  The 15 year old was amazing.  By the end of the hour lesson, he could name all 4 sentence structures, 7 sentence patterns, 8 parts of speech, 5 sentence requirements and more - in fact they all could.  That took the other kids in their class 12 weeks to learn and we powered through it in an hour.  Had I listened to all their fussing, we wouldn't be accomplishing what we are accomplishing.  I just have to turn down the "noise" they bring and each day I'm noticing they aren't as "noisy".

I am using bribes, I must admit.  Food works.  I don't know why they like granola bars so much.  I never buy them.  I hate processed food, but as dumb as it sounds, I bought them, so to keep them motivated we eat, constantly.  They are like the whales at Marineland.  I toss the kids a "fish" to keep them happy, alert and engaged.  

Believe it or not, Scripture has something to say about this.  Well, as always, I have perhaps taken it slightly out of context, but I see a principle that is so cool in the Hebrews 11 chapter on faith that I have NEVER noticed before.  "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict."  My kids studied this passage and the following verses for their young adults group.  My daughter talked about how Moses' parents were mentioned in this passage, how "by faith" Moses was hidden by his parents.  His parents had a plan!  They had a plan because they saw something in Moses, something that was "beautiful".  I'm sure they thought he was literally beautiful, but maybe there was more to it.  Some versions say, "no ordinary child".  Maybe they also thought about his future and wanted to protect him because they had a vision of victory, or purpose, knowing he just needed to live!  AND they "WERE NOT AFRAID of the king's edict."  Those are the kind of parents we need to be - parents that aren't afraid.  We need to make plans for our children, knowing they are beautiful human beings and we can't be afraid of the plans we feel are right for them.  Had Moses had any input, he might have said, "Don't put me in the basket in the river!  I want to stay cozy and comfortable with you!"  But he would have been killed.  Or neighbours or friends, they would have perhaps not done what his parents did for him.  They might have caved in to fear and not been so diligent at saving their young son and he would have been killed anyway.

I look at my kids and I see beautiful, not ordinary, children.  If I asked them what they would like to do all day, they would say, "read us books and let us do a little school and then let us play all day" or maybe they would say, "no school and let us play all day...oh and eat junk food, no veggies please".  That's probably more like it.  But because I see beautiful children with beautiful minds, I have to do something that is risky, a lot of work and so, in a way, I have to hide them.  I have to make a plan that goes against what they want to do.  I can't be afraid of them, of the work, of their bad attitudes.  This has helped drive me to make hard decisions.  I say this to myself all the time as I get closer and closer to the finish line of homeschooling.  I don't want to fade away and get lazy with the final four.  I don't want to give up just because it's hard work.  Later, Moses left Pharoah's home to lead his people out of slavery.  He could have stayed, but he didn't, "choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin".  Why would he do this?  Simple.  "He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible."  There's that phrase again, "not being afraid" and watch this, "of the anger" - in this case Moses wasn't afraid of the anger of the king.  The principle again - no fear.  He was motivated to endure, "looking to the reward".  He had "greater wealth"  by following God than man, eternal rather than temporal goals.  "He left Egypt" where he was cozy, comfortable, happy for time in a wilderness with a bunch of good-for-nothings.  I told a new homeschool mom yesterday that it would be waaaay easier to send my kids away and it isn't the first time I've thought of it.  But I have a greater goal, "greater wealth" by doing what I'm doing as hard as it is, I'm really loving it.  I'm learning to not be afraid of the anger of my little "king's" whose edict is to do whatever they want.

They crack me up.  They'll give me grief again today, undoubtedly.  I'll feel frustration, most definitely.  We'll have another pep talk, most assuredly.  But, it'll end up in the same results.  They'll have to do what I say.  I always tell them, "You'll have to do it anyway, so can we skip all the arguing and go right to the obeying?" Man, life would be so much easier if they would do that!

I Need Deer Feet for My Life in a Frat House

Starting this co-op might just be the hardest thing I've done yet in homeschooling.  We are technically 12 weeks behind as it started back in September and we'll be joining in January.  I wasn't asked to do this, but in the name of helping my kids feel like they know what's going on I'm giving them a crash course in 5 days on all they've missed.  Needless to say, they're a little overwhelmed and so am I.  I regularly say to my husband, "I don't get paid enough".  I will take a picture of it today because at the time it's so hard and so brutal and so frustrating, but now when I think about it, it's hilarious.  You have to picture it - one kid, head buried in the couch, groaning.  Another child on the floor staring blankly at the ceiling, moaning.  Another child laying on a different couch consistently begging for a break to go outside.  And me, the mom, sitting on the edge of my seat, with a map behind her, an app open on her phone that has all the memory work on it, attempting to coerce, sing, encourage - and then just gives up and says, "Fine, go out and play".  One hour - hardly - this could take some getting used to.  I'm convinced it'll be waaaay easier when I'm not fitting one whole semester in one week.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  By making it super hard now, they'll find the actual co-op a walk in the park, right?

But, I'm starting to be in awe of all they're already learning, from latin nouns and noun endings, to some super fascinating science facts, grammar, math and history facts - it's very cool.  My oldest son who's now done his degree said he's so glad they're learning this stuff now (he's been listening in when he's not at work) as it'll help them so much more when/if they head off to post-secondary, so that was encouraging.  I think deep down they kind of secretly love the challenge, but they also kind of not-so-secretly wish they had another mom.  Sorry 'bout that.  Today they have to write a 2 minute presentation and memorize it for Monday and do a whole lot more grammar.  In all my years of English at post-secondary I was NEVER exposed to what I'm teaching them.  I told a friend yesterday, it's like teaching them Russian, so no doubt it's a little on the hard side.  

I have to admit, they have a way of breaking me down after 60 minutes of moaning and groaning.  Thank goodness for the snow - it's the best way to regroup and I'm so grateful.  Today is a new day and I get a new verse every morning to consider.  Today's verse was perfect, Habakkuk 3:19, "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights."  I am most definitely "on the heights" right now.  In His sovereignty, He knew I'd be attempting this.  I don't have the "feet" to tread where I'm currently treading, but I'm going to trust Him to "make my feet like the feet of a deer" which will allow me to "tread on the heights".  That means I need a really specific skill set.  Well, guess what, even though I never was taught the grammar I'm currently teaching my kids, I do have an English degree and though it was more about the study of literature and analyzing lines of poetry, it will still help me and never in a million years did I think it would come in handy with my future children when I was just 20 years old.  So maybe just maybe, in His sovereignty, He was making my feet even then to tread on future heights.  That's a really neat thought and somewhat reassuring.  My children are also on the heights - and unlike a nice little deer who chooses to walk there, my deer don't choose to walk there, they got pushed on the heights and they want to go back to the lowlands.  This verse tells me that their feet will also get made into the kind of feet they need in order to walk on the heights.  Reflecting on this encourages me to keep going.  Only 3 days into my concentrated review week, it's been hard, but reading this makes me think, "It can only get better!"  

Last night when I put them to bed I told the younger boys how they had made my day quite hard and that I didn't love that.  I asked them, "Do you think we could try again tomorrow?  And maybe, just maybe we could do school without all the moaning and groaning?"  They said, "Yes, but how do I do that, Mom?  How do I remember that tomorrow morning?  I want to do that now, but I always forget!"  I love that.  Same here.  So we prayed we wouldn't forget today.  That is the story of man in one question - how do we do that?  Our pastor answered it best on Sunday from Philippians 2:12-14, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.  Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world..."  That's the answer - we will work out our salvation with God's help, "For it is GOD who works in you".  This won't be me working in them, but God.  The next part is pretty good, too, and trust me, I'll remind them of this today, "Do all things without grumbling and disputing".  Wow, what would I do without Scripture?  So there's my lesson plan today - just read Philippians.

On a happier note, our friends who specialize in home and garden design, who did cancel twice, Lord willing are now coming Sunday.  How I pray they won't cancel again!  I joked with my friend that they better bring their magic wand....and then, when I messaged them last night I told them to bring their winter boots for walking outside to walk around the property and to see our "frat house".  That is totally what I live in - a frat house.  How I pray they'll be able to help us transform it into something other than a frat house!  Oh a penny for their thoughts as they walk through it....

Answered Prayer for Me, Not My Son

My 11 year old will be very excited today - his prayers were answered.  We aren't going to our first day of co-op!  That was his prayer, anyway.  Snowed in.  Big time.  Can't even see my husband's car, the drifts are soooo high.  Last week my husband walked into the kitchen just after my son had just found out we were going to officially do the co-op.  He walked right up to his dad and with a borderline rude voice loudly said, "WHY? Why did you let Mom put us in this co-op?!  What were you thinking?  I PRAYED ABOUT THIS!"  Haha, oh the poor boy.  It just keeps confirming why we need to do it.  Well, the truth is, we won't do it if it isn't completely working for our family.  No one is going to force anyone to do anything that is dumb and a waste of time, HOWEVER, we aren't going to allow a 9 and 11 year old to dictate what we do either.  I laughed that he prayed about it.  I told him that God may have actually answered his prayer by allowing us to go ahead with it!  The co-op involved a lot of songs and singing that aid with memorizing and that is NOT his style (way too cool for that), but I still want them to do it anyway in the name of adding new synapses to their brains that can only come with memorizing.  I hope they can get their minds around it in time....I'm hopeful!

Last week we had a great opportunity to be interviewed by a new bottle shop owner in the city near us.  It was a great chance to reflect on how we came to be where we are and how our vision for our family and running a winery even came to be.  The questions we were asked helped us to remember and reflect.  We get so easily discouraged after a hard day on the farm, so that was great to see it on paper what we've done and even to remind ourselves why we do what we do and what our goals are.  If ONLY we could quit all our side hustles and just do one thing, that would really help and that is my prayer for 2022, alongside our "focus" word, that God will, sooner than later, allow us to do one thing, not 100 things.

Last week was a hard week on our son waiting to hear from med school - another rejection.  He never expects to get an interview as he knows there are nearly 6000 applicants for a couple hundred spots, but he always hopes.  When he received the "no" it almost shocked me as my faith was so strong, but a "no" it was.  There are a few more to hear from and if it's a "no" from them as well, so be it.  We won't borrow sorrow from tomorrow, as I tell the kids all the time.

Well...off to wake up kids - they'll be playing in the snow all day....

The Rock of Escape

I was reading in 1 Samuel 23 in the last week of December and it ended up being one of the more profound chapters I had read this year.  It almost seemed like it was intended as my "end of year" chapter.

In this section of Scripture, David is being chased by Saul and ends up being in several different wildernesses.  Right away I could relate.  It seems like I jump from one wilderness to another sometimes.  David was in Ziph, then Maon, then Engedi.  I can be in the wilderness of homeschooling unmotivated kids, to the wilderness of unwarranted fears, to the wilderness of just the plain unknown.....

David was in the wilderness, but it wasn't really his fault.  He was being pursued by Saul, "Saul had come out to seek his life".  This is how it feels sometimes - like we are being pursued.  It really comes down to being chased by Satan.  Saul hated David and wanted to somehow stop him from becoming king.  Jonathan, his son, came to encourage David.  He wanted him to know that he would be king and that Saul also knew this.  I guess he just wanted to see if he could delay the inevitable and make it somehow more difficult in the process.  In some ways he succeeded.  It must have been discouraging for David, " And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”  Is not this the same with our enemy?  He knows the story is not going to end in his favour, but boy oh boy, does he ever try to attack and defeat us along the way.  But, not unlike David, we are also sent "Jonathans" along the way, people that come into our lives simply to encourage us to stay on the path.  Jonathan literally tells David not to fear.  I ALWAYS need to hear that, every day, sometimes 5 times a day.  Jonathan's job is to remind him about the end, "You're going to be king.  I know it, you know it and my dad knows it."  We need to hear that, too.  Jesus is coming back.  You know it, I know it and Satan knows it.  There will be victory....ONE DAY.  Jonathan doesn't say when, just that it WILL happen.  David needed to walk in that victory and so do we.  We also need to be "Jonathans" to others that are feeling discouraged and share this same message to them.

However, despite his encouraging message, poor David keeps being pursued.  Verse 25, "And Saul and his men went to seek him".  David heard about this so quickly runs away again, but still....."And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon".   David could not get a break!  And again, this is how it can feel.  We go from escaping a bad situation and yet we run into another one!  Sometimes it almost becomes comical it gets so bad.  In the next part of the chapter Saul and David are like a cat and a mouse running around the mountain - one going one way, one going another way - so funny if it weren't so awful for David!  "Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul."  At one point this year we had NO cars running well.  We had taken 2 off of insurance and were left with the dumpy farm truck and my daughter's car, but then her car died.  Now we were left with basically one dumpy car and it shut our life down.  It seemed to go from bad to worse.  People were lending us cars and we were borrowing cars and it just seemed like we were running around mountains.  We know how David felt.  But then....the best part of the story....at the last moment, the 11th hour...."As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines....."  Suddenly Saul gets a text - Come home!  The Philistines are attacking and we need you back here!  Oh darn...I guess I'll have to get David later.  WHEW!  David must have been wiping the sweat off his forehead - thank you Lord!  What a relief!  And this is where I read the line of the year....."Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape" - The Rock of Escape - it could really be another name for God, another name for what He does for us all the time, all day long, all year long.  He provides a Rock of Escape continually.  He gives us a way out.  For whatever reason, He allows us to be chased sometimes, maybe to teach us to trust, maybe to teach us to pray, or to stay humble, who knows, but He seems to consistently, in the 11th hour more often than not, provide a Rock of Escape.  We just have to look back and see how He's done this so many times I can't count.  With the cars, we finally got them all fixed and they were all back on the road and then 2 of them broke down AGAIN!  Fixed one of them again and then weren't sure what to do about the other one as we thought it was going to be a huge cost, but it turns out, it was just loose wheels and cost $60 - so grateful.  So now, back in business and feeling grateful for vehicles that run.  We escaped "Saul" again.

We can look back on our year, let alone our life, and see the Rock of Escape so many times.  I'm so grateful for this passage and for the reminder to look out for how God will be that Rock for us again in 2022.  I've already seen it and we're only 12 days in....

FOCUS - 2022

Wednesday - first week back at school in the New Year, full of resolutions as always!  But time is already flying by as we are at the half way point of the week.

Yesterday I read a verse which can easily be the verse of the year - Colossians 3:9, 10, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[a] with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."  That's it - all the resolutions in one verse.

Perhaps we don't "lie" to one another around here, but maybe we lie to ourselves that we think we have put off our old selves, when really we haven't.  We think we have put on the new self, but really we keep our old selves near by.  

I also read an awesome Ann Voskamp inspiring post about growing the "gigantic impossible" this year, but by doing this with mini seeds of faith.  Along the same lines, by a secular life coach, I read how any changes we want to make won't be or need to be huge, just little micro changes lead to big changes.  AND, I also was reading a Bible study on how to make any new year's resolutions stick and it comes to this - you can't make resolutions about self-improvement for the sake of self-improvement, or as the pastor said on Sunday, you can't make changes to impress God.  Every resolution, every micro change, every goal, has to be about more communion with God, knowing Him more, otherwise they'll never go the distance.

So, in January, as we have for years, after weeks of enjoying so much food and taking time to just relax, we are hard core again and enjoying the discipline that January brings.  I welcomed it this year.  I have wedding dress goals for myself, not that I have a dress yet, but I will be in pictures for years, too, so...it would be nice if I like how they looked!

I gave the pep talk with the kids and made some action points with them, too - what are the micro changes we can make, slowly, but surely?  What are some example of old self and new self and "practices" that we can get rid of?  What about being "renewed in the knowledge after the image of the creator"?  I just like that there are so many "new" references.  We need to be made new again - RE newed.  I want to be "newed" - not nude, though same pronunciation, lol.  I want to be new - again.  I need to be made new every year, every day, every minute.  Where will my newness goals come from except from the image of the Creator?  I loved that, too.  I can't make up fake goals - they have to come from what I know about Him which means I need to know Him to make the goals.  Does He care how I look in a dress?  No, but my body is a temple and He wants me to have my heart set on the things of the Spirit, not on the things of the flesh.  That's a different kind of goal which is more long term achievable because it's backed by Scripture, not on just self-improvement.  I think that's why we might see more long term success this year.  

RM and I are also choosing the word FOCUS as our 2022 word of the year.  We know we were  spread rather thin last year, well, we always are, but more than ever.  We have discovered that we are not just entrepreneurs, or serial entrepreneurs, but more multi-passionate parallel entrepreneurs - which is basically ADHD entrepreneurs.  We have NO shortage of ideas and things we are passionate about.  We never have enough time or money to pursue all things that come to our mind.  Sometimes we feel badly about how we are wired, but then we ask ourselves why do we feel badly?   This is how God has made us so is there a way to use our passion, our oneness, our visions, for good?  We don't want to fight this bizarre gifting - let's work with it!  But, then the word FOCUS....so we have signed up for some weekly assignments we are putting ourselves through that will help us brainstorm and focus for the year ahead.  We are praying God will show us how to focus with what we've already started and and get rid of anything that is extra.

In the house, I'm attempting a major clean up as our friends are coming this Sunday to walk the property and see the house, Lord willing, and we'll begin the process of planning some potential renovations.  I must hold on to what they are going to suggest with loose hands.  I already have a white knuckle grip starting to form and every time I start to feel that feeling, I have to intentionally surrender dreams, expectations, everything right back to God and not demand or expect anything, except what He wants.  Yet, deep down, or actually not deep down - completely upfront - I am very excited as my house is in such bad disrepair.  We aren't fixing anything anymore knowing there could be big changes ahead.  How I pray they won't find it too much and walk away!  We only have 6 months before the wedding - I also pray that it'll be enough time.

Yesterday was a big day for RM - he finally got heat in his shop/winery.   Our Bozo winery, as we like to call it, had to be heated last year with some hilarious makeshift insulation enclosures.  They worked, but they were not best.  The wine was spared and tastes great, but it was a lot of hard work.  Now, he just turns on his thermostat and voila, heat.  He walked around yesterday so excited.  How he wishes he had had heat 10 years ago when he was working on tower contracts, but he didn't.  There was no gas line to the shop back then.  That came this past summer, so he's so grateful, so very grateful to have it now.  Just by putting that in, we now have vastly increased the value of our home - I see how God is blessing RM and I'm so happy for him.

Now, we pray for contentment as covid restrictions have moved in again and brought potential depression as we are back to 2020 - not 2022....I wonder how long this will last!

It all adds up to the same thing.