Mar 05 2008
Approaching Spring
The last two days have been warm and the insects and frogs have started making sounds at dusk. I am praying that Spring is arriving. Last week, while my parents were here, the weather was cold. We had the pellet stove burning every day. Winter did not want to give up it’s hold just yet. As well as the cold last week, we had sickness. Zeke and Abby both got the gastro (as they say in Australia), better known here as the stomach flu. It was a bad one. I slept on a cot in Zeke’s room for a few nights because he had “the throats”, his wording for throwing up. He still periodically informs me, “I’m all done the throats, Mommy.” Throughout their times of sickness, I fought the fears and worries that tried to beset me. “What if I get sick? How can I handle this?…” My worries can just go on and on and on until I work myself into a tizzy. Then, being in a tizzy makes me mad and I begin to rage at the injustice of Army life. “Why did they have to send my husband to Iraq? Why do tours have to be a year or longer? Why won’t this tour ever end?” My rage does me no good. For the Army, Family is far far down the list. Although it is capitalized. In the midst of my worried and angry mood, Zeke came walking down the hallway towards me with a giant tin of marbles and dropped them. Marbles were soon rolling everywhere. I looked at him and said, “You and me Zeke, we’re both losing our marbles.” My friend Martyn calls from Australia to encourage me. My brother, Howie calls and prays with me. Then, all the things that God has been trying to speak to me are once again heard. Peace comes again into my heart. God is faithful to me. Throughout this deployment, God has been faithful to me. I am surrounded by people who have helped me when I’ve needed it and I know would help me again. I tell myself, “think on the good not the bad, be grateful not selfish, love…always hopes.” Spring is full of hope. I see it in the robin looking for worms, the daffodil that has just opened, the yellow stems of the forsythia, the soft buds on the pear tree. “Play some baseball, Mommy?”, Zeke asks. So, out Zeke and I go to pitch and hit and hope for the best part of Spring which will arrive in just over a month.
Mugs, you have a church family that would be there 5 minutes after a phone call from you (between barfing). We have held buckets for others before and would be happy to do it again. Don’t forget us in your arsenal of blessings.
Thanks Dennis. NLCC is the majority of my arsenal here in Virginia. I greatly appreciate the love and help the body has shown me already and know that they are always willing to help again. I find it a great testament to God’s love in your hearts that you all “do not grow weary while doing good”.
Hey Mugs
You amaze me with your faith and ability to keep going on. Janeane goes away for three days (like now) and i’m lost! If i could come over with a bucket i’d be there tomorrow.
Just know that you (and Dale) are in our prayers and i can’t wait until the blog with the photo of your house (finally) with all of you including Dale standing out front.
In the meantime, a great friend of ours from Rockhampton has recorded a mini album that she is giving away for free on the net. Have a look at http://www.janlawton.com and be blessed with some great music. The song “move me” is one of my favorite songs. (I am assuming here that your somewhat limited technical knowledge will allow you to download a few files from the net).
Love you lots mate … chin up!
Did Janeane stock the fridge or are you subsisting on sausage rolls and Maccas?
I hear ya Mugs, try being a single mom with 2 jobs outside the home. Yet they have a father who lives on the other side of this small town who does NOTHING with his children. I live in fear that something will happen to me and then what will my children do??? I have to literally talk myself into the fact that God has hope and a future for me because the fear and worries lead me to my own “tizzy.” I’m so thankful that I love to laugh and have learned to spend my time happy and singing rather than moody and brooding. It’s one of those life lessons that takes, well…..a lifetime to get the hang of!
Oh ye of little faith Mugs, I can cook! We have had wide variety of meals. Breakfast cerial for evening meals, 2 minutes noodles that took 10 minutes to cook; frozen pies heated up in the microwave (I could go on). See, a well balanced diet is not really that hard to find after all.
Maybe time for a quick prayer … Dear Lord, please bring my wife home soon before I kill my children … Amen!
Sherri,
In the 25+ years that I have known you , I have always thought that 1 John 5:4 describes you best: “For whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.” Or as the message paraphrases it, “Every God-begotten person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.” You have overcome so much in your life, Sherri…through your faith.
I must add my AMEN to Mugs’ comment Sherri. Also Thank you so much for your Christmas picture. Do you get to the Mnpls area ever? Come for a visit or as before —– an unplanned week