Togetherness is Always Good, No Matter the Season of Life.

Mention “change” and I will tell you that I don't like it. I've always thought that I was a spontaneous person, but the older I get the more I appreciate having a plan. Order is not as suffocating as it once was; structure is no longer similar in my mind to nasty “four letter words”. Did it take me 35 years to grasp that God created life to have a rhythm for a purpose? That the purpose is harmony? The way I see it is that harmony brings glory to The Creator. When we make peace with the rhythm of His system, we can be part of the harmony that glorifies Him.

The last few months have challenged me. Without going into too much detail, I will share that Waylon and I both have pondered, searched, studied, examined, praised, forgiven, received forgiveness; loved, and at times felt unloved. But our outlook has grown. This season we have faced has been faced together as a family, and togetherness is always good, no matter the season of life.

About a month or so ago we decided that it was in the best interest of our family to follow our convictions and start visiting a new church. Being long time members (15+ years) of our old church, the choice to visit elsewhere for us, was a huge decision; one not quickly arrived at. We managed to sort through this decision, by prayer, Bible study, listening to the Holy Spirit, and seeking wise counsel. Throughout this searching process you would not believe how many times a sermon would come on over the radio, or a friend would point out a Bible reference, or a song would reinforce what we know to be true; we were being guided by the Almighty toward what we know is the right path for us: Obedience. The final decision brought great peace to our hearts- mixed with sorrow, for we will miss the fellowship we had with those we have parted from.

Which brings to mind another recent change; the passing of Waylon's grandfather.

Ray Evans was a dear soul, loved by the whole community, loved by his children, his wife, his grandchildren. Even as I think about him I can picture him at the kitchen table playing his harmonica, and singing his favorite hymns; always praising God for something. When I think of Paw Paw, I think of a man who never passed up an opportunity to cut up and store firewood; he always had a fire in the fireplace during the winter. He knew what he liked, and what he didn't, and wasn't shy about expressing it.
A strong man who ran everyday for exercise even up until his “running” became more like a shuffle- because his knees were in such bad shape from many years of wear. I remember how he never wasted a thing; but lived basically, simply, contentedly.
He will be missed greatly.

Along with these more serious changes, the earth around us has been awakening to a new season: Spring. Flowers have been blooming at the home place. Some days I step outside to find a new flowering tree, bush, or bulb-- one which I had no idea would flower, full of color and life. We have no idea what all is planted around the flower beds- they are full of surprises; I like this. I like spring. I like flowers, and I like life this time of year; it's great.

The weather has been good for planting a garden, so I've once more pushed aside my fear of failure, and dug into the earth. There is an equal chance for success, and time outdoors is not wasted; even if the plants choose not to produce in the end. Hopefully the soil is better here at the new place, and my worries of gardening failure are in vain. I'll keep you posted- as only time will tell. In a few months perhaps I will have photographs to post of multiple varieties of juicy tomatoes, peppers, herbs, watermelons, squash, horseradish and onions.

Julia and I have enjoyed hanging clothes out on our clothes line (if she's reading this, my Mom probably just gasped, ”What?!”). Yes, mom, I'll admit that I actually do enjoy hanging clothes out now; I don't even have to do it, but I like to do it. After all of that whining and groaning as a child-- it is slightly ironic that I'm now voluntarily doing this mundane task. But I've decided that there is something peaceful and homey about hanging out fresh laundry and watching it blowing in the breeze; feeling the warm sunshine, road runners dashing through the bushes four feet from my ankles... Whaa??? Yes, this really happened; I looked up to see a road runner running, stopping, looking, darting, then dashing away-- only a little over a yard stick away from me. Got to love this East Texas life.

Somewhere along the way through the process of growing into an adult, I was given an appreciation for the simple joys in life. Simple joys like hanging clothes on a clothes line in the sunshine; listening to the birds chirp, taking in the colors and fresh air. An appreciation for outdoor work; for early mornings (even though I don't like the climbing out of bed part), and wild animals. I simply love discovering little wild animals around the place. One of these days I'm going to spend an entire day photographing the wildlife. Speaking of wildlife- we've had three swarms of bees near the cabin this month. None of which chose to stay in our bee box, but the main hive is in the hollow of a dead part of a tree nearby, so maybe we will have another chance of starting some bees later on.

Of late, Waylon and his Dad have put a tremendous amount of work into perfecting the leveling job on the house. A notable improvement, the archway is actually balanced now- instead of lopsided. Rotten floor joists have been replaced and the foundation has been considerably stabilized. Much wiring has been completed also; including some plumbing work. I am so thankful that these men have been able to accomplish all of these things independent of additional hired help. They have traded time working on each other's projects. Their work here has moved us forward toward our goal, and has enabled Waylon to spend quality time working and visiting with his dad.

Although the guys have made a heap of progress, and yes, I've been consistently scraping away little by little at the interior paint (which is my small contribution at this step in the process) things are not moving as quickly as this “snap your fingers and it's done” chick would like. I've never been a patient sort, and the house project has become a patience builder for sure. Because of this, my least favorite question to hear from people right now is “How's the house coming along?”. This question forces me to accept that my timeline is not always the timeline. The house is coming along, but is not finished. Progress will happen when it can, when it is supposed to, and in the end it will be perfect for us. Meanwhile perhaps it is wise to be reminded and consider people who live in more simple surroundings; homeless people, for instance. Last week my mom told me about real, starving, children who walk for miles just to knock at the door of orphanages which are so full that there is no room inside for even one more; these little fragile creatures are turned away from the only place that they know to look for hope. God help them. I am reminded that in the grand scheme, projects which I find to be significant, really have little significance at all... and deep down I'm okay with that.

I am grateful for food, shelter, love.