not wearing out

In the book of Nehemiah, upon the occasion of the celebration of the completion of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites recount to the Israelites all of GOD's faithfulness to them.


"For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen." Nehemiah 9:21


       

Today is laundry detergent day.  Time to make a new batch. It takes several minutes to hand grate a bar and a half of Castile soap and add it to a box of washing soda and a half a box of borax.

As I grated, I listened to the radio; NPR.  Jerry Seinfeld was being I interviewed.  He said, "98% of all human interaction is just killing time."

I laughed.  Wonder what he would think of making your own laundry detergent?

Still, as I grated I was grateful: for humor, for technology, for old-fashioned ways of doing things, for clothing that doesn't wear out (line drying helps make clothes last).

And. For God's Word which continually reminds us of His faithfulness. 

When I work with my hands, I'm not just killing time.

When I read God's Word I'm not just killing time either, but redeeming it and giving each new da a wonderful fresh start.  Much like the clothes of the Israelites, not only am I not wearing (spiritually) out, I'm being sustained!

Eat this book

http://tworiverschurch.org/700235.ihtml

Habits, they say, are formed in 21 days. Or 30.

This habit has been mine for decades. To read through the Bible in a year.

Oh, sure, I've missed days. Weeks even. And there were a few years where my desire to read lagged.

But this year has been ...different.

I never dreamed at the beginning of the year what tremendous changes would be in store.

Never dreamed how much I would NEED the unchanging, yet living, Word of God as my daily companion. My 'necessary food'.

I'm so thankful for a church that has encouraged all who attend to read (eat) THIS BOOK.

dogwood

Spring beauty abounds.

Lilacs bloom, flowering trees are done, irises and azaleas are scenting the air.

Could it be? Spring is here!

Lilacs

In less than two months, we have:

• made the difficult decision to admit Mom to a Memory Care facility
• labeled her clothing and decided what furniture to put in her new room
• had several doctor appointments to show that she was healthy enough for the facility
• put our house back on the market
• put Dad's house on the market
• down-sized  Dad and Mom's 2600 square foot home (full of the accumluation of 60 years of marriage)
• moved Dad into a 1500 square foot condo directly behind the facility where Mom now lives
• prepared Dad's house for not one, but two  open houses
• showed our home a few times

As you can imagine, all of this has kept us pretty busy. 

But the real story is not in the 'doings', it is in the 'feelings'.

HOWEVER. 

Always, ALWAYS, in all ways, the LORD has been faithful to comfort, guard, guide.  The going has been tough - but HE is enough.

the latest

 Where to start?

There have been so many life-changing things happening around here the past few months, that I feel a need to document them, process them, share them.


We still do not have high speed Internet at home, so I will be taking my trusty (new! unfamiliar!)
ipad to a local hotspot and record recent events.

More details soon!

remember

A brisk 3 mile walk to exercise the body and clear the head.

A quick shower.

A cup of tea in my hand, I sink into the corner of the couch and place my Bible in my lap.

This is my favorite way to start the day.

This year as I read through the Bible, I am searching for the Holy Spirit to teach me in whatever way He sees fit.

But I am also looking for one word in particular.

Remember.

grieving

image from Simple Mom's facebook page

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