Vacation Drawing to a Close

 Happy Sabbath,

 It has been a good week. It has been a challenging week.  I am thankful.  We were able to paint two rooms (my son's room and the dining room).  Since being here, there has not been much work done and this is the longest I have taken off work expecting that we were going to be doing more.  Wednesday, my mom demanded a light fixture be installed in the dining room. I assisted with pulling wires and providing enough light so my dad could get the proper connections.  When we connected it, I forget what happened exactly.  I believe my dad saw the wire that was burned in the box and when he determined other wires were in the wrong spot, he started switching things around.  It was either that or when the dining room light came on, someone tried the chandelier in the breakfast room and things started going down hill.  There was too much current going through and after many hours of changing things, we blew fuses on one of the microwaves, possibly the electric organ, several lamps, fans, and the refrigerator suffered irreparable damage among other appliances.  Some wires are not labeled and we have not traced every one.  The air conditioner is supposed to be on a 30 amp breaker, but from its sound, it is definitely one a lower one and he put a bunch of 20's in.  We have things where now we have the tv, internet and ceiling light work in the living room, one wall light working in the bathroom, lamps working in the bedrooms, parlor, and remaining rooms, the hot water heater, washer/dryer and oven.   He needs an electrician to come in and help us fix current issues as well as wire the rest of the house. Problem is, he wants to do it on his own and doesn't want any one's help.  If it was done, it has to be him.  The only way something gets done and is good is if it is him.  My mother and I had a huge argument with him Thurs and I was absolutely heart broken due to his attitude and unwillingness to yield.  Even though he is showing some willingness to work on things, I know now ultimately it will be left to me to finish this whole project. He has the money to do it but is refusing when the time is needed.  This has been going on for more than 5 years.  

So my current plan is to get another part time job and I applied close to midnight the evening of that argument.  I plan to come down at least twice a year with my mother to work on things if he is resistant. When we went to the store, at the entrance my mother got caught up in a conversation with a stranger.  As that happened, another stranger passed by and I made room for him to get through since we were at the entrance.  As I was going over to the frozen section, the second stranger asked me if that was my mother and if we were from a certain state of which I confirmed.  He assumed we were in town and passing through to go to the beach.  In my gut, I felt like I should reveal that we were in need of an electrician but I decided not to say anything and bid him farewell. We then went over to Walmart and it happened that my mother went to an aisle thinking to show me where I could find one of my favorite items and the same guy from the other store approached her and talked to her.  She ended up bringing up that we needed an electrician and he gave us advice about a place we can find lots of electricians hanging out and it is not far from our house in this old country town. I know that God wants me in this area and my parents have put a great deal of work into getting this house to the place it is now.  I cannot turn my back on this project.  I am not opposed to moving down here sooner either.  The taxes are amazingly low, a fraction of what I pay in my home state.  There are wells on the property and the land that our former neighbor abandoned, there is an open well beyond the treeline unknown to everyone except my remaining cousin who lives across the  road.  The land is perfect for starting an orchard, farm, and a number of other things could be done.  When I come back here next, I intend to plant some asparagus patches and put down some other seedlings.  

We all were supposed to be leaving on Sunday but my mother wanted to see if someone could fix the refrigerator first (she ended up scheduling an appointment on Tuesday).  We don't have the trailer and if we did, we would have brought it back with us (Lowes did not honor their agreement to repair even though the item was purchased in this town. There is no town close within this state where they will send a repair person and it makes no sense).  So this means I have to take Amtrak to get home and will be leaving them tomorrow. I have to be back to work on Tuesday and have appointments scheduled for me out in the field I cannot reschedule.  It's going to take at least 15 hrs to get home and I have yet to decide the final leg of the trip.  

I am thankful that Amtrak wouldn't allow me to purchase my tickets online because if I had, I would have ended up paying $86 more.  I called a rep yesterday who got it all straightened out.  I'll be stuck in DC for 3 hrs, but there are a lot of eateries and stores available at their station so I don't mind it.  God willing, I'll get home, I'm not worried.  

This has been good trip.  I learned more about electrical work, how to fix the riding lawnmower, had opportunities to see around the town, and meet nice people.  Had I gone in one store for my mother, she would not have run into a cousin who shares her mother's name and is on her mother's side of the family.  It was a great opportunity for her to catch up with her in Walmart.  I love that for her.  I didn't go to church today or last week.  My home church didn't stream today and I don't know why so I decided to listen to sermons from another person who occasionally comes by my church.  Last week, they streamed so that was no problem.  I didn't pack clothing for church as I remember the last time I tried coming out, they were not open and it was not due to covid.  Their site says they are open so I'm not sure but not communicating those changes is a problem for me.  There is a Spanish church in the area and outside of that, you are driving more than 45 minutes to the next town for another church.  Perhaps next time I'll try again.  

Listening to praise and worship on Pandora, I have the option of reading my Bible, watching related content on YouTube, Dare to dream, etc.. and can go for a walk in our field as things cool down.  Then I can finish packing and prepare to leave early tomorrow morning.  It's been good. God is good :)

Country Vacation

 Happy Sabbath,

I'm in a different location this Sabbath and coming on here late. I've been spending time in worship and playing the organ for hours and just having a great time.  My son wanted to walk the grounds so I put on my layers before going out for a nature stroll.  I can't believe my family owns all of this land and we get to enjoy our time here. I'm enjoying my time here, even with the fire ants and relentless gnats and horse flies.  We got here on Wednesday night and spent most of Thursday outside trying to mow and trim up the property before having Walmart deliver groceries.  Someone tried to break into the trailer but did not succeed.  They damaged the lock which led to my dad having to break the lock off and then we were hit with a flat tire and dead battery for one of the riding lawn mowers.  He has another one in there but it was under too much stuff and that one needs to be fixed as well. We jumped the battery and filled up the tire and I spent time trimming hedges and using a push mower for the front.  I watched my father puzzled why he was going down an area that I believed used to belong to a former neighbor to realize that that was our property as well. The neighbor didn't want to drive down so far and got permission from my grandparents to cut a road through our land to get to his house.  It's so much to see.  I am enjoying some music from Casting Crowns and spent hours playing songs along with them, Sandi Patty and others.  I was able to watch my church service on zoom and it went well. I'm happy to hear that several people are being ordained in our church.  I wish I could be there.  A church sis thought I was home and would be coming to church so she suggested we take the children on a nature walk but since I'm going to miss two sabbaths, I decided to do that nature walk with my son today.  I will go back out around sunset.  I trimmed out an area along the clearing and wanted to set up chairs there.  There are two rotted trees still standing and I had pushed up against one and it almost fell.  There are so many baby magnolias and other plants that I want to dig up and take home (the zones are about the same so they would do well in my back yard).  

I'm going to get off of here but I'm glad that we came.  I am able to rest and not have an alarm clock on telling me to jump at at 4am or what ever o'clock.  I can check in on my house with my cameras and play music for my. plants back at home.  I need more plugs to control more outlets and lights (the other plugs I had started having problems and now I'm down to one that is reliable which I have set up for my living room light).  I leave on many other lights regardless of the lack of smart plugs.  

God is good. 

OH yeah, I forgot.  I had a dream.  Not sure who this was referring to.  In the dream, there was something about this person and I being in the school of social work together. We are both supposed to be kind and have compassion for others because of our profession but for some reason, this person had a history of mistreating me continuously as we studied together.  In the dream, we were in a church setting, the church that is the town next door over from my current home down and that person was being praised and celebrated but in reality, they were wicked.  I was cracking (not able to hold my silence) and coming out asking why they were acting this way; but they went to terrible lengths to hide who they were. Church members were around and hearing the commotion but not understanding what everything was being discussed.  This person and I were fighting.  It is like this girl I went to school with who was valedictorian. Someone who seemed so perfect and at the top of their class and kind but secretly they were not. In the dream I cannot identify who it is. It is someone who is held at high esteem. It is someone very smart but they are a wolf in sheep's clothing.  People are buying what she is selling. They want her book. They admire her so much and in her time off, she chooses to hurt people, not just me alone. She put down the disabled, the weak.  I don't know who this person is.  In the dream, I was at that neighboring church and things were being set up for service but things were not going right.  What ever was going on, it was messing with my focus to play piano for the service and I was not able to play right.  As I confronted the person in the dream, I was crying and telling people plainly who this person was and how they tried to tear me apart when we walked together in the same class.  I was crying when I woke up from the dream and my face was covered with tears.  

I turned to the verse of the day and it went as follows:

Matthew 25:31-32. When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory and before Him shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd dividers His sheep from the goats."

Thinking about the dream I was trying to get the truth out. I wanted this person to change. I wanted the church to see the truth but I don't know if they really did because I woke up from the dream.  I will say I did delete a phone number from my phone this week as I was cleaning up things.  The number belonging to that person, I cannot say they tried to do evil against me, but I did not like how they spoke and treated others thinking I would side with them.  I wonder if the dream was about that person.  God knows what is in our hearts, what we do from day to day and the thoughts we have as we lie upon our beds.  He knows who are His.  He knows everything.  I don't want any distractions. I don't want people around to throw me off the path God has for me.  The enemy is trying from different angles and using people at my church, in my family and in other settings and I have to remain vigilant.  When you mess up, the devil throws it in your face.  I'm getting up and going to keep moving.  Wipe my face and keep moving.  I've come to far to give up now and the enemies of the Lord will not win. 

Praise be the Lord.  

Happy to Be Home

Happy Sabbath,

I am thankful for the Lord's help to get ne through this week. I am thankful that I was able to see all my clients and was able to increase my productivity. That plans I worked on and was unsure about were approved and didn't have to get sent back. That I was able to go to church today and return home to a peaceful environment.  There were many things that bothered me today but I know God had me in the right place and time. A little boy was running around as he often does and as I was coming down the hall, he approached me for help asking if he was bleeding.  He had a small gash above his eye and hit something somewhere. The night before, one of the final things I put in my bag was a first aid kit. No other parent or adult brings one and we don't have one for our church group (we share the building with two other congregations). People don't even know where they keep theirs if they have them. I keep my kit stocked with varying sizes of bandages, ointment, and medical tape. I was able to help him and ended up having to change the bandage a second time when we went out for another ministry we do each month. I am thankful that I was put in a position to help.

I am thankful that I will have a break off from trying to scramble and plan for the class. Two weeks. Hopefully, others will step up and perhaps take over permanently because it is a lot.  I take a lot of time out of my day to prepare materials, activities and lately they have not been paying attention or I will not have enough time to get through. I would rather someone else took over and that I could for once be able to attend adult Sabbath school. I have not done so in years. I didn't even sign up for this, they just put me in it. There are better and more capable people who can manage it and perhaps they will be able to command attention and more respect.

It was alot of chaos today and very VERY poor communication but I am thankful I am away from it all, home, and can relax for the next two weeks.

God is good. Happy Sabbath. 

Missed a day--Happy Mother's Day

Good afternoon,

I usually post on the Sabbath but since I didn't follow my regular routine, I forgot. I stayed home yesterday and enjoyed the Sabbath with my son. The place I usually worship at was unavailable yesterday so instead of rushing and running about, I decided to try to get some real rest by staying at home. I'm so used to running around setting up for the children or trying to do my part for other things. It's too busy and I was glad for an opportunity to stop for once. I didn't turn on my alarm clock. I didn't stress about preparing lesson plans. I even let my son sleep in which I'm sure he appreciated. The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. I am thankful that I was able to recharge my batteries, hear some great sermons online and even lay in my indoor garden area to enjoy the plant life,  sunshine and worship using songs I heard when I first came to Christ. It was a great day. 

God is good and always to be praised. I went over to my parents home to spend mothers day with them and my younger sister was there as well. We looked through my mom's collection of obituaries and talked about their plans for when it is their time. I enjoyed their company and am thankful for the time I have with them all.

Happy Mother's day to all who are mom's, are expecting, have had, and wish to be. May God bless you this day and for the rest of the week!

God is Good

 Happy Sabbath,

Today is such a beautiful day and I had a great time at church.  I had a good week overall. We were able to go on a trip on Sunday and see some cool things. We also veered of on our own to do our own tour.  I don't like group trips.  

I don't like being at the mercy of others who are not organized and there were threats to derail our fun.  I received the information the evening before about the trip and I woke up at 3am the next morning and was not able to sleep.  I prepared everything we would need and we went to park and take a train. We arrived on time to the station and the machine that I used to use was not working so I ended up having to go to the ticket counter. The representative asked how old my son was and I told him the truth but he refused to charge him the regular fare.  That meant I would just be paying one adult fare and I was pleased with this.  He should have been charged the adult fare as well as youth 12 and up have to pay regular price. For the weekends, children are free if traveling with an adult so that was great.  Prior to getting to the first train station, I received a call from a friend who asked if I could pick up some other children but it turned out they were not even ready for when she tried to pick them up and she had to head to work.  There was no discussion about who would cover any cost that would be associated with them. It was just an ask for me to transport them.  If I transported them, it would have complicated things even more and I didn't even know who would have been coming.  I would miss my train and in turn miss the main train that we needed to catch to meet everyone else on time so I declined. I was already on the platform when she had called and had just purchased tickets for my son and I.  We arrived at the second train spot and were supposed to board a certain rail car and I did my best to get that one.  We were on the train and communication was lacking from the organizers.  I was on the train. They missed the train and they didn't tell me who else was coming if anything.  I expected to have to wait at NYP for a long time but I heard someone call my name and a church sis with her children approached.  I had the plan to wait at the station for the others but she wanted to go to a borough to get breakfast and in walking with her, she decided to pay for my son's and my transportation, thus tying us to her.  I didn't want to be tied so I offered her money for the charge but she refused.  We left to try to find the place and look for breakfast but the group that was 30 min-1 hour behind was somehow on our subway train?  

As soon as we entered the venue, we were all to use the bathrooms and stay together as a group but the person who paid for my subway fare and her daughters vanished and didn't answer calls or texts for over an hour.  I had also recommended that before we all walked into the venue that we do a group picture but my advice fell on deaf ears and people split up.  I became frustrated so I decided it was time for my son and I to go off and do our own thing.  We walked around the venue for another 45 min before leaving for another part of the city.  I took him over to Times Square he could get some nice photos, food and see some street entertainment before we went back home.  

I'm glad that I had an opportunity to take my son to NYC for the first time. I am thankful that I didn't have to pay full adult fares and that it was an easy way coming and going. I'm thankful for the time I had to prepare for everything and that it was not ruined because of others poor planning and communication.  I hope to take him again and to do more.  He surprisingly was able to handle the walking and didn't complain about it so that is a definite plus.  I've been hesitant about taking him because how long the blocks are and he hates walking. 

I am thankful that we are in May.  I love this month and my son and I have been out busy in our gardens sowing all the seedlings we started in March and April.  He harvested a bunch of asparagus for the first time from his garden and it was tasty and fresh.  He has been ordering gardening equipment and going out just about every day.  It's good to see him going out and not staying on the video games all day.  He made a really cool Bible video which I want him to share on the YouTube channel.  I recommended that he do a series about the Parables of Jesus since the one he just did yesterday is one of them and is really good.  He has a good grasp on the message and was able to produce a work that is easy for his peers and younger to understand and enjoy.  I just wish he would get baptized.  God is working on him and I will have to keep praying.  

God is good :)