I heard from a Faithful Reader yesterday and this is why I took the time to not only find my laptop (the children use it more than I do), but also wipe it down with disinfectant, sign into WordPress, approve a couple comments, put my feet up, tell Sarah where to find popcorn, put a cozy sweater on, stare out the window at the tiny yet multitudinous snowflakes coming down, think, and then…………….. begin to type.

How are you, my friends? How was your Christmas and New Year? Welcome to 2023 and all it’s many blessings which are in store for us. You know, the other day I was driving to the Post office and I got to the end of our road and stopped and thought, “Remember to expect good things from God today,” I turned left with that intention in my heart, and just a few miles down the road the first good thing happened. A black crow flew over the road, right in front of my car perfectly centered over the wind shied, high enough to not get into my way, yet low enough so I could see its tucked up feet. It was magical! I do love crows, I imagine taking one from a nest someday to raise as my own pet. Or maybe finding a nest of them and just observing their growth and behavior. They are such bright birds, and I am sure they would motivate me greatly.

The second thing that happened on that same trip to town was a friend of mine giving me an index card on which she had written the name of her favorite TV Bible Study teacher, along with the times he came on tv; Four Thirty in the morning (!?) and also Eight Thirty in the morning (much more doable). Now, this particular friend of mine is NINETY years old. And I am simply charmed by her pretty eyes and her friendly conversation and down to earth wisdom.

(In case you are curious, the man’s name was Les Feldick and his program is called “Through the Bible” and I did finally watch an episode this morning on YouTube. What I heard was good. Now, I am very careful about Bible teachers, and I don’t know this one well yet, so I recommend….. with caution.)

Thirdly, I found a bag of dollhouse furniture for my mom at the thrift store- for free. I had already given her the dollhouse, but sadly she had already given her small collection of furniture to me and Sarah, so this was a fun surprise to find replacements and more, for free. Did I mention free?

These were some small examples of what I saw clearly when I set my mind to look for God’s little gifts over the course of an ordinary morning. Quite simple, really, but life always brings that deep down joy of the heart when I determine to recognize the beauty of living around me which will continue until the day I die. And for you, too!

Sarah never did find popcorn so she and her friend decided to crumble up a package of dry ramen noodles into a bowl to munch on. The children had an early dismissal from school and Sarah asked if she could have a friend over to which I replied, “no”. But then, after she asked fifty more times, I remembered that Bible story of the woman who asked the unjust judge for something over and over and by sheer repetition and persistence she eventually received her specific request. Thusly, I took the principle and changed my no to a yes— but only if the friend was dropped off and picked up by her own mother so I wouldn’t have to go out.

I’m trying to instill good manners into the children so when Seth came into the room, I told him to “Say hello to June.” and just as I guessed, he stood there silently. But it wasn’t for lack of manners on his part, “Her name’s not June, Mom”. “July?” “No.” (oh yes! I remember!). “Jill?” “Yes” THEN he said hello.

I did go out this morning to mail two ebay boxes, but this was before the snow started. Rich had informed me that the children were being released early which was nice because it gave me time to go to the store and get some food (which always boosts the morale of the entire family). Seth fried a hamburger, Caleb had cheese and crackers…..so on and so forth…..nice and happy family.

Ebay is going well, however I do have a situation that I hope resolves itself, it’s an item I mailed out the moment I got paid for it and here it is several weeks later and the item was not delivered (to an apartment unit) ….yet. I have tracking and it says it attempted to deliver but was sent back to the post office to be picked up. The buyer said she’s been to the post office and so far they can’t find it. I hate this sort of thing because it takes time and the solving of riddles and mysteries to resolve and almost always costs me money and a loss of the item. It happened one other time but it was for a low-priced item and this one is more of a mid-range value item and I would rather not just have it vanish along with a refunded payment.

Other than slight issues now and then, it’s been overall profitable; not just financially but also in the mental well being of having something to do that I enjoy…….buying stuff that I like from second hand shops and reselling it. I am finding it super fun.

Rich and the children are all doing well. Ethan is engaged to lovely Sierra and the wedding is coming up soon (April). With Jacob married to Brittnee, and Grace married to Brogan, as you may have guessed, there are a lot of us to keep track of and visit and support and so on……we have a family group chat on our phones that is active almost daily. Most of us have started doing Wordle and we enjoy seeing who gets the word each day. Jacob is currently on a business trip so Sarah was with Brittnee all weekend which was wonderful for her. Ethan is coaching HS wrestling with his dad and also has moved out into his own apartment. Grace called me today and we had a fun little chat. David works at FedEx and has his own car (a mini cooper). Caleb is busy with wrestling and doing well, he is a senior this year which bothers me because wasn’t he just my baby boy a moment ago? Seth is also wrestling in his last year of the Youth division and so far has won the two tournaments he was in (he had one yesterday). Seth is amazing, a joy, and so very wonderful. They all are. Sarah just recently tried out for the school play and got a good part (Sharpay in HS Musical). Seth is 13 now and Sarah is 12. Our two youngest ones are more than half grown up.

It leaves me with some extra time and space in my days and my life to concentrate on myself. I have been working hard on improving and finished a year of intense therapy which really benefitted my life in many ways. I love listening to podcasts, reading books, talking with friends, and educating myself using social media accounts and other online resources, too. I still art-journal and read a lot. I have been feeling pretty tired for the past couple weeks so I’m paying attention to nourishing myself with good foods, rest, slow-living, quiet, and staying hydrated. I stay away from excitement the best I can (although yesterday I was in a crazy loud gym all day watching Seth be awesome). I pay attention to what I give my energy to so that I don’t waste it. And I recharge the best I can. Other than that I just yawn and say “I’m so tired”. What more can I do? It’s that time of year. A long holiday season and dark days……perfect for being tired, maybe I should say “relaxed” instead of “tired”. I’m thankful I don’t have the anxiety to go along with it like in previous times, honestly. I cannot complain!

Self love is another area I am working on. I was listening to a podcast this morning that made me realize that self love can be a way to protect myself from harm, by taking the time to really make sure that what I do, see, surround myself with, and my inner dialogue, are things that benefit ME. We are all so very different, and what works for one person will not work for another. We all need to know ourselves and be true to the person that we are.

Is there anything you would like to know, or want my thoughts on, or and update on? I would be happy to take any suggestions! In the meantime, please know that your thoughts and love mean the world to me.

You are loved!