one month in...

     We have arrived at the one month marking point in our year, hurrah! I have a few minutes to tap out a short update on the last several weeks and it is absolute bliss to have this margin of quiet. Not that I don't love my children-- it's just that my introspective side gets starved quite frequently these days and I am realizing that even ten minutes to pause and sit in the quiet, is nourishing.
     I have so much to be thankful for-- and I want to begin my update with thanks-- and gratitude-- for how God so perfectly meets our needs. Here are the highlights:

•      The shipment that came in with spots of mold and mildew came back the second time with little or no residual smell or damage. The company has been very generous in reimbursing for the slipcovers and has sent repairmen to fix damage to an antique piece and even set up our bunk beds-- that is a HUGE job!
•       We've had help from friends, their husbands, and neighbors in setting up our office desk, media network/internet, crib and other projects that would have been difficult for me to handle on my own. This has been a major burden lifter.
•      I am seeing how handy and capable my son has become, and am so grateful for his help in both hard jobs and caring for our little peanut. He also has a great sense of humor that reminds me of my hubbie and reminds me of the importance of laughter.
•      Meeting the family of one of my husband's college classmates who he hadn't seen in twenty years. They met first in Amman last year and we realized we'd be overlapping this year in Florida. His wife is an amazing, godly woman and fast friend, fellow prayer walker and someone who understands from experience the season we are in. We will be doing a bible study together (we both love Beth Moore :)) with another friend....
•        Who I met in my last two weeks in Amman, whose husband is working there this year. She is a believer and homeschools her five children. We do dinners together and spend weekends finding fun things to do in Tampa. I am thankful for her joyful perspective.
•      Children who are stepping up to fill in helping with household chores now that we don't have a "Queeny" to help forty hours a week- ah, what a pampering last three years I had :) My kids are taking on new responsibilities with a good attitude (most of the time).
•      So grateful for Face Time- being able to talk "face to face" with my best friend every day, sharing moments and watching the kids interacting with him has made the distance seem a bit smaller. He is watching our little girl grow and change-- and there are so many changes during the first year! A big praise was when she stopped wrinkling her brow at him on the IPad and started smiling and cooing at her daddy!
•      Grace for my homeschool year-- I am learning daily to be okay with being "behind" in starting my year, making decisions and deciding on curriculum because I have had major life changes to get adjusted to in these last few months. God is good, He knows what we all need.
•      Visits from family-- my mom in law, my sister and niece, and then my parents next month...these visits are sweet and help move the time forward. One of my goals for this year was to reconnect with family and friends after being so distant these last three years. I am so thankful for the ability to also reconnect with friends over the phone, as well as to connect via skype with dear friends in Amman!
•       All of the boxes are unpacked! I am still organizing and nothing is hung on the walls yet, but to be unpacked in a month is fabulous. I am still figuring out where everything needs to go and sorting through things to donate, but our house is now feeling like a home.
•      Reconnecting with friends here...I had a birthday party with Lydia in early August and invited all of the moms and their kids who we knew back when we lived here last. One of the ladies said that they had not all gotten together since the last time I was here! Praise God for this renewed fellowship!
•      Florida is so green and everything is growing here. This is so good for my heart, after a few years of sand and brown. I still hope to have time when I am more settled to plant flowers and other plants. . . 

Now that the dust has settled, I realize that the challenge in this time will be the longevity of separation. We are in for a marathon, not just a sprint! But I am confident of His provision daily, for His grace to cover over all of the balls I drop daily, and for strength to do what needs to be accomplished. I just need wisdom to know what that is, and discernment to let lay what is not important.

Baby is crying now, so I will close.

soli deo gloria--