Bethany has turned out to be quite the cook. She keeps the boys in sweets and contributes a lot to my meals. It is really a blessing to me. It has not gone unnoticed by the other members of the family either, here's proof. We had a dinner party planned for the the 4th. I had a ton of cooking to do the day before. After getting the bulk of it done, I called Bethany in from her play to hep me put the finishing touches on and to make the Tiramisu. She honestly had not been in the kitchen five minutes when Zachary walked in, breathing deep, he sighs and wraps his arms around his little sister saying "glad we've got you around here to keep us all fed...smells good sis." and with out even a sideways glance at me he walks out. There I stood, in the same place I had stood for three hours, dripping sweat and thinking I'd kill him. However, one look at her face all flushed with pleasure and grinning from ear to ear.................. I forgave him. After all, isn't that what we want for our children? To out shine us? To stand on our shoulders and reach higher than we ever could? Well, Bethany's tiramisu was amazing, in a few days you'll have to check her blog. I think I talked her into printing the recipe. And Zachary did get an earful, to witch he replied "I know you can cook too mom..." Enjoy the Tiramisu, make sure you use goats milk and strawberries fresh from the garden.
Be true to who you are…..
And the family name you bear……
Monday, July 6, 2009
Happy Fourth of July!!
What a beautiful weekend!! Sunshine and blue skies. I was in heaven. We had such a perfect time of fellowship with each other. Boating and fishing. A wonderful meal out by the fire pit, followed by Cody and David treating us to an awesome firework display.
My daughters are budding botanists and entomologists. They, like their brothers, take a great delight in God's creation. One of them took this picture. Grace says when she grows up she wants to farm bumblebees with her husband.....
I'll bet they are hard to brand.
Cody said it wasn't wild enough.
That boy, out fishes everybody!
I think my favorite part of the whole day was late that night after the food and the fireworks. Sparklers were lit for the younger one. As they danced in and out of the trees and around the back side of the garden the only thing you could see was the sparklers fluttering along like giant fireflies. The only thing to be heard was their silvery laughter.
There is no movie or symphony in the world that would compare.
It was perfect.
I think my favorite part of the whole day was late that night after the food and the fireworks. Sparklers were lit for the younger one. As they danced in and out of the trees and around the back side of the garden the only thing you could see was the sparklers fluttering along like giant fireflies. The only thing to be heard was their silvery laughter.
There is no movie or symphony in the world that would compare.
It was perfect.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Zachary
Boy, it has been a rough go with him. All of the skin around the cut died and we had to go to therapy seven days a week for three weeks. The therapists reminded me of vultures as they sat there with scalpels and tweezers picking at his arm ~removing all the dead until it bled. Bleeding is good, I was told because that means there is life. Also, he ( like all the others) builds too much scar tissue and locked up all of his tendons so we had to stretch and bend like crazy just so he could regain use of his fingers.
That is all behind us now, and we are looking forward to the rest of the summer. He still has nerve damage on the surface of his arm ~he has no feeling ~ but that still may heal and if not it is not so tragic.
He asked the doctor if he could get back on his bike. He was told not until the stitches were removed in two weeks.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A Matter of the Will
David had the afternoon off. He and Cody decided to go fishing down on the river, the water has been turned down and there was sure to be plenty of fish in some of the quieter pockets. They disappeared ~ spending the entire afternoon basking in God's handiwork. Now, with so many hunters in our home we have a firm rule that they are not to kill anything that they do not plan on eating. The only exception being pocket gophers, skunks, starlings etc. I am not as heartless as I appear.
The problem is that no one in our family is particularly fond of trout. Especially if it has been frozen. So to counteract this problem they fry the fish as soon as they get home. Cody has it down to a science and not only produces a fish that we can tolerate but that we actually can enjoy...... every one except Bethany. She curls her nose,whines and disappears every time a basket of fish passes through our kitchen. The one time her father made her try a bit of perch, it was so painful to watch the rest of us were gaging for her.
Well, it just so happened that as the other children were sitting down to their afternoon feast ~Bethany walked into the kitchen. Of course there was some good natured bantering to follow.. "Oh, Beth, you are just in time I will get you a plate!" Again the nose curl ( sometimes I wish the Lord wouldn't have installed that muscle on her face or mine for that matter.)
"No Way!" she said and proceeded out of the kitchen. "Wait, would you do it for a quarter?"
Now, this young lady has had her eye on a bag of beads at Porter's for ages and has been saving money to purchase them for just as long. "No, not for a quarter..." but she stopped walking and was clearly waiting for a counter offer. By the time it was all said and done a seventy-five cent bribe had been produced and Bethany now sat facing her piece of fish. The only requirement was that she could not gag ~for that is very unlady like and well, nasty.
As I sat watching her calmly eat her fish and even smiling at and chatting with her brothers, I was amazed at the restraint of a persons soul when the motivation is strong enough.
Oh, that I could discipline the members of my body to be so obedient. What is my motivation.... to Glorify God... that should be the highest motivation of all. So why do I fail so often? Because of my flesh, it seeks to not only glorify me but also satisfy me. The war within the human body is more deadly and profound than any war without. The objective more costly. I war against one who has decades of practice and I'm not talking about Satan and his demons. I'm talking about me. From the cradle we go forth speaking lies, lusting and satisfying our flesh.
Only one can save us from ourselves. Praise God that he has. If I but let Christ reign in me, the battle will be short. If I but let Christ do the leading, I will never lose my way.
For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh,
God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might
be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
General
An Abundance of Rain
for there is a sound of abundance of rain.......
What a spring we have had. Rain and more rain, rainbows every night and everything is so green and pretty. Well, except the corral....it looks like March. Yuck!! The storms too, have just been beautiful to watch ~ I guess there has to be some trade off right?
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Look Out Mount
Chores were done and there was still three hours until dinner so we decided to go check the dry farms. It was hot and the breeze would feel good......
I love this time of year, I often wish it could be like this always. Shane says I would tire of it, and maybe so but I'd sure like a chance to find out.
What a beautiful view from up here.
The Snake. We have been blessed with an abundance of water.
Oh, here we go again. Two weekends in a row we've been chased by storm clouds. This one looks a little more serious than last week, though.
PLEASE make sure you slow down for the corners!
Just for the record ~we beat it. It was an amazing storm. Wind and lightning. Fun to watch, just not to be caught in.
~O sing unto the Lord a new song;
for he hath done marvellous things
Psalm 98:1
Psalm 98:1
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
What a Nut!
Last week I received a call from a lady looking for dairy doelings and ended up selling Nutmeg's two daughters. She was a little sad to see them go and that night I noticed her bag was really full. The next day she was worse, and looking miserable. I can be so heartless..."Serves you right lady for letting those gals nurse so long. Seven months old and they were still nursing~ shame on you!"
Monday, she was in terrible shape, sluggish and hanging out in the barn. Great! she's getting mastitis on me... what a goat! I went to the house for the meds and a bucket so I could milk her out. I got side tracked ( Never!) and ended up going out there about an hour after I intended to. Finding her.......and him. The poor gal was bagging up and sick because she was in labor. I was so stunned.
Nutty shouldn't have been pregnant. She would have come in to heat when her babies were two months old AND in the dead of winter. Dairy Goats do not do that....well, obviously they do BUT normally they do not do that.
Needless to say I am no longer disgusted with my little gal. Now I am impressed. Over the winter she had single handily (hoofedly?) raised two babies, gave her human family a half gallon a day and grew another baby besides. What a woman!
I wonder how many times in the coarse of my life I misjudge the actions of others... How many times have I rolled my eyes and judged another soul when the battle they are fighting may not be so obvious? How much better would it be to lend a helping hand instead of shooting a fiery dart?
Through out the bible, servant's of God pray for him to open the eyes of his people. That too should be my constant prayer. Let me see life through your eyes, Lord. Give me holy vision that my judgement might be perfect. Remove my blinders and let me see as you see.
....for the LORD seeth not as man seeth;
for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Trip to the Charcoal Kilns
We had worked so hard yesterday that we decided to take the afternoon and go for a quick ride somewhere close to home. The charcoal Kilns were on our list of places we wanted to visit this summer so we headed out.
Saddling up. Helmets? check. Picnic? check. Wait is that rain???? Oh well, it will keep the dust down.
Zachary, because of his broken arm had to give up the idea of his dirt bike and ride in the granny wagon with mom. From that cheesy smile I'm a guessing he is not so sure he can trust my driving anymore than his.
These things were amazing 800 cords of wood turned into charcoal on a weekly basis.. and Berry forever fighting his shoe laces.
Grace's Picture
We spent all day, Saturday, cleaning the barn and corral. At the end of the day Moe rewarded us with a big thank you. A sweet little buckling. Grace was beside me the whole time practicing her midwife skills..yet as he hit the ground she popped out my camera and quickly became photographer. "Mom, I need one of these for my birthday!" I had to wait until I was thirty-five before I got my first digital camera, she is six.......my, how times have changed.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Milk
for the food of thy household,
and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
We use our goats milk for everything. Drinking, cooking, and we even make our own ice cream, cream cheese and yogurt. Last year I tried all summer to learn how to make hard cheese. The only thing I managed to produce was something that was of a bouncy ball consistency and ~well, about as flavourful.... I'm going to try it again ~I think the family is begging for prayers here. I'll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Keeping Secrets
Shhhhh! Can you keep a secret? Should you? Okay, I'll tell you...... For Fathers day this year we want to honor Shane with a special gift. A recliner! I hate recliners. They are big and cumbersome and in my not-so-very-humble-at-times opinion....ugly.
My man, however, works hard to provide for us and at the end of a long day would like to come home and relax a bit before dinner. Yes, in a recliner. I have been saving for several months and decided I had enough that I could go put one on layaway and have it picked up in time for Father's day.
So, one day a few weeks back we took a holiday from school and went to "try on" some chairs.. Papa is a big, strong man so the chair had to have a wide comfortable seat. He is also tall so the back rest had to be tall too, tall enough that when he leaned back his head was supported without him slouching. The girls wanted to be able to cuddle with him in it so we needed one that the foot rest was as wide as the entire chair ~not one that just lifted out of the middle.
I wanted one that wouldn't consume my entire living room... and on and on the list went.
The seven of us had set out to try the patience of even the most sainted salesman.
We had tried several stores but none seemed to fit all that we wanted. Finally, when we stopped at Oak Ridge in Rigby we found "THE CHAIR" and a smart salesman... he sent us back to the recliner room and left us alone. Rows upon Rows of chairs to choose from and finally the one! Every requirement was met and now all that was left was.........what color?................... The sales man had peeked around the corner when he heard us declare we had found the perfect chair, but he retreated fast when the color debate began. Cream was certainly out,~ mom put her judicial foot down promptly on that one but the others were beautiful ~slate blue and sage green,light brown and a burgundy...just enough choices to split the vote. There was a lot of elbowing and good natured extortion going on as each tried to get the other to convert to his way of thinking. Finally,there were barely enough votes for the sage colored one to skim by. Then we looked at the price tag...."Oh! How in the world did we get to this decision and never once look at the price tag???" "We can't pay that children I'm sorry...."
Here is where the smart salesman came in. ~We had been in his store debating for over an hour, there was no way he was putting up with all of that and still loosing the sale..... "Ma'am, they go on sale for 40% off next Tuesday..I can give you that deal today if you like. We have to order you a chair, these are floor models, so it won't be here before the sale starts anyway."
Sold!
I payed my down payment and told him I would pick it up a few days before Father's Day.
Finally! We were back in the truck. As I buckled my seat belt I overheard Gracie say " I can't wait to tell daddy what we bought him tonight..."
Instantly there were five other distressed voices..."Gracie, you can't tell dad ~ it's a secret!"
I agreed with them until she turned to me with those clear blue eyes so full of trust " Momma! We can't keep secrets from daddy, that's a sin." At that moment, like so many times before, I knew why Christ told us that to enter into heaven we must become as a little child.
When is it in our lives that sin quits being black and white and starts to turn grey? Why at some point do we begin to worry about others feelings and forget about God's? How is it that we loose that simplicity of mind and life becomes complicated?
"Grace, this isn't a bad secret..."I began. After six children you'd think I'd have this one down by now but it always stumps me. "It isn't really a secret at all.."
"Then why can't I tell him?"
"Because...well, we want it to be a special surprise and he won't be surprised if you tell him. Kind of like Christmas ~I don't tell you what I buy you."
"Yes, but you tell daddy!" She exclaims.
Here, David takes over.."Grace, I tell you what. If daddy comes home and says "Gracie, did you buy me a green recliner today?" you can tell the truth and say "yes, daddy I did." BUT ...do you remember when David was anointed king and he didn't tell anyone at first but just went back to work? Well, the chair is like that~we don't want dad to know for a while so if dad doesn't ask then you can't tell him for six more weeks okay?"
She looked him over out of the corner of her eye, it was obvious she was seeing us for the first time as we really were ~ WE were all a bunch o' liars!
"Okay." she finally replies "But if he asks I'm telling."
That night when dad got home, Grace, true to her nature came bouncing through the house and right up into her papa's lap. He planted a kiss on her forehead and gave her a big squeeze. "How did my little girl do with her school today?" I knew she was going to tell him, and to be honest I wouldn't have mind if she did. "Oh, we didn't do much school today, just Bible and then momma gave us a holiday......" they both turned to look at me.
I shrug. "We need one every now and then..."
Dad still had his eyebrow raised but said " I guess you do, every now and then."
With that Grace fluttered off to join her sister at play and I gave a sigh of relief. Or was it? My daughter had just learned to use the "grey". It was almost enough to ruin the whole thing for me.
Child like faith ~ perfect obedience.....it's what I long for and here, I just took hers from her. I felt terrible.
I guess I could use that as a daily reminder... sin is sin ~there is never an in between....I wonder if they make that chair in grey..........
Friday, May 15, 2009
Patience
With nothing but the garlic and peas up, I sit staring at my garden. Waiting.......... waiting...... I am by no means wishing my summer away but Oh, the flavor of corn and tomatoes....... mmmmm. How would it have been before the fall of Adam and Eve to have everything ready and waiting all the time...and with out the weeds!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Zig don't Zag
Landing Safely
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Lest Thou Should Fall
For he shall give his angels charge over
thee to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands...........
I received the best present for mothers day today. My son Zachary, ran his motorcycle off the road and down a deep embankment, smashing into a stump and throwing him self over the handle bars with the bike falling on top of him. He stopped a few feet from the canal that runs behind our house and at some point his helmet flew off. He rode to the hospital in the back of an ambulance with all his clothes cut off. His right wrist has a compound fracture with damage in the growth plate, his left eye is swelled shut and when the doctor pried it open it is bloody and bruised on the eye ball it's self. His chest, neck and chin have road rash, the rest of his body covered in bruises and right now as I type he has been in surgery for over two hours.
So, why was this the best mothers day present?
Because he lives. MY SON LIVES!
In a breath, I could have lost him. In fact when I look at the spot where he landed..it is only by God's grace that my son is alive let alone able to walk and talk.
The story is so full of blessing that it must be shared. Zachary had been riding alone all day. Something that will never happen again with any of my children. He decided that he didn't want to ride Andrew's smaller bike anymore, but his bigger one. Cody, overhearing him said "If you're riding that bike I am going with you..."
He tells me now "Mom, I'm glad I listened...God was telling me and if I hadn't of listened ~ we wouldn't have found him. I knew I had to go, I just didn't know why."
He tells me now "Mom, I'm glad I listened...God was telling me and if I hadn't of listened ~ we wouldn't have found him. I knew I had to go, I just didn't know why."
Every thing went fine until the return trip home and approaching a pretty sharp curve in the road, Zac, not expecting the power of the bigger bike did not slow down in time. Where he landed is unseen from the road. It would have taken a lot of precious time to simply find him if Cody had not been there.
Cody was able to reach him seconds after he hit, there was a lot of blood coming from his mouth and where the bike was on his chest, Cody feared lung damage. Running to the nearest house he called for help and Mrs. Sutton, who came out, was a nurse...... She grabbed blankets and headed for the spot.
Cody was already back there and had flagged down another car who called the ambulance. Before the ambulance could get there, however, two bikers stopped to see if they could help...they were EMT's from Rigby just out for a Sunday drive.....
Somewhere in the middle of all this someone thought to call our house, Shane left without saying a word to anyone. I realised what had happened when Andrew came in saying "Mom, I don't know where dad went but Cody and Zachary have sure been gone for a long time..." I flew out the door and jumped in the truck headed the direction I had last seen them, only to get there and remember I had left Tammy, my cerebral palsy client, at home with no adult there to watch her.
It took everything I had to tear myself away from that place, but I had to go back home, I think it helped Zachary better anyway, always the little gentleman he was so concerned about the fact that I might see his bone sticking out and he didn't want me to.
A short time later Romma came to sit with Tammy and I joined Shane at the hospital.
We prayed before they took him to surgery. Asking God to guide the doctor's hands as he repaired the damage. praying that he would give Zac comfort and peace and thanked God for this opportunity to trust him. I could barely breath as they wheeled him away for surgery and Zac said " Thanks mom, I love you...."
I had to go home and Shane stayed at the hospital, Zachary was in surgery about three and a half hours, we are told that most of this time was taken up by flushing the dirt and sticks and grime out of his arm so there would be no infection. They left two drain tubes hanging out that would have to be removed at a later time.
Monday morning, after I got Tammy and Berry(both developmentally disabled adults I care for) on the bus to their day care programs I returned to the hospital to sit with Zachary. I was amazed at how fast the swelling in his face had gone down in less than twelve hours. Though weak and tired he began wondering how long it would take for his arm to heal well enough that he could ride his bike. Holverson to the core. He was released that evening but was sent home with I.V's and the drain tubes still in place.
Tuesday, his throat was very sore from the tube they had placed in his throat while preforming the surgery. So he lived on ice cream. Later that afternoon we returned to the doctor and he pulled the drain tubes. I have never had a drain tube pulled from my body but from the sound of Zachary's screams ~ if they ever have to put one in me it will become a permanent fixture. Then we spent the next three hours at the hospital getting his I.V. changed. By the time we got home he was so wiped out and sick. He slept until noon the next day.
Wednesday afternoon I decided I was not taking him back to the hospital to remove the I.V. ~ that place is a joke and poor Zac is just not strong enough to sit there until it is convenient for them to help him. I removed it myself and he says I did alright.
He had been seen by his regular doctor and was put on an oral antibiotic and nasal spray to try to clear up a sinus issue that the cat scan picked up in the ER room.
Later that night he made a statement that caused no little stir around the house. "Everybody! I used the bathroom all by my self!!!" A sure sign that he is on the road to recovery.
He has many more Dr. appointments in the days ahead, including a small surgery in about 6 weeks to remove the pins in his wrist but my son is doing far better than I could have ever hoped for.
When Zachary was born we named him Zachary Dean. In his book is written...
Zachary
Hebrew: remembered by God
Your name was give to you as a reminder that God's eyes are always upon thee. He sees and will forever protect. Walk boldly before him.
Dean
Hebrew: A valley
This name was chosen by your father, drawn from a dear friend in his childhood. "Uncle" Dean was very caring and kind.
Remember you are seen of God even in the valleys and the God who see sees will never fail to uphold.
His life verse was given as Psalm 118:6,10
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them...
Praise God! Praise God, that he not only sees in the valley but that he also sees along a brier filled canal bank where no one else would have been able to...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Morning Glories
My goat Mopsey, is special, she is a morning glory. I love her for that because I too am a morning glory. Every morning when I head out the back door for milking Mopsey is standing ready at the gate. Nickering and coaxing me to hurry, she just HAAAS to get on that stand!
So, I let her out and away she goes jumping up on the stand as if she could live there forever. Mopsey, however, has an irritating habit, half way through milking she tires of standing still and jumps ship. This has happened day after day, year after year. In fact it is such a common occurrence that the first time she shows up at the gate to be let in, the boys don't even ask they just bring her back.
I don't know what it is that sets her off...maybe she hears her babies in the barn and decides that I have had my share or maybe her oats run low or are not as good as she remembered them being the day before...For what ever reason she has had enough and quits. That is why she is my morning glory.
Have you ever watched a morning glory flower? First thing in the morning ~while the rest of us are still chugging down coffee~ they are up with every ounce of energy they have blooming, but then when the heat hits and life is a little uncomfortable they wither and hide. They quit before the day is over.
How many times do I have a morning glory attitude?
When I start a project am I determined to see it through? Or when the going gets rough do I pack up and head out? When Satan attacks and sends arrows of doubt do I turn and run or dig in on my knees where I belong?
The Christian walk is not easy. It is full of trials and temptations. We will fall on a daily if not hourly basis but if we give up, remember~ Satan wins.
There should be no morning glories in Christ's service. We, like the apostle Paul should declare.."but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The prize....eternal peace.... let us press forward.
Now, Mopsey's habit would be easy enough to fix. The solution was given to me over and over by my boys..."Mother, you need to tie her....tie her mother and she won't do that!" They became so disgusted with me that I finally had to tell them my story. Now, our "Morning Glory" serves as a daily reminder.... when she jumps ship we feel the frustration and are reminded of our own failure and vow to do better. We vow to press forward.
So, I let her out and away she goes jumping up on the stand as if she could live there forever. Mopsey, however, has an irritating habit, half way through milking she tires of standing still and jumps ship. This has happened day after day, year after year. In fact it is such a common occurrence that the first time she shows up at the gate to be let in, the boys don't even ask they just bring her back.
I don't know what it is that sets her off...maybe she hears her babies in the barn and decides that I have had my share or maybe her oats run low or are not as good as she remembered them being the day before...For what ever reason she has had enough and quits. That is why she is my morning glory.
Have you ever watched a morning glory flower? First thing in the morning ~while the rest of us are still chugging down coffee~ they are up with every ounce of energy they have blooming, but then when the heat hits and life is a little uncomfortable they wither and hide. They quit before the day is over.
How many times do I have a morning glory attitude?
When I start a project am I determined to see it through? Or when the going gets rough do I pack up and head out? When Satan attacks and sends arrows of doubt do I turn and run or dig in on my knees where I belong?
The Christian walk is not easy. It is full of trials and temptations. We will fall on a daily if not hourly basis but if we give up, remember~ Satan wins.
There should be no morning glories in Christ's service. We, like the apostle Paul should declare.."but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The prize....eternal peace.... let us press forward.
Now, Mopsey's habit would be easy enough to fix. The solution was given to me over and over by my boys..."Mother, you need to tie her....tie her mother and she won't do that!" They became so disgusted with me that I finally had to tell them my story. Now, our "Morning Glory" serves as a daily reminder.... when she jumps ship we feel the frustration and are reminded of our own failure and vow to do better. We vow to press forward.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Before ye ask him...
David turned sixteen this February. I wrote in an earlier post that he had become a man... well, a man wants a job.
We have tried through out the coarse of our children's lives to make every minute meaningful. We want them to enjoy life
(and they do) but do not want them to waste time on mindless pursuits. We have never allowed in their play life that which we wouldn't allow in their adult life....okay except for the time I dressed them up like wild Indians and let them run all over the yard....that was a history lesson~ still had a purpose!
So with this in mind how does one go about allowing a boy to "work" as a teen? Standing at the end of a counter bagging groceries or passing burgers out a window just does not fit the ideal of time spent in meaningful pursuits.
Moving pipe allows for great physical exercise and time spent with God's creation but at sixteen when the mind moves on to "preparing for the wife of his youth and his fields" the pay is too nominal to amount to much through out the summer.
I guess I should add here that, while a paying job is nice, we would have been perfectly willing to allow David to work for no wage if he would have been able to learn a skill or a trade that would have helped him as an adult. Knowledge is of higher esteem than money.
We had discussed putting in an application at Bear World ~ he has skill in working with animals, however, they take interns from the collage to do the actual work with the animals and leave the hired youth to muck stalls and pass out tickets at the gate.... again not an option.
We had reached a standstill.... is it not amazing that when we stand still ~ God moves best?
Two weeks ago, Shane traded an entertainment center for new rain gutters for our home. He had all four boys working with him at the home while he installed the entertainment center.
Last night, totally out of the blue, the gentleman stopped by and offered David a job over the summer.... He was impressed with our boys and wanted to teach David the trade, and pay him as well! In the blink of an eye our problem had been solved and we hadn't lifted a finger.
Does God want David to install rain gutters for a living? I have not a clue..but I will tell you. The machine that makes the gutters was $8,000 from that small investment this man makes a nice living and has the flexibility of being his own boss and scheduling jobs around his family life...
Today, however, I am not thinking about what David will do for a living, that decision is in far better hands anyway. Today I am working on standing still and praising God!
.......For your father knoweth what things ye have need of,
before ye ask him.
We have tried through out the coarse of our children's lives to make every minute meaningful. We want them to enjoy life
(and they do) but do not want them to waste time on mindless pursuits. We have never allowed in their play life that which we wouldn't allow in their adult life....okay except for the time I dressed them up like wild Indians and let them run all over the yard....that was a history lesson~ still had a purpose!
So with this in mind how does one go about allowing a boy to "work" as a teen? Standing at the end of a counter bagging groceries or passing burgers out a window just does not fit the ideal of time spent in meaningful pursuits.
Moving pipe allows for great physical exercise and time spent with God's creation but at sixteen when the mind moves on to "preparing for the wife of his youth and his fields" the pay is too nominal to amount to much through out the summer.
I guess I should add here that, while a paying job is nice, we would have been perfectly willing to allow David to work for no wage if he would have been able to learn a skill or a trade that would have helped him as an adult. Knowledge is of higher esteem than money.
We had discussed putting in an application at Bear World ~ he has skill in working with animals, however, they take interns from the collage to do the actual work with the animals and leave the hired youth to muck stalls and pass out tickets at the gate.... again not an option.
We had reached a standstill.... is it not amazing that when we stand still ~ God moves best?
Two weeks ago, Shane traded an entertainment center for new rain gutters for our home. He had all four boys working with him at the home while he installed the entertainment center.
Last night, totally out of the blue, the gentleman stopped by and offered David a job over the summer.... He was impressed with our boys and wanted to teach David the trade, and pay him as well! In the blink of an eye our problem had been solved and we hadn't lifted a finger.
Does God want David to install rain gutters for a living? I have not a clue..but I will tell you. The machine that makes the gutters was $8,000 from that small investment this man makes a nice living and has the flexibility of being his own boss and scheduling jobs around his family life...
Today, however, I am not thinking about what David will do for a living, that decision is in far better hands anyway. Today I am working on standing still and praising God!
.......For your father knoweth what things ye have need of,
before ye ask him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)