The Busyness of Life

Life can easily become filled with busyness. Our family has experienced much in the past ten months.

• New life - kittens being born
• Death - my mom (C's) being very ill, finally diagnosed with lung cancer that quickly became aggressive, taking her life in three short weeks from diagnosis
• Broken bones - our oldest boy, S, tripped and broke the right wrist, he's left-handed
• Responsibility - S raised two market goats for the county fair, did very well :)
• Confidence - when my mom was ill, A & I ent to see her; I ministered to her and Dad with my guitar - she told me she was proud of me; also I played and sang at her memorial service
• New vision - our youngest boy, M, got fitted for his first glasses in the fall - he can see! :)
• Healing - S had his tonsils out the day after the fair; C went to Hawaii with her sister in October and painted pictures; A picked up a virus the boys had gotten at school - 3 months later he was finally well
• New priorities and appreciation for each other - in January a nearby mountain "ate" our ATV - praise God that Andy was clear of it before it went down the mountainside! Stuff is stuff! An ATV is easy to replace - a life is not - and it was covered by insurance
• Turn-key pets - some of our pets have moved on to places unknown, one to a new home down the road, bird dog no longer with us; new pets have shown up and adopted us - one new cat (the Mama and all her babies are gone) and one new little dog who showed up January 30 and is still with us

Through all of this our faith in Jesus has grown stronger. Our family is healthy. We have learned to listen to what God's plan is for us and obey. All that happened over the past 10 months helped prepare us to do just that.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13