And Then She Was In The Basement Nearly Crying ---

So there I was down in the basement with my face against our new washing machine's top. Trying not to cry. "Why is this happening? All of this?" I whispered.

The machine wouldn't fill. After lining up the settings, I pressed the start button, yet only a bit of water trickled in, then stopped. Tried it again, same thing.

And that's when I leaned upon the machine, wanting to crumble. These past 4 weeks! The exhaustion, the coughing, hearing loss, uti, fibroid issues, bad outside air quality (so no sitting outside to heal), trying to keep up with housework, 3 weeks of men tearing out our street to repave it (boom! crash! boom), the loss of all but my indoor tomato seedlings, my laptop threatening suicide, and that very morning Tom awoke with excruciating hip pain --

But God reminded me of the beautiful moments. 

Help for weeks from Tom and Naomi. A card and letter from a friend. Facebook messages wishing me well and lots of folks there praying for me. Last week when Tom and Naomi oversaw the entire washing machine installation and carry-away. Emails promising prayers. The days we had sunshine and others with rain for my gardens. And what did we do before helpful Youtube videos?

I lifted my head. Eyed that start button then pushed it one more time. Poof! It began filling normally.

Oh, how times like these dip us down to the deepest pools of gratitude. So deep, that we learn to view everything (everything) through eyes made new by all that gratitude water.

Whew.

******

For the record, our former washing machine was 20 years old and I'd babied it along for months. I specifically asked Tom to order a very basic machine as much like the old one as possible, but there are still a few too many little green lights on it for my liking.

Oh, and I am feeling much better from that virus, maybe 85%. Thanks if you prayed for me. You'll never know how much I appreciate it.

Please pray for Tom. He's going to try sitting very still this weekend then see his acupuncturist on Monday.

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To give you an example of how badly I felt, I finished reading only one book last month! My goal is eight. Plus I bought two new middle grade books, but have not even opened them. So unlike me!

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Clinging to this one, trust me!  --

'They' say not to talk about illness--and to an extent I agree when it's the only thing one speaks of. Yet if no one ever shares this stuff then others will think everybody else is feeling great and they, themselves, are alone in their hard times.

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** 

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Where She's Kinda Sorta Back

... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."   ---  Philippians 4:8

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Still here! But just barely. Gah.

Eighteen days ago I came down with a covid-like virus with lots of tiredness, coughing and another temporary partial hearing loss. I reread my post regarding my first bout in 2023 and uh-oh! My attitude sounded much more positive.

But back then, I'd not been bombarded the entire prior year with long lists of sad, challenging things. When you're repeatedly beaten down, it becomes more difficult to keep fighting.

Many's the time I've yanked out my copy of Battlefield of the Mind. This feeling like biblical Job isn't a good look for me.

Anyway, finally the tiredness is disappearing, most of the coughing and if I tilt my head a certain way, my hearing improves. Slowly I'm keeping up with housework, for always I recall how Almanzo Wilder jumped back far too soon from diptheria and had a stroke which affected him his life's remainder.

Wouldn't want that or a relapse, either.

Keeping this short, I'll just add that for decades I've aimed at creating beautiful days, but these past two weeks? I've switched to, instead, reveling in beautiful moments. To treasuring any loveliness no matter how tiny or short-lasting. 

To celebrating and savoring any task accomplished, anything which lifts my battle-weary spirit--and you know? That's become an even sweeter way to live.

Notice our lilac bush in the header? It's never before looked so full. And that's even the one which, years ago, contracted a disease. Taking a hand saw to it, I cut it down to a stump.

Sometimes we just need to let God prune us way, way back for the beauty which will appear later on.

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Oh, the temptation when one is sick to believe the world cannot spin without her! But instead, may it be a reminder that--although we have a part--it's not a 24/7 one. God places people here to take up our slack at such times as these to both help and humble us.

"Without patience, Life is extremely frustrating."

-- Richard Carlson

It amazes me how I'll have an overall bad day, but God can enable me to recognize many beautiful moments.

What matters is that I don't meditate upon the blinding negative circumstances, instead.

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And as I wrote at Facebook:

This morning I stepped out to the sunny porch to read and our young nextdoor neighbor (20's?) was mowing his lawn. I thought, "Oh well. I'm just thankful the sun is shining after all our dark days and it's not too warm to read."

Soon, the mower stopped and our neighbor said, "I can finish mowing later since you're reading your book right now."

Oh my. Who does that? Our sweet, kind neighbor, obviously.

I told him, "Oh! That's ok. I'm good at concentrating on my books. You go ahead and finish. Thanks!"

And considering I'm still not feeling 100%, his kindness was a huge blessing for me this Wednesday. Really, it takes so little for us to bless one another in unforgettable ways. We've had many neighbors, but NEVER one that cared that the lawn mower might be an inconvenience to a neighbor.

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And wow! May God greatly bless this young couple for helping me through these past two weeks via Youtube. Not only have they taken me places I'll never visit, but their expression of such unity and matching of temperaments blows me away. (Kinda makes me feel that, at that age, Tom and I did everything wrong.) シ

What a blessing to watch their joy and appreciation of everything!

(I've many favorites of their videos, but here's just one.)

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We watched the latest George Foreman movie and really enjoyed it.

Here's a tiny house story I enjoyed.

Elegant Rustic Grandma Chic

Living Simply In a Garden Shed

Never give up!

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** 

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Meanwhile, Down At the Little Yellow House in Goshen --

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   --- John 16:33

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Oh dear. I aim at writing here once a week, but ....

First, I had to start manually advancing our old washing machine, causing me extra (tiring) trips down into the basement. Finally I discovered the hand wash cycle remains normal. Whew.

Then our 14 year old dishwasher went all I-just-want-to-do-a-sloppy-job-and-back-up-into-the-kitchen-sink-like-I-have-before-and-clog-your-drain. Last few loads, I had to examine every single item(!) and rewash many. Oh, and it grew a wall of mold.

And yes, I tried the hacks.

Finally, I gave-up on all that complication. I super disinfected it and now our dishwasher is the extra kitchen cupboard I always longed for. 

And washing dishes by hand? I adore the simplicity.

Then we had a day of high/bad air quality and guess who started coughing and feeling exhausted? Gah. Next day, too, and the next day and -- even when the weather app said, "Air's much better now! Open your windows! Be free! Go outside!

After more bleary-eyed perusing Youtube, I placed the small air-conditioner back in the upstairs window and ran it, even though outside was cold and rainy. That helped. (But those mid-May frost warnings made me cranky, for I couldn't transplant my indoor seedlings. Still haven't.)

Man, for days while draped over the couch with the cats, I was unable to think clearly. Groggily I'd repeat, "I love this life God's given me. I am grateful. And blessed. This, too, shall pass -- and mostly I recalled things like this:

"A great love knows that in every difficulty, every trial, every failure, the presence of the love one suffices... Just to be with Me, just to know I am beside you--does that bring you joy and peace?"

From God Calling

Eventually, while upstairs where always I felt better (hmm), I recalled our heater vents were still open. I sealed them and wow! Almost instantly I stopped coughing and felt awake.

Uh-oh. We began wondering if we have mold in the vents. Tom read about this, watched Youtube, and went all, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We'll have to leave while a professional mold expert (no regular vent guy) fixes the problem."

Eegads. I calmed him down. Reminded him I felt 95% better--and--that I'd need at least 3 days before the mold guy came lest he walk around with his gadgets and exclaim, "My, my. All the dust in your house!"  シ

Anyway, I think Tom's more serene about it all and we'll start with a duct work crew that's qualified and not likely to race into the street should they come across mold. 

Such is Life, right? So many tests which I'm determined to pass with godly reactions and attitudes. But yeah, sometimes it's ever so tempting to stay curled up on the red couch and wish them all away.

(Hint: go doing that and they'll just return later since God won't let us quietly flunk out. So let's all pass those tests, ok?)

"Repetitive complaining will attract things for you to complain about. Repeated gratitude will attract things for you to be grateful for."   

--Unknown.

Oh, and when we're not feeling well, it becomes super important to speak truth aloud so to drown out the hopeless voice from satan inside our heads (you know, like the one which says we'll always feel this bad, etc.).

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This was a huge helpful reminder for me lately:  Resilient and Strong

This young woman makes simple snacks look awesome!

Wow, one of Cass' most powerful decluttering (and living life well) videos, ever!

Don't know about you, but I found this video fascinating!

******

We rewatched these movies recently and again enjoyed them:

Slumberland  (perhaps the most creative, colorful film I've ever viewed)

The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet (though there's talk of the death of a child in case that's a trigger for you)

*****

Books I Finished Reading in May:

Nonie: The Autobiography of Lenora Mattingly Weber

Chicken Every Sunday by Rosemary Taylor

Short and Tall Tales by Lilian Jackson Braun

Mystery of the Red Carnations by Mary C. Jane

Mystery on Echo Ridge by Mary C. Jane

Death and Wedding Cake by Nova Walsh

The Moffats by Eleanor Estes

Believe by Julie Mathison (I was so disappointed by the ending, but I understand why others would appreciate it.)

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be.

 

 *** 

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15