When Your Mailbox Only Echoes--or--Our Life In 2018

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (I will ease, relieve and refresh your soul)."   ... Matthew 11:28

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So I awoke on Valentine's Day morning and thought, "Yay! My favorite day of the year and later I'll find some Valentines in our mailbox since I've only received one so far."

The sun shone bright! 
Naomi came for a surprise 5 minute visit bearing gifts of flowers and (healthy, dark) chocolate!
Friends here and at Facebook wished me a happy Valentine's Day after reading my blog post!

Talk about your Valentine's Day high.

Then around 1:00 I saw the mailman in our front window, waited as he stood at the mailbox, then waited some more after he left (lest I appear like a needy-mail-loving nut). Then I opened the door, reached for the mailbox lid and oh. my. goodness.

Inside sat only a lonely bill.

A bill? Just a bill? I looked again at the black depths, spied nothing else and asked, "But where are my Valentines?"

To which my mailbox echoed, "But where are my Valentines? Valentines? Valentines?"

Oooooo. Disappointment--how you irk me .

What happened to the other 4 or 5 Valentines I always receive? Hmm?

Well, I'll tell ya. I stepped inside the Disappointment Train and rode along a couple minutes. Then do you know what came to me? That blog post I wrote, the one where Jesus told Peter, "What is that to you? You just follow me."

And I giggled. Yeah, I needed that. What is this to me? I mailed the Valentines I was supposed to this year. I obeyed the nudge. Did my part.

And then? It was like Jesus urged me to do even more. As though He said, "How about if you email Valentine images and greetings to friends? Maybe even order Valentines for next year?"

Well, shopping always sounds good (heh) and I thought, "I suppose I'll swallow this tiny lump in my throat and send a couple cheery emails." So I did both. And truly, felt better.

That is, until the Florida school shooting happened.

Oh no. More. More of the Last Days evil which the Bible warned us would happen. So I prayed. Read bits of the details, but mostly prayed for all involved, including us, all of us whose hearts are more emotionally affected than we realize. 

And this latest horrible happening placed the correct perspective over my previous empty-mailbox-echo thing. The reason for my earlier disappointment appeared tiny now.

What highs, what lows this week, right?

And let me add: during these ultra-troubled days, please do whatever (biblically-permissible) thing needed to keep your mind and heart whole. At rest.

If you can't handle hours of bad news--skip it, even if your friends laugh/accuse you of the ostrich-in-the-sand thing.

If it comforts you to read old-fashioned books totally unrelated to our 2018 life? Read them.

If you must say no to some gatherings and say yes to coming away with God, instead? Say no to the first, yes to the second.

Keep things simple: listen to what God's saying. Then do what He's asking with the Grace He sends along. 

Even if no one else is.
Even if people tease you.
Even if what you're doing is 'so ten minutes ago' or odd.

Just do it. Just obey God. Let Him make you strong and heal your wounded heart in whichever ways He customizes just for you.

This way, you'll make it. You'll be ok.

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you..."  ... Matthew 7:12

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Speaking of doing what one must-- I even walked to the coffee shop twice this week(!) And what a treat this morning to step inside and see four other people there, creating more of a 'Luke's Diner vibe' than ever before.

Often I pray this shop will do well and last much longer than the previous one.

Oh, and I've stopped wondering why I never did visit the first one, the one I'd prayed would appear. It's a strange, I-can't-figure-it-out thing so perhaps God was involved in my not going for reasons I may never know.

Sometimes God asks that we become comfortable with not knowing, with not understanding. It's called trust.

Or maybe I simply 'missed it'. But whatever, I've chosen to move on and just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy that I've a coffee shop so close by.



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"I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care."  --- Lou Holtz


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The Valentines I bought for next year? I found them here (though they were 50% off at the time rather than at their present 25%). 

So vintage. So pretty.


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Does anyone else find this kitchen beautiful?

My, my, my. Be still my heart.




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A friend who I've known since we were both 8-years-old, became a great-grandmother this week.

Oh dear. I read that bit of news at Facebook and immediately I felt like this--

Yikes!  😏


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