Life is good

Part I

Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.
Okay.
So it hasn’t been strange, exactly.
But it has been a busy interlude.
Thus, the lapse in blogging these past few days.
I have worked at the new house quite a bit this weekend.
There’s nothing like getting in there and getting your hands dirty to make you feel better about a project. That’s how I lovingly refer to our remodel now – our project. Somehow it sounds less monstrous that way. Almost cute in fact, really. Almost.
Seriously, we are making progress and hope to be in by the beginning of July.
My enthusiasm has in no way been curbed by the facts that Joe found a black snake in the house yesterday, and just today we witnessed a bold little mouse scampering across the new laminate floor.
It was so adorable, the way his feet slid out from under him as he was racing for the closet.
NOT.
All I could think about was the movie Mouse Hunt, which I happened to watch with the boys recently. It was not a comfort to me, even though in the movie the mouse is nice to the humans in the end.
Joe chased him with a broom, I suppose to sweep him away. Be gone, little mouse. You have no power here.
But alas, he was too quick, laminate floor and all.
Anyway, in the past few days I missed blogging about Daniel’s first foray into a baby pool and an afternoon spent with Isaac and Jo’s good friend Ben.

Daniel loved it. All my kids are part fish, it seems.

That was Friday afternoon.
Friday night was family night at VBS, and the week came to a close with a presentation for the parents and a meal for the families who participated.
I want to thank everyone who put this on. My boys loved it! Thank you for laying down your lives for the next generation. I know it is something my little “agents” will remember for a long time to come.

Here are two of God’s Kids.

Here’s another one.

Saturday, I spent a lot of time at the house, gettin’er done.
I actually used a drill. I don’t know if this impresses anyone else, but the house is still standing!!
Sunday, after church, we had lots of people over at gramp’s. Fourteen adults and three kids!
It was the first time in a long time that the house was full and bursting at the seems with not only people, but laughter and conversation and brotherhood.
After dinner, we were back at the house.
Today, after some necessary errands, we found ourselves at the house yet again.
The boys are so tired of being there, and sometimes they whine a bit, when they find it is where we are heading, “Do we have to go there again?”
I keep reminding them that since we will live there one day very soon (fingers crossed) they might as well get used to it.
Generally, they are a big help. We can always find something for them to do.
And when we are not keeping them busy, they wander out into the landscape and find toads and bunnies and animal tracks of all kinds. Yesterday they found coyote and deer tracks.
Joe and I surveyed the land later and discovered an apple tree and a couple of mulberry trees. Almost the entire property is lined with thick blackberry bushes. Very exciting.

Part II

The other day, as I was going back and forth from the new house to various other locations for cleaning supplies and lunches and such, I got behind a jeep with a tire cover that read “Life is Good."

"

Now, if I’m being honest (and I am) life wasn’t seeming very “good” to me at that moment.
For many reasons, I had had a bad week full of wrong attitudes and stinking thinking and fear and frustration.
I thought about that saying.
I stared at the people driving and riding in that jeep, respectively.
How did they know?
Sure, their hair was blowing in the wind on a God-kissed beauty of a day and their smiles were visible from my windshield, but were they happy?
I thought about myself.
I missed my dad so badly this last week, I could literally taste the sorrow of the loss of him.
Who was going to tell him that life was good?, I humphed.
Immediately, God said, not unkindly, but knowingly, “Um, eternal life is great. I’m sure Bill would agree . . . “
“Okay,” I challenged, “Let’s play this!”
One by one I went down the litany of things that had been bothering me all week, whining, “But, but what about . . . “
And one by one, he turned it around, gently, showing me the good in each situation.
It’s not that the bad doesn’t happen, doesn’t exist.
Of course it does.
God never promised that life would be easy.
But he did promise comfort and hope and joy to those who love him and keep his commands.
As I drove on, wind blowing my hair through the open window, voice of God whispering in my ear all His benefits, all the wonderful things that I have to be thankful for, my perspective began to change.
As I listened to Him, I remembered . . . small hands raised in worship of Him; small faces lifted for a kiss; friend’s hands, held while making plans for coffee; husband’s smile widening when I look at him; mother’s voice on the other end of the line, saying “hello” from down the street; grandfather, still sitting on porches to watch the sunset; tomatoes warm from the vine, bites of sunshine; cups of coffee, steaming; berries washed and sweet; sunset blazing; cool twilight hues melting into night; horses running; prairie grass blowing in the wind; crisp of autumn; chill of winter; fresh of spring; laze of summer; children’s laughter; child’s prayer; a child dancing.
Sacrifice of life so I can live.
Yeah.
Life is good.

Okay, I'll call this one "And much cattle. . ."

First, let me make an announcement.
Josiah learned how to tie his shoes the other day!!! He is doing it every chance he gets, and he is gaining pro status!!
Another thing I wanted to say last night, but it slipped my mind when I was writing -- my mind being the sieve it is and all, is that after VBS, Isaac and Josiah were so pumped up about it that they had me stop at a ball field to hand an invitation to a family playing ball there.
Josiah also had me stop in at my mom's neighbor's to invite her and her children and the kids she watches at her daycare.
I am so proud of them!
That's the big news.
We took a trip out to the ranch where Rachel works this morning.
They were having another cattle round-up. It was a smaller herd this time.
This meant it was a bit quieter than the last time.
However, no words or photos can adequately capture the smell!
After being there for a while, though, we didn't even notice it.

This time, we were able to see them work the calves. They gave them vaccinations and clipped their ears, among other things.
It was a beautiful day! The sun was shinning and the breeze was blowing, sometimes hardily! It was almost cool in the shade. Almost.
Rachel and her boss's son, Jeff, got a run for their money from some of the calves, but for the most part, the baby cows went through the chutes with little incident.
Towards the end of their time with the cattle, Rachel and Jeff let the boys into the pens so they could help with the chutes and see what was happening up close and personal.
The boys were thrilled!
At one point, they needed to take a break, and Rachel let the boys see Bounder.
He, apparently, is a fool for peppermints, and was doing tricks and showing off in hopes of minty-sweet rewards.
He really is a beautiful animal.
After the last cow was worked (well, actually, one got away and ran off into the field; I don't think they ever did get the little rascal), we packed up and thanked Jeff and Rachel and headed home.
I have mentioned before that I am an ocean girl. I grew up with the sound of the waves pounding the shore, the smell of salt water, the deep blues and lighter hues -- sky touching water.
As we drove down the dirt road away from the ranch, "Look, mom. It looks like waves of water," Isaac commented to me about the fields of grass and wheat blowing in the wind.
I pulled my head together from thinking about the million things I had yet to do to notice what he was talking about.
It did indeed look like waves.
I got out of the truck to take some pics, and as I did so, I thought, "fields of wheat and grass will be Isaac's ocean."
We looked at it as long as we could, in silent awe that something so simple could be so beautiful.
But then we had to go.
Isaac and Josiah had a Settlers of Catan date to keep with David Grey and his friend Samuel (now our friend, too), who are visiting.
Catan is a game in which you settle a continent and develop your colonies. The most developed colony wins. You develop by buying and trading commodities and resources.
Isaac loves it!
Josiah gave it a try, but in the end, he is still too tenderhearted for such an uncivilized task as developing a settlement.
He ended up helping me make Rice Krispy treats for VBS.
I bought a box of the berry Rice Krispies and made treats out of them for home. They are delicious!
VBS continues to be a great time for the kids.
Tonight was about being united, and they learned about Queen Esther and how she united her people in prayer so they would be saved from Haman's wicked plot.
We've had some long days, but they have been good days.
Here are some other nice images of the day.

VBS is here

Tonight was the kick-off night for our VBS.
The theme is Gospel Lights Sonforce Kids Special Agents: On a Mission for God, Vacation Bible School '007.
It's the Gospel goin' Get Smart.
My name is Bond. Bond-servant of Jesus Christ. . .
Okay, okay. Enough of that.
This is the first time we've done one of these events, and for first-timers, I think we're doing pretty well.
The church was certainly decked out like a Top Secret Training facility.
The kids certainly seemed to be having a blast.
Um, I'm certainly saying certainly a lot.
Here is special agent R instructing all new special agents about the missions they will be trained for.
New recruits to the force.
Special agent R bustin' a move and showing the kids how to dance!
Special Agent attitude!
Special Agent P, Special Agent B . . . who do they answer to? Special Agent J, of course!

Agent XXXL.
An agent is always ready!
Um, may I see your ID, please?

Doctors P and U. Put them together and what do you get? One "stinking" fun time!!

On a serious note, Dr. U (other wise known as Butch), was talking about courage, and how Mariam must have had courage to step up and talk to the princess of Egypt about the baby in the basket. Her heart must have been racing, the blood pounding in her ears as she suggested her own mother, also the mother of the floating, would-be condemned baby boy, to be his nursemaid.
He talked about courage, and how sometimes having courage doesn't mean not being afraid.
He told a story about his own life, how once there was a man on railroad tracks who had fallen and broken his leg.
A train was heading right for him, and full speed ahead.
Butch knew he had to do something or the man would be crushed to death in front of him.
In an instant he knew, and he raced to the tracks, pulled the man off just in time as the train roared by them.
Who knew?
Butch is an everyday hero to many people for many reasons, but as I listened to his story, I had such a swell of admiration and respect for this man, who matter of fact-ly talked about fulfilling the highest calling one can have -- laying your own life down for a friend, or even a stranger.
It worked out well for him in the end, but he had no way to know it would as he raced for the tracks and that imperiled man.
He had no guarantee that they would not both be crushed to death.
So here we were, pretending to be heroes, special agents.
But I suspect the real secret here is there have been true heroes among us all along.