Category: Spiritual

Monday Messages…

Wiwohka4 Comments

Oh my goodness, have I got Babyitis, just now! Perhaps you’ve heard of it, or possibly even suffered from it, at one time or another.

It came on quite suddenly, if I’m being honest. Usually, the symptoms are small and slow to appear… at least, that’s how it’s been for me, in the past.

Not this time! I was not prepared for it to bring me to my knees (metaphorically) in the middle of Walmart, yesterday. There I was, innocently looking at yarn, with the hope that I can make one last baby blanket, before my arthritis robs me of this passion. This has to be one of the most important blankets I’ll ever craft, as this baby seems to have become the bridge in which God might mend something that I, myself, broke. Sorry, I went sort of deep, there for a moment.

Anyways, I found some really adorable colors to work with, as we don’t yet know the gender of this upcoming little blessing. Here, I’ll show you…

Hopefully, this will become something lovely… and I’ll show you update pictures of my progress, just for fun!

So, there I was in the aisle of crafts, with my chosen yarn held firmly in my arms, when something caught my eye. I spied a stuffed bunny ear… and I cannot be held responsible for what occurred next. It wasn’t my fault! I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of all those symptoms of Babyitis.

My poor husband had a hard time keeping up with me, as we were heading toward the check-out. Finally, he says, “why on earth are you walking so fast… wait, what’s in the cart that you don’t want me to see?” Busted!

No worries… Babyitis comes with a positive perk…

I think it makes one smell like either chocolate, or cookies… or both! For some crazy reason, whenever I have an symptoms of Babyitis surface, my hubby just smiles softly with a strange look in his eyes, similar to when he drinks the cocoa I make… weird, huh?!

When these crazy symptoms first surfaced, yesterday, I did attempt to promise that it wouldn’t happen again, but then changed my mind. While I may be able to exercise some amount of restraint, being the mature adult that I am, I cannot say that this won’t happen again… in fact, I have a feeling that he’s going to have hide any spare change laying about!

Thursday Thoughts…

Wiwohka2 Comments

I had such plans for writing out some thoughts today, for your reading pleasure… but it’s already after lunch, and I’m just now sitting down at my desk.

What on earth could derail such literary intentions, you might be asking yourselves. Well, I’ll make it easy on you…

Rearranging! Yup! I just spent the entirety of my morning hours, repeatedly moving the same three pieces of furniture from one spot to the other, in an attempt to make a small space feel inviting, not suffocating.

Honestly, I’d forgotten how hard this would be, trying to make sure things look pretty, instead of just stuffing things in corners… ya know?!

After all this time without a real place to call home, I laugh at so many things I find myself rediscovering… like running a vacuum cleaner. Truth be told, I confess that I haven’t needed to use it, as of yet. Seriously, this whole building is carpeted, so there isn’t anything on our feet by the time we get to our apartment… I truly appreciate these little blessings.

God tells me that it’s time to work on experiencing life again, now that we’ve been given a fresh reset to things, if you know what I mean. So, that’s what I shall be focusing on for the foreseeable future, the living part.

God leads, I follow… and you folks get to experience all of the benefits, in terms of the many fun and fantastical literary adventures I plan on sharing with you. Who knows what awaits us… all of us!

The ways of water…

Wiwohka4 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What’s the most fun way to exercise?
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I choose water… duh! I mean, come on… think of all the ways water can be used:

It can take you places you never thought you could go…

Call it swimming, flying or rowing… or sometimes just playin in a bucket in the barn.

Time for a bath…

Water gives strength, health, and a whole lotta power…

Most importantly, water brings life…

and I swear that most all the good things that happen in my life… happen on or near the water.

Even in the dark of night, when things seemed impossible water can carry you through it…

Trust me when I say that one gets a good workout! Maybe we even come out the better for it, in the end.

If you’re lucky, you get to learn some pretty neat stuff while you ride the waters… I did!

Like how to bake cookies without getting motion sick…

Go on… take one. They aren’t wet or anything, I swear!

If you give this mouse a cookie…

Wiwohka1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
What book could you read over and over again?
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Tilly and I agree that Bibles and cookies are the two best things ever!!!! Think about it for a second… I’ll wait… ok, I’ll tell you what I mean. Both bibles and cookies are good for the heart, the mind and the soul. They both make us happy, heal our hurts, fill us up, give us loads of energy… and make us better human beings!

Just sayin…

For now, we’ll start with the cookie…

We can share it! Hugs

Beginning, Again…

Wiwohka14 Comments

Reaching land after being at sea for such a long time can be like standing upon the sand, as the sea pulls the waters back into the depths. It feels like you’re moving while standing still, as the sand moves beneath your feet. I stand upon the shore of a new land (sort of), having nowhere to go, but forward into the unknown. It feels both exciting and confusing, as you’ve no idea what’s beyond your vision, or where the path will lead.

We’ve spent the last five years living in the same small space, climbing over one another, and putting one foot in front of the other… adrift in uncharted waters!

We’d forgotten how to live without constant and immense pressure, pushing at us from all directions; often forcing us to move fast, while leaving everything behind! When you live for so long with little on hand, you become accustomed to letting things go, and/or making due. I am a bit shocked at how much that was lost along the way to this particular shore. For goodness sake, I haven’t had a vacuum cleaner for five years, let alone a working oven, or a working toilet (that was only in the last year and a half). I guess, my point here would be that I feel a bit lost and out of sorts, when it comes to living like a normal person.

I will be taking another week off from writing, in order to focus on rest and recovery from a very costly time at sea. The physical toll it has taken on us this time has been costly, so rest and recovery are the priority, at the moment. Spring quarter will begin for my husband in less than 2 weeks, so he’s going to be getting his first taste of college without the pressure of homelessness and loss hanging over his head all the time, thank goodness! He’s nearly there, with only spring and summer left on this degree. It’s incredible how well he has done in the midst of such turmoil, and I’m so very proud of his commitment to finish… and finish well!

Me? I have another book to write, but first, it’s time to put the first one out there…

It’s time, wouldn’t you agree? If God deems it time, then I’ve no doubt that it will be done. I shall enter this new part of the journey with the grace, faith and confidence given my by my Creator, going wherever I’m called to go. I’ve always loved a good adventure, how about you?!

F.Y.I. , these new shores are quite beautiful from where I’m standing!

Let’s explore together…

When God Moves…

Wiwohka21 Comments

We have keys!!!

If ever this were to be considered a mountain… well, God moved it!

We do not know why, but for whatever their reason, the owners of the property chose to come back to the table and change their first decision. Basically, they completely changed their mind and lowered the cost of the apartment in order to get us approved… not kidding!

It’s small, but absolutely adorable… and clean!

Everything is new, and bright, and warm, and just perfect perfect perfect!!!

Sure, it’s empty now, but let me tell you… when the bible says that God will restore all that the enemy has stolen, I am watching such miracles unfold right before my eyes!

Some very generous donations have already arrived from God, through the many different organizations that have been with us throughout all this… I swear, I think they’re more excited than we are about things finally coming together. They’ve already ordered us a new bed, a vacuum cleaner, and a boatload of bathroom and cleaning supplies, so that should arrive at the new address within another day or so…

I’m in love with the whole color scheme that was chosen for this layout. Now we just have to wait for the mail to catch up with is… lol.

Oh, and we have to go to the V.A. this afternoon to pick up a furniture voucher, gift cards for things like dishes and cooking supplies. Honestly, I am still a bit numb about all this, as if I expect I might wake from such a dream, you know…

Oh, by the way, right in the middle of all of this going on, I got a phone call from my middle daughter… I’m gonna be a Meemaw again… AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

Don’t babies just make everything better… oh, and cookies.. cookies make everything better, too. I have to tell you something funny in all this. After loosing pretty much all that we owned, down to the point of wearing the same outfit for the last three and a half weeks, I managed to save two items… my KitchenAid mixer and my Cuisinart, no joke! I have a mountain of cookies to bake, lol! My hubby tested the oven straight away… it’s like he knows me, or something…

And, guess what? Both my little plants have survived, thus far. I promised them both that they’d be getting new pots and soil when we get them moved in… they’ve earned them!

I know that this must have been awful for you all, having to watch helplessly as we went through this desert, but I could NOT have done this without your love, your faithful prayers, and your constant encouragement!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

I am so very richly blessed!

This chapter in my journey has closed, so let us move forward to see what God has in store four the future…

If I were to say anything of value, regarding what we just endured, I would say this… God has profoundly changed this wild and angry child, carefully molding her into that which is beautiful in His eyes.

It is indescribably here, resting beneath the shadow of my Father. From here, I can see for endless miles into the future… no, I haven’t reached some weird plane of visions, so don’t start freaking out on me. What I mean is that it’s not dark any longer, as it had been for so much of this process. Oh, I still can’t see the specifics of what will come… but it’s bright here, wherever I look… I might be wrong, but I think that it’s joy, or maybe hope, but it could also be the source of all those prayers everyone has been shouting to the heavens, on my behalf.

I think it might just be all of the above!

How will I…

Wiwohka3 Comments

The question isn’t why… it isn’t when, who or even where. I’ve been thinking on this, of late. Whenever a person goes through troubled waters, so to speak, a great many of those questions occupy their mind. Unfortunately, those questions don’t often see a viable answer.

Sometimes, maybe the real useful question to ask is “How?” I realize that it’s a rather unusual one word question, but if you think about it, all the other questions were also one word queries.

Since I tend to spend most of my time on the water, with a good many stretches of rough rapids and storms, I finally got sick of all the other questions, as they never really do me any good until after the fact.

This time… I’m finding a breakthrough!

This time… How?

How will I hold?

How will I rest?

How will I stand?

How will I exercise my faith?

How will I use all that truth I’ve been reading about?

How will I reflect my trust in God?

How will I express all the peace, hope, love, faith, forgiveness and generosity of heart that he has been creating within me?

How will I bend the knee?

How will I lay before the throne?

The One I believe in has been working on my behalf from the beginning, so it’s not a question of when, where, who, or why for me any longer, but how…

To answer the how,

I will hold with grace…

I will rest in complete peace…

I will stand tall…

I will share my faith with you, by speaking of all my journey, whether it is calm, harsh, beautiful, or painfully ugly…

That’s the only way that I can reflect my trust in Him…

My stories and journal entries are how I express all the good fruits that He produces within my heart for you…

I will bend the knee to the God of ages, surrendering to His rule and authority over my life, no matter where I must go, what I must endure for however long I must endure it, and regardless of why!

How?

How can I think this way, say these things, and actually stand in the face of this overwhelming mountain? I’ll tell you how…

The power of surrender, that’s how!

All that my Creator asks of me is surrender to his will, plan and purpose… and I show my obedience and complete surrender in all those HOWS… just sayin!

When you are in the darkest moments of your journey, remember…

Hold, have peace, stand tall, speak only that which is good, edifying and hopeful, trust in the one who gave you life, and no matter what, always remember that your stories are important to others… you are important! Life’s gonna do what it’s gonna do, so we have to choose who we want to be as we get through it… or better yet, how we want to get through it!

Traveling Threads…

Wiwohka12 Comments

I’ve not been posting, as it’s far better to remain silent than to speak words of pain, anger, and frustration… things circumstantial have a way of bringing rise to my serpent’s tongue, if you get my meaning.

It’s beyond my ability to understand how many times an agency can lie to your face.. anyways, this is the reason I cannot speak of things, just now. We’re exhausted, extremely stressed, both sicker than ever with some flue (yay), so it’s clear that my judgement is somewhat compromised.

After waiting 10 days on that application to process, they finally called to say that there was still paperwork missing… and that apartments no longer available… and we still need to wait for an inspection, which God only knows how long that could take. They keep saying one thing and then just blowing right past their own promises, only to then make us feel as if it’s our fault that they can’t seem to get things done.

How does one describe the feeling of being overlooked, minimized, forgotten, undervalued, passed over, left behind, discarded by society, as no more than a burden to the world? I can tell you that these are my feelings, but I am unable to even begin to describe it’s toll on the physical body. Fortunately for me, while my body declines… my spirit is on fire!

I see His hand in the darkness, holding onto us, binding us to each other and to Him, so that’s how I endure… Jesus chose me before the foundation of the earth, died to make a way for me, and sits ever faithfully beside me, here in this wasteland… I am still NOT alone!

God Bless and keep all of you, my friends. I love you dearly and hope you are well.

Hugs

Rough Waters…

Wiwohka9 Comments

If one were to ask me how I might describe my thoughts and emotions right now, I can only say that it’s very dark and strangely unfamiliar. We’ve been wandering from motel to motel with all that’s left of our life packed into the back of our car. Feeling like you’ve been completely forgotten and overlooked by those promising to provide a resource, quite honestly, feels gut wrenching!

We were given our voucher, but then informed that it still had to be ported back to another county before we could use it. Within a day of getting the voucher, our paperwork simply vanished into the system. By the grace of God, and my husbands quick thinking, we drove two cities away from where we started to find an apartment that already passed the required inspections, which takes up to 45 days, normally. Doing things this way avoids having to wait up to 3 weeks for the portal process.

All the papers are in, application filled out… and now we wait! It could be a day… or up to several weeks for the apartment to accept our application. Though this has been a nightmare, and I will most likely never speak of it in any detail, at no time have I felt abandoned by my God! Let’s just say that this part of our journey has called for all of my faith, fully in action! And, as it says in the bible, I shall count it all joy!

God chooses my path, and in scripture it tells us that He knows our going out and our lying down. It also says that he is familiar with all our ways. If God allows me to experience these things, then there’s learning that needs to be done, and that’s growth! Of this I’m certain…growth is good, even though it can sometimes be difficult or painful.

It’s true, you know, that saying about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. There’s only one thing I might add to that phrase, and it’s this:… it’s our choice as to whether that strength will be fueled by faith, hope, and love, or just anger, bitterness and hatred. Each path will leave you changed, but you do have a choice in which way to climb your mountains. Personally, I desire to grow stronger on the way up, through, or around these mountains. When God calls my name… I’m going to be on my feet!

Barnyard Building…

Wiwohka4 Comments

While restorations are still ongoing at the barn, I thought to go exploring in the woods this morning just for the fun of it. I’ve also been wanting to take Bailey back to the area where Tilly discovered her beneath that log. For the life of me, I haven’t been able to figure out how the puppies managed to escape from the lobby in the first place, only to then end up in the woods behind our farmhouse. It just seems really strange, you know?

So off we went, the three of us, back down the path from which the mouse and puppy had come, in search of some answers. Well, I went in search for the answers part, while the mouse and puppy mostly chased one another around trees and beneath bushes. Several times, I found myself just watching them play, rather than doing any searching. It actually worked out in my favor, though, because it was during this game that we discovered a hidden trail, just off the main path we’d been traveling.

Being curious, we decided to follow the new trail, though I had to crawl on my hands and knees on several occasions. You try following the path of a mouse, or even a puppy, for that matter! I’m just sayin that it isn’t that easy, that’s all.

Anyways, we didn’t have to travel that far before my eye caught a glimpse of something shiny, further down the path. You’re never going to believe what we stumbled upon, not half an hour’s walk from the farm?

The very carousel that I’d been suggesting we could restore into a garden or something, sat before us in a small glade… for no apparent reason! There was no trace of a carnival passing by, in fact, no roads could be seen anywhere nearby.

While I stood staring in confusion, over why someone would abandon an old piece of machinery in middle of the woods, both Tilly and Bailey disappeared around the back of the carousel. I called out to them, but there was no reply from either… as if they’d simply vanished!

I ran round to where I’d last seen them heading and nearly tripped over my own shoe in surprise…

I kid you not! There was a doorway on the backside of the carousel, standing wide open! Logic said that my two little ones had probably gone through the open passage that I too, felt compelled to enter…

At first, all I could see was a dark corridor with little light available, aside for several ceiling lights that mostly just flickered on and off. I did see a small doorway ajar, further down the passage, and could hear the distant whispers of my two tiny compadres.

When I got to the doorway and pushed it open… everything about the disappearance of the puppies finally made more sense…

Did you know that the Lobby had a back door? I didn’t! Apparently, back behind the archive section is an open doorway… no wonder the puppies got out that way!

I hope you weren’t expecting me to explain all this, because I’m just as confused as you probably are…

Well, at least now we know it’s within easy walking distance of the Barnyard… if you were of a mind to visit, of course!

Just follow the path …