Do What You Can Do

This home improvement mess has really played with my ambition and energy! The process as been extremely slow. Terry is a hard worker, I am not saying that he is not. He works 10to 16 hours a day. He simply does not have time to do a lot at home. He does have Sundays off and every other Monday. With a time table like that it will take a long time to get anything done. I know it sounds like I have been whining a lot on this blog. That is not my intention. I want you to see that anything is possible.

Because of Terry's schedule we take these home improvements in bite-size pieces. We usually don't have more than a day and a half at a time to work. He is very hands on so I do what I can, but he has the muscles and energy to do the heavy work. Over the 17 years we have lived in our home, we have accomplished a lot but it has all been in these bite sized pieces.

Writing a book is much like doing home improvement at my house. Start planning, thinking, and writing. I can't sit and write a whole book in a day. I wouldn't want to. I enjoy the process of watching the story unfold. I do watch the story in my mind as I write it. The characters are very real to me. I see their faces and personalities when I write them. Honestly, it is very fun. Some days it is hard to get to the computer and write but I am always glad that I do. It may be a paragraph or a time line that I work on. I may jot notes on a pad about an event I want the character to go through, but the process has to keep moving so that the momentum is not lost.

Yesterday I was wallowing in self-pity about my mess at the house. I had gotten so frustrated that I didn't even make my bed or picked up my room. That is one place that has not been affected by the remodel. Then I looked at my car. I had moved a big plant from my sister's house to my house and dumped a lot of soil and leaves in my front seat. I missed my weekly car washing...everything was a mess. Of course the car is not part of the remodel. I decided that I was tired of letting the mess overtake every part of my life so I got out my vacuum and cleaned out the car. Then I got the water hose and hand washed the car and made it shine. I loaded the dishwasher and picked up the clutter in the few rooms that are not affected by the remodel. I feel so much better.

I learned that I must do what I can do...whether it is about writing a book, preparing a speech, marketing my books, contacting friends, cleaning my stuff, or working on my house. That is all I am responsible for. One day my house will be back to normal. I am looking forward to it, but I will enjoy my life no matter what.

And The Work Goes On!

I wanted to add to the old post because when people look up this on the internet, it only shows one of the posts about the hardwood floor.

OUR FLOOR IS DONE!!!!

Terry put 7 coats of floor finish on the hardwood floor. He was sure that he could make it perfect, but perfection was not to be. It is still so pretty. With the furniture and everything back in the rooms, the imperfections don't show up so much.

Terry now is thinking about doing the floors in our main floor bedrooms. (one at a time) My recommendation is not to attempt too much unless you are taking vacation time to get it done. The process can drive you crazy!!!


The epic of refinishing the hardwood floor continued...yesterday. Is there anyone else who has taken as long as we have? Terry only gets every Sunday off and every other Monday off. Boy oh boy...we live 120 miles from the large lumber yards. Our local lumber yard does not carry rental equipment. The rental shop here has old and damaged stuff as far as floor sanders go sooooo... We went to a town 60 miles away to rent from a mid-sized lumber yard. We got the sander and found that the horror stories we have heard were exaggerated.
Terry decided that we would start with 60 grit paper instead of the roughest stuff. Our floor is in good condition so we didn't need the roughest. The floors look good. The next step is staining and then varnishing.
One tip I think is worth knowing: Do rent the edge sander or get rough grit for an oscillating sander if you have one. It takes at least 40 grit to cut through the residue on the edges. Don't let the largeness of the job intimidate you. If we can do it, you can too. I will let you know how the staining and varnishing go...stay tuned...this may take some time. Hopefully all will be back to normal by Thanksgiving. That is my hope!!! and Terry's semi-promise.

Rough Draft of Third Book Completed!

Monday I decided to drink some coffee and do a little writing on my day off. We are limited to the finished basement until we get the hardwood floors finished on our main floor. It may take a little time....That's another story...Anyway, being in the basement with no natural light, I began writing and got lost in the story. I emerged periodically to eat and drink and all that but I returned to the basement. Before I knew it I heard footsteps overhead. Terry was home and I asked him why he was at home so early. He said that it was 7 p.m.! Wow! I had written all day!The great thing about it was that I finished the rough draft of "Luke's Legacy". I am very proud of the story and I think readers of "Nan's Journey" and "Elk's Resolve" will be moved by this story about the "little brother and sister". I am entering it into a contest and hoping to place. Pray for me!

Hunger for God

God is up to something inside of me and I am so happy about it! For the past two weeks I have felt the Presence of God in my life stronger than ever before. It began with an insatiable hunger for more that so so christianity. I wanted to feel the way I did as a child when I first gave my life to Jesus.
I went to the big women's conference where the logistics limited the amount of prayer offered and I was dissapointed. The next day a young woman in my church was seeking God at the altar. Several women were kneeling in prayer with her. I stayed back in my seat. I don't really know why, but maybe it was laziness... who knows? One of the women in prayer looked up and motioned for me to join them. I am so glad I did.
Upon approaching the girl, I felt her hunger for God and it was infectious. I wanted more as I even prayed that God would answer her prayer. It reminded me of a group of mid-wives bringing forth a baby in birth.
The Power of God came in the midst of us all and I swear that it felt like my blood was burning. A wave of electricity flowed through all the women in prayer and especially the seeker. She had her answer. The Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way among us.
Since that night Jesus has been even more real to me than ever. I know that some people will think that all of this is emotionalism...if it is I don't care. I am an emotional person. I cry and laugh and get depressed and love with all my heart. Doesn't it stand to reason that God deals with me in an emotional way. I haven't had this much joy in my soul in a long time. My circumstances are exactly the same, but the Presence of God is still so close. I am so glad that He is available to anyone who asks and hungers for Him. The "table" is spread....eat up!

Mega Churches-Micro Churches

Last weekend a friend and I went to a mega church in Oklahoma City, OK for a women's conference featuring Lisa Bevere. It was great to worship with the thousands of women within the large walls of the church. The Presence of the Lord was there and many people were touched. Lisa had pertinent messages that spoke to my heart in particular.

One statement she made really ministered to me where I am now. She said that the Body of Christ needs the daughters who ask questions and the mothers who find the answers although they are the busiest ones but also the grandmothers who have the time to nurture and do works of ministry. At this point in my life I am 52 years old. I am a grandmother who also is available to my children to answer questions they throw at me. I try very hard not to offer unsolicited advice... I am in two of the generations although I lean more to the grandmother one. I am not intimidated by my age. I still have a lot to offer. The Lord has placed a desire on my heart to write good books until I die.

Many wonderful things happened at the mega women's conference. The women were moved to come to the front for prayer. There were so many who responded that the prayer team was told to just touch each one of the ladies so that they could move back to their chairs and give room for the others. The logistics of the day demanded that sort of response, but my heart broke for the women who needed more care.

On the way home my friend and I discussed the tragedy of the women who needed more... more time at an altar with sisters engaged in urgent prayer until something broke in the spiritual realm. My soul was grieved. The next day was Sunday. I guess you could say that I attend a "micro" church. There were less than 70 people present. We had a special speaker for morning and evening services. The call for prayer came at a few minutes until noon. People responded and stayed at the altars until 1 p.m. The people were in need of breakthroughs in their lives and there was time and room at the altars to stay until the needs were met.

Sunday evening was especially poignant. Many came to the altar and stayed but I want to focus on two young women in particular. The evangelist asked one of my friends, a 82 year old retired minister lady, to come and pray with one of the women. It was a beautiful picture of the grandmother nurturing the mother. Others were praying with the other young woman who had been seeking a special touch from God for weeks. She had an insatiable hunger that was not met. I joined in the prayer for her as well as my 82 year old friend and the young woman she had "prayed through" with. When the second girl broke through to victory a shout of praise erupted from every one's lips. We hugged and cried and rejoiced. I loved the intimacy of praying together with my sisters.

There is a Scripture that says "do not despise small things". I think sometimes we get frustrated with our small churches. Of course we want them to grow and reach more people and not to become a small exclusive club, but we can attempt to keep the small church care and concern for one another no matter how large we grow. I wonder what would have happened at the mega church if the women who had desperate needs knelt down and the leaders asked everyone to lay hands on them and pray until they had a breakthrough. I think the rejoicing would ring out in every one's heart.

Gifts of Love

On Saturday I received a package in the mail. It was a lovely hand-made gift from a friend of mine who lives in Pekin, Illinois. She told me she was sending something special...but I had no idea! It was a beautiful picture frame made of plastic canvas done in cream, green, and rose. It fits the decor of my house perfectly. She did a wonderful job and I am so proud of it.
I cannot display it until my hardwood floors are done. I don't want to risk getting it dirty. It is too precious.

I "met" this friend through a Internet group of church secretaries. We have a lot in common and I treasure her friendship. I have another friend I "met" on the Internet. She is also an author. She is a sweet lady who is also a great writer. Her pen name is Anne Kimberly. Her book title is "Deep Well of Decision". It is a fantasy that is intriguing and you can purchase it on amazon.com. There are others I "met" on shelfari...an interesting woman from Spain and another from Australia on a blog tour.

The gift I received was wonderful, but the best gift is friendship. I am blessed!

Rainy Days

I remember the 70's song, "Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down." We sang it in my high school choir. It is funny how perceptions change from teen years to middle age...I kinda like rainy days...not so much Mondays, but rainy days are some of the most restful days there are. I especially love rainy days when it is my day off. Curling up on the couch reading a book while the raindrops patter on the glass....mmmmm....yummy. Some of my best naps have taken place on those damp days.

Fall is here and the rain is falling softly. I love it! Outdoor activities are stifled, but sometimes it is good to take time to ease up a bit and enjoy being at home. Last month I bought an antique clock that has to be wound up every seven days. The tick is mesmerizing and restful. It sounds like home.

What other sounds remind me of home? There is always the Sunday after church football game on television. Terry loves that. The sound of the dishwasher draining or otherwise doing its job is always welcome. Telephone calls from my sons and their families. I love to hear the sounds of their dear voices.

Blake Shelton's song "Home" is so beautiful. I urge you to listen to it if you haven't heard it yet. The musicality of it is mystical and the lyrics are touching. I love it. Give it a quick listen when you have time.

Let me urge you to try to enjoy the rainy days when they come and take the time to give yourself the treat of a great memory, a good conversation, or a postponed read from a good book. Happy rainy day!

GPS

After spending the weekend in New Mexico I think I do need to get a navigation system for my car. Not that finding the destination towns was so difficult. It is just that after arriving some of the locations of various venues and locations are a challenge to find.

A nephew-in-law gave up completely after trying to give me directions to his house from another relative's house. Since it was late and dark to boot, I didn't argue the fact. (Does anyone else find it harder to find things after dark...even with good street lights???)

My brother-in-law from Oregon told Terry and I that he uses a GPS when he goes hunting so that he can detect the closest trail to his car when he gets his game. Since he tramps through the woods hither and yon, it is not always fastest to return by retracing his steps...interesting.

I think I want to get one that works for people when they are walking or riding a bike as well as when I am in the car. I saw one on QVC...should have gotten it!!! Oh well, I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day!