Well, it's been a few days. We've been busy focusing on getting the house unpacked and making it our home instead of just a house. My childhood BFF, her mother, and daughter stopped for lunch on their way through to visit family. I LOVE having company...hint, hint...come visit!
We are nearly done with bed #1 and bed #2 is cut, pocket holed, and now it just needs assembled, wood puttied, sanded, and painted. Of course, there is still more to do, the drawers haven't been built yet. Those may have to wait, we are waiting for word that T's mother has passed away. This has weighed heavily on my heart.
Today's devotion was how God can use dislocation to draw us to Him. I've been feeling very dislocated. For the first time in many years, we are in a place where we didn't know anyone when we arrived. On top of that, we had no instant connections with people in the community. Our first connection was the family who boards their horses on the property. They have turned out to a very sweet family, and better yet, they are Christians...such joy and comfort this fact brings. We also connected with the local cafe owner, because we visited his cafe WAY TOO OFTEN when we first arrived. Great food, and gluten free options made it an immediate favorite, but we wouldn't bother Mr. Ray outside of our business dealings. I've still been longing to make more connections. You may not believe me when I tell you I'm an introvert, but I really am...honestly, I am. But, I love being around people who enjoy the same things I do. Especially when it comes to crafting, it's more fun to craft with a friend! Yesterday, we got a call from the local blueberry farmer that our blueberries were ready, all 12 pounds of them! She said she was heading to the next town over and so she'd be happy to drop them by. After an hour of chatting, we became instant friends. It seems I always make a good chunk of my friends with people older than me. Mrs. E is old enough to be my mother, but we love all the same things and we are a like in so many ways. Well, I don't find this a coincidence. God knows exactly what He's doing and He orchestrates things for a reason. We are attending a barn quilt (painted wooden square blocks painted to look like quilt squares) class at a nearby library together at the end of the month. She offered to stop by and pick me up. It seems each place we go God gives me a "mother". He knows what our hearts need, and each time He seems to know that I need a mother figure in my life. I don't think it matters how old we get we need a Mom!
These thoughts have brought back a bit of sadness for me. It makes me miss family members who, for whatever reason, have decided to no longer be a part of our lives. And, whether they'd believe it or not, I love them a lot and miss them a lot. I pray for them, I've forgiven them, but I've moved on and maybe one day God will see fit to open those doors again. Those thoughts coupled with the feelings of severe dislocation have made me realize my need for a Savior even more! Because, no one is perfect, not one of us...and I've made mistakes, some unknowingly, some purposely, only to regret them later. I've been praying that God would show me His ways and His paths, and that is all I can do is move on in life and let God be God and let Him do the restoring of the dislocations, whether physically from one place to the next or in our hearts and in relationships with other.
Sorry, no pictures to share this evening. I have a bunch I'll share in the next day or two. Until then, please pray for peace and comfort for T's mother and the same for T's family. And, let me know when there was a time you felt severely dislocated, how did you know God was near?
