ThinMint

Hello friends! My focus has been elsewhere so there will not be a good news drops tomorrow. Instead, I thought we could have a “Faith In Humanity” post. So gather the cool stories, memes and pictures to share for Friday. Next week I’ll post some what I hope are encouraging items. Another head’s up: I think on Friday evening I will post a ruse for the bots, leaving it up over the weekend. Please do not comment in that post as we want to root out the bots! No worries –it’ll be an obvious post 😁 Still working on the homeschool yearbook. In between, I’ve been cleaning, purging, organizing. As some of you know firsthand, doing this can be quite therapeutic. I encourage you to find something to work on as it really does bring about some peace. And we all need a little bit of this right now. The twins are starting high school this fall and their* summertime goal is to read classic literature. My summertime plans (which have been two years in the making) involve cleaning out my side of the office. And that area is a yikes with a capital exclamation point. I’ve made significant progress throughout the home, but this is one area that… makes me want to hide with a plate of cookies. I’ll post some pics so you can verify that I am indeed a humble mom, who is actively working on Less Is More. *by "their" I mean my plans for them

Good afternoon dearest of friends! I had intended to share the following with you, though I assumed it would be done so in a different capacity. However, the Lord is pressing upon me to not wait. Someone needs this… The angst of not being able to physically touch Felix because he was in hospital isolation was overwhelming. Some of this is due to him being my best friend and husband. But, I think a lot of the strain had to do with him being my brother in Christ. We are called to lay hands and pray over others, and to be denied this mutually beneficial act leaves us feeling a bit lost, empty. So I went to his side of the bed, closed my eyes, and pictured him lying below me. I placed my hands on his head, heart, lungs, liver, stomach and kidneys, praying over him, claiming healing and victory in the name of Jesus. These moments absolutely encouraged and strengthened me, giving me the focus and determination I needed during our crisis. Shortly after starting this sweet time of prayer, I invited the kids to join. Each one picked out what major organ they wanted to pray over then they would lay their hands upon his imagined body, praying over him in the name of Jesus. In the beginning I would only stand on his side of the bed. Soon I began to cuddle up next to him, praying and reading scriptures to him. I realize for some this could sound strange, however I can assure you that I felt connected to him in a way I would have missed out on, the Holy Spirit guided my prayers and I believe God honored my intentions and faith. What I am suggesting for those of you who have loved ones who are unwell you cannot be with is to do this. I would also suggest doing this for those of you who have loved ones who are not yet awake and/or who are estranged from you. Place your hands on their heads, over their hearts, praying for God to lift the veil, to heal their minds and hearts, to protect them from the enemy’s lies, to bring about reconciliation. If you cannot be with those you love, talk to God about doing this. He will lead you in the direction He wants for you.

Have a fabulous weekend! We’ll be honoring our son as he turns 9 this weekend. A fellow who doesn’t fit into any category, chart or expectation. He’s energetic to the nth degree, dramatic, curious, loving, playful, charming, witty, and loves God in such a sweet, tender way it makes your heart melt. I’d invite y’all over for cake, but you know, the parking. Instead, I encourage you to throw a Frisbee, bake something that makes you happy, and live a simple, God-pleasing life. Oh, and maybe make an eagle’s nest out of pine needles and cones. On the ground. In a busy park. While someone you love idiotically throws the Frisbee in the background. Ignore the naysayers. It’s fun.

Why am I sharing my mundane life with you when I could’ve just said that there won’t be a good news drop today? Because I want to point out the significance of living a Less Is More life. Had we been overcommitted, had we been busy with filling our lives with the Things That Don’t Really Matter, we wouldn’t have the energy to push through the things that tax us in every capacity. We wouldn’t have the determination to clean up, organize, and simplify. We wouldn’t have the forbearance to stand firm against the onslaught of insults, trials and curveballs. With God’s help, living a life of Less Is More allows us to outwit, outlast and outperform. It gives us the time we need to console a friend, or read one more book when our kids ask, or bake cookies, or listen to our spouse share from their heart, or take a leisurely walk, or spend more alone time with the Lord. Living a life of Less Is More allows us to be a lighthouse for those caught up in the storm. It allows us to not be drawn into the drama, hysteria and chaos. It allows to be more authentic, more informed, more judicious, more joyous, more faithful. Living a life of Less Is More allows us to use God’s gift of time.

In between wonky cars, appointments, books that need to bless others, and cleaning up after folks who abandon their responsibilities, are incorrect bills sent by a hospital threatening our reputation all because they failed to correct the charges for the third month in a row. In between the unexpected, the demanding, and the annoying are moments that test one’s patience. Like when your littlest children come downstairs at 1 am and keep you up until 3:30 am because they’re wide awake. Or when the littlest of your littles wakes you up at 5 something in the morning to tell you it’s her brother’s birthday. No, that would be this Sunday. Stay with me if you will…

In between wonky car issues, and yearbook deadlines I was getting items ready to sell for a homeschool book sale held today. The house feels a tad lighter. Wednesday evening we watched my niece graduate high school thanks to Al Gore’s invention of the internet. (Last week we did the kindergarten graduation for #4 🥲). During this week’s therapy, Felix told them he feels a monthly visit is enough. They agreed. One of the therapists said he’s made some of the most incredible progress she’s ever seen. He still has issues, but he continues to make strides. In fact, after visiting his primary this week he’s been cleared to go back to work full time. Stay with me if you will…

A few days after I was finally able to get in to see Felix in the ICU, the vehicle I drove went all wonky (mechanical jargon which means costly). At the time I was mostly ticked that I had just filled the tank (of course!) and paid half a year’s insurance. Fast forward a few months and we discover the wonkiness is not worth unwonkien. Long story short, we found a new home this week for the car we’ve had for 16 years. And believe it or not, I had a moment where I found myself sad it was leaving, reminiscing about bringing all our kids home for the first time in that car. But then I remembered how it had a full tank of gas and I wasn’t sad anymore. Stay with me if you will…

I don’t know about you but my week varies in length from 4 to 10 days. And I’ve never figured out exactly what causes the fluctuations. I’d like to say it’s due to me living The Supercool Mom Life, but I bet you’d agree that it felt like this even when we were kids, too. There won’t be a good news drop today. It’s been an interesting week. Some of you may remember that I am a board member for a local homeschool organization. We found out just before the high school graduation that the adult in charge of the yearbook dropped the ball. And by drop the ball, I mean probably about 80% of the work wasn’t done. I won’t go into more details, but this past week was, and probably the next two weeks will be, all hands on deck for five of us board members to complete a yearbook. My job thus far has been to write copy and captions, and the OCD side of me gladly volunteers to re-design layouts and edit pictures. I often do well under pressure so I’m not really stressed. Just busy. Stay with me if you will…

Incoming…

What you think about matters (Philippians 4:8)

THEME : Ground Beef

Hope y’all had a wonderful weekend! We enjoyed an end-of-year Track & Field party at the park. Felix and I even tried our hands at Frisbee. Will have to share the Frisbee we used as it was the best one we’ve ever tried. Y’all need this for summertime - anytime really. Then I pretty much spent the rest of the weekend pulling books off the shelves, sorting, pricing… I’m selling some books and curriculum at an upcoming homeschool sale. Working my way to a Less Is More lifestyle. Sort of. Why am I sharing this you? Just a gentle reminder that in the midst of chaos, the unknown, the scary, the turbulent - it’s okay, necessary even, to get out there and have fun. We were hot, we looked like idiots, we didn’t always catch the Frisbee. But, we laughed at ourselves, at one another and we made memories with our children. These small things build a huge refuge of sweetness in our lives.