Saturday: Jim and Joshua Are Home!

On Thursday, my husband picked up Joshua from Therapeutic Recreation, and they headed down to The Lakehouse...where my in-laws live. Back years ago, when our kids were little, Jim traveled often...so it doesn't typically bother me too much when he's gone. I mean, as far as being afraid or stuff like that. BUT, something always happens right before he goes out-of-town that sets my nerves on edge. Things like...a light comes on in my vehicle, or there will be an escaped convict running loose in our town, or...what happened this week...the saga of the garage door. It pops open randomly, EVEN WHEN IT SHOWS TO BE LOCKED.

But Jim said he disabled it so that it's not supposed to go up OR down...and I've had no problems with it for the past 2 days. We've just been using the other door.

There are things I usually do when Jim is out-of-town...paint a room, clean out the frig, move furniture. Last night, I got in the closet under our stairs and went to town on the junk in there. There's still a lot that I need to go through, but I'm not Nate Berkus...I'm just one woman. It looks a lot better than it did, and I don't feel like I have to fight to hang up a coat in there now.

Also, I didn't realize that I still have so many of Holly's pageant and prom dresses. I gave a bunch of them away to an organization that provides prom dresses for teenage girls in a shelter. 

And also, found a stocking-stuffer I had gotten for Joshua last year AND THEN COULDN'T FIND. It was stuffed in the back of the closet.

It's like Narnia back in there.

I also put up curtains in my dining room and switched the dining room curtains to the kitchen BY MYSELF. I'm talking using a stud finder and a hammer and a drill and window "hardware" and by last night I wanted to...as my father-in-law says, "say my Sunday School lesson backwards." 

JUST KIDDING.

But seriously. Frustrating and tiring.

And I put up the Christmas tree in my entry-way. I am one that doesn't like to do ANY Christmas decorating until Thanksgiving. I'm legalistic like that...ha! I feel like Thanksgiving gets lost in the Christmas shuffle and it's such a sweet and important holiday. I love the leaves and pumpkins and the PILGRIMS. But, I love Christmas, too...and I just decided that I could do a few things now and the earth would not fall off it's axis. So, yes...I've got a pumpkin AND my pilgrims on a table in my kitchen...right under our Thanksgiving Tree. 

I was so happy for Jim and Joshua to come home today! It's been weird without Joshua here...because he's ALWAYS here. And he is so predictable and I know him so well, that my ear is trained to hear all of his movements even when I'm doing other things. I can pretty much tell what he's doing upstairs just by the ordinary noises that he makes. I told Clark that I thought I heard him up there twice yesterday...but then I had to remind myself that he wasn't here. I know Joshua because I've spent so much time with him. I know Joshua because I've taken the time to sit with him and listen to him. And I can tell what he's doing because I have trained my ears to hear him.

God uses the ordinary things to show me His Big Truths...and He has used Joshua to teach me many things. And this time of year, in this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, He is showing me that I am fully capable of keeping my mind and heart on HIM, even in a season of much busyness. And that if I know Him, like REALLY KNOW HIM, like I know Joshua, I will know His character and I will discern His will. I will sense His presence and I will be able to the quietest whisper of His voice.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me." John 10:27