Beyond Blessed - A New Start

Hebrews 11:13-16

"All these people were still living by faith when they died.
They did not receive the things promised; 

they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.

And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country
of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left,
they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing
for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

In the margin of my old beloved NIV Bible right next to the above highlighted passage, this is written in my own handwriting: "7/19/2020 things may never be different than they are right now for me, but through faith given to me by God, I can live one day/one moment at a time." Little did I know at that time that in less than 6 months, Mike would be gone, and in 2 years time God would blow me away with blessing upon blessing in a new start. Yes, we still look forward and long for our promised heavenly home, but by faith and God's provision, things are VERY different for me than they were on the day I penned those words and I am filled with gratefulness and joy!

Psalm 68:5-6a

"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

God settles the solitary in a home...

A Home! 

- For those not on FaceBook, God blessed me above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined in finding a small townhome on a quaint, tree-lined street with green space in front and behind. I closed on the house on June 30th. I cleaned my townhome from top to bottom, replaced toilet seats and bowl to tank bolts, and installed towel racks - myself! I'm so thankful for YouTube instructional videos and feel quite accomplished! I had the entire place painted and some of the flooring replaced and moved in on July 30th. It is a lovely, quiet, friendly neighborhood and best of all I feel quite safe. I know my immediate neighbors already and when my grands come, there is a playground right across the street where we can play. The previous owner had beautifully landscaped the backyard, so all I have done is add my favorite flowers which I brought from the farm and maintain the rest of the beds and the grass. One reason I could afford this home was because the HOA fees are extremely low since they only maintain the public areas. It takes me all of 15 minutes to cut the grass, longer to trim because I'm not very good with the weed-eater, but since I enjoy working outside, I'm glad I have a little bit to take care of. A very little bit!

A church! - After visiting 4 or 5 churches, I have gratefully landed at Lake Norman Baptist Church. They have a new pastor who started in July and it seems they are off to a fresh start also. On my very first Sunday there a couple invited me to the Legacy class after church and I decided to try it out. I am still there and enjoying the people and the Bible study immensely. Last Sunday I went out to eat with 9 others from the class. It's fun to start getting to know people a bit better. God's word is proclaimed from the pulpit and the class with a genuine love for Him and others. 

God has also brought me alongside a woman who abruptly became a widow in July. She asked me to sit beside her in class after just meeting me and then when I shared about God's blessing me after 10 years of TBI and the loss of my husband, she said it was just what she needed to hear. (Neither of us knew the other was a widow until that moment.) Since then we have talked and text with each other and plan to get together this week. My desire is to be used of God in encouraging and coming alongside other widows, caregivers, shut-ins and He's already begun to orchestrate that. 

Tonight I joined a ladies Bible Study. We are studying the last half of Exodus through a Jen Wilkin video series. She is a wonderful teacher and I'm very excited about this study, plus the opportunity to meet more women. This church has 2 services so there are lots of people I would not meet otherwise. 

A job! - Have I told you that God has blown me away with blessings upon blessings above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined?!! HE truly has! I started looking for a job online and applied to 3 or 4 on a Friday, August 12, I think it was. The following Monday or Tuesday, I received a call from Lanart International - Quality Alpaca Products. I had a great conversation with the daughter of the owner and we set up an interview for the next day. The family-run business is less than 2 miles from my house. I drove the 4 minute drive, with NO traffic because it's like country/residential roads and had another great conversation with the owner, Angelo, plus met David, Angelo's cousin who handles all the orders, shipping and shows. They felt my background and experience was a perfect fit for them and I felt they were perfect for me. Definitely God-led opportunity!! I started working with Lanart on August 23rd and the job could not be more perfect for me! David has been an excellent trainer and easy to work with. His wife, Maria, comes in to help some days and although she doesn't speak a lot of English (they are from Ecuador), we manage to communicate and she is very sweet. Ursula, who called me initially, also works with the business, but she lives in California. We talk often over the phone or via Zoom.

All of the handmade alpaca fiber products are made in Peru (fair trade). Angelo handles that side of the business. The products are all beautiful and so soft. I had never heard of needle-felting, but we sell lots of needle-felted sculptures (toys) and have over 300 items from alpacas of various colors to wild animals, sea life, winged, farm and pets, plus we have plush items. We also have hats, gloves, scarves, throws, headbands, skeins of alpaca fiber, etc. The only thing that is not hand-made are the socks which are 80% alpaca. The alpaca fiber comes from Peru and the socks are manufactured in Hickory, NC.

I absolutely love my job and the people! I love the variety, being able to move around which is so much better for my back, and the products are light and pleasant to handle. Imagine picking and bagging super soft teddy bears and cozy socks all day. That's my job! I work with David printing the online orders, picking and boxing the product, getting it shipped out, and making sure I've done all the invoicing and shipping steps on the computer. The only time I sit down is if I stop to eat something. David rarely stops!

Debbie, who has worked with them for about 9-10 years was out for knee replacement surgery when I started, but she started coming back a few hours this past week. I appreciated that as David and Maria were in Wisconsin at a show from Wed - Saturday. We do not have a retail shop, but David and Maria set up at the farmer's market in Huntersville on most Saturdays and they travel to other states for shows, as well. It was my 3rd week there and I was on my own for the most part. David has so much confidence in me that it encouraged me that I could do it and I think I did alright. I was glad that Debbie came in a few hours tho, plus I could call any of them, if I ran into a snag and Angelo was there. 

Check out their website at https://lanartalpaca.com/ you may want to purchase some Christmas gifts or pick up something cozy and warm for yourself. I learned that alpaca fiber is hollow so it traps and holds heat. On September 24 we will have an Alpaca Fiesta at our location with other vendors, food trucks, music, crafts, etc. Come join us; it will be fun!

As you can see, I am abundantly blessed and it seems that it happened so quickly once I came to NC. God has settled me in a new place, new home, new church, new job, new start, new life after a long and often difficult journey. Yet, He is the One who brought me through all of that and gave me joy along the way even in the hard also. He is ALWAYS to be praised and glorified. My cup runneth over indeed and I am so thankful for His goodness to me. 

It's getting late and I need to get some sleep. I get to go to work tomorrow! 😊

Light

Today marks the one year anniversary of Mike's heavenly home going. It's interesting how time can seem to pass so swiftly in hindsight, yet some moments during the past year crawled by at a snail's pace. I've gone through all the "firsts" without him: first anniversary, first birthdays (mine & his), first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first New Year's. However, unlike many who lost a loved one in the past year, they really weren't my firsts. Rather than being depressing or sad occasions this past year, there was a lightness that hasn't been there for almost 9 years. There was no guilt that I couldn't be with him or he with me/us, no depression that he was locked away in a facility unable to be outside or with all of his family, no thoughts that he couldn't talk with me or enjoy his children and grandchildren, no hoping for a miracle to see the vibrant man he once was - walking, running, laughing, talking. For me it was firsts of peace and lightness, rejoicing in the knowledge that he is whole once again, that his race was run, his journey completed. 

I'm not saying that I don't miss him, I do. There are moments of longing, but not for the TBI Mike, but the pre-TBI, very vibrant and energetic, Mike - his companionship, physical nearness and touch, our lively conversations, spontaneous adventures, being amazed at the amount of information he could retain, playing board and card games with the family, watching OSU football, his loud voice, his crazy laugh... Yet, we were able to remember Mike in many beautiful ways throughout the past year. Each one a blessing that brought an element of remembrance, healing, closure, and peace. The Pandemic made us think outside of the norm which, for us, was a blessing in disguise. The rainbows after the storms. God's goodness and favor to us after almost 9 years of difficulty.

The past few months have been a true blessing to me personally. For the first time in all these years, when my sisters were taking care of Mom, I did not have paperwork or things to do for Mike, and since I no longer work for the Creamery I didn't have that work either. So, with the extra time, I finally went through boxes that have been packed since we sold our house in Raeford, NC 10 years ago. I took trips down memory lane all the way from my high school yearbooks, to journals from my Palau days, to the boy's high school days. I rediscovered items I had forgotten all about - my wooden Thai elephants, Palauan coconut grater, my high school artwork, my grandmother Jones' crewel embroidery and cross stitch, and LOTS of family photos. I also purged some files and tax papers. I'm feeling more organized and lighter with each thing I cross off of my mental to-do list. I'm also trying to discover who I am when I'm not caregiving for someone. I still care for and mainly live with my Mom, but as she is slowly becoming more and more dependent, my sisters are coming more often and we are sharing the caregiving. I am so blessed to have 3 sisters and a brother! My brother and his wife help too when they are able, but the farm and creamery keep them very busy.

My sister, Vivian, and her husband, Mike, spent Christmas with Mom this year, so that I could be with my NC kids and grands. It has been a joyous Christmas. There was no uneasy feeling that I was here having a great time and Mike was stuck in a facility. Yes, I thought about him and how he would have loved to hear Keegan reading the passage from Luke 2 as the girls acted out the story with the nativity figurines and he would have enjoyed being part of the loud gatherings around delicious food, but it was with a distinct feeling of gratitude, peace, and lightness that Mike is free from his earthly bonds. 

Light - I've said this in differing ways in the above paragraphs. I love light. Like a fly trapped in a room, I am drawn to light. Light as in brightness and light as the opposite of heaviness. One of my favorite Christmas decorations is lights. Lights on the tree, lights in the window, lights on houses, on mantles, stair railings, etc. Those lights chase away the darkness and are a symbol of Jesus, The Light of the world. Even if you are very familiar with the below verses, please take the time to slowly read and absorb what is said.

John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. 

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 12:45-46

And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, 

so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

As you can see from the above verses, we have a choice to choose light or choose darkness. Choose Jesus or choose our own way which is choosing the darkness or, in other words, going against God. We are either for Him or against Him. There is light and there is darkness. I have chosen Jesus, the Light. What about you? 

We continue to study the book of Revelation on Sunday mornings. What an amazing book! Over and over again God gives second chances to the nations to come to know Him, and over and over again they reject Him and curse Him choosing the darkness rather than the light. Don't be like that! Charles Spurgeon said: "Jesus uses our trials to wean us from earth and woo us to heaven." This life can be hard, I know. It shows how little control we have in this fallen world. My prayer is that each of you will be counted among those who stand firm for Jesus, because also over and over again in Revelation it assures those who believe Jesus is God's son and stay strong will be victorious. No matter what we may have to endure here on this earth, even if we are martyred for His name, ultimately, we will be with Jesus who is already the victor having conquered death and the grave through His crucifixion and resurrection.  

Revelation is so encouraging to the Christian, but gives many warnings to those who continue to reject God's Son. This life is temporary, the life after death is forever and will be spent either with God who loves us and wants to give us joy forever or with Satan who only desires to torment forever. Please don't ignore or delay. None of us knows when our days here will be cut short. What we are sure of is that we will all die a physical death. My prayer is that you die believing in Jesus.

This may seem like a heavy message to you, and it is if you don't know Christ Jesus. My heart is heavy for those I know and love who continue to go their own way and reject Him. I pray that you will yield to the still small voice of His Holy Spirit wooing you. The promises of God are the reason I can have such peace knowing that Mike is no longer suffering, but rejoicing because He is whole and with his Savior, Jesus Christ, The Light of the World, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Revelation 21:23

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, 

for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.