This week we enjoyed a front row seat to the solar eclipse. It did get a bit dark, but not pitch black (like this pic) as we are slightly outside the path for best viewing. Still, we did watch with our special glasses. Cole took some pictures. He was home alone for most of it.... I'm sure you have all seen pictures and videos by now, so if this is not your cup of tea, feel free to scroll down for the Build Out info.
 |
| WITHOUT the special glasses |
Our pets seemed completely unfazed...
 |
| Brie chillaxing |
 |
| Perdy hunting bees |
Sadly, Keaton and I missed the full eclipse as he had a dentist appointment. (We are planning his wisdom teeth extraction...) Bummer for us. We got a cool x-ray of his teeth instead.
Later in the week, Cole and I served at a Habitat for Humanity build. Our church was one of the sponsors for this build. We've never done one of these before. Great experience! The Executive Director for Habitat here was on site checking in volunteers. I kept thinking, "Hmm. She looks VERY familiar..." So I asked, "What is your maiden name?" and then it popped into my head and we both said her maiden name at the same time. She was laughing, and said, "How do I know you?" Turns out she is a couple of years older than me, but we were at the same high school for one year together. I know I had a class with her, but I can't recall which one. Maybe it will come to me. That was a lonnnnnng time ago. haha!
Cole was pretty impressed. And he finds it comical on 2 levels: 1) That everywhere we go, there is someone I recognize. Thing is I've lived in this town for more than half my life. He just knows about the years I lived in WA, and 2) As the Executive Director continued to chat with me over the course of the afternoon, she told me she has her own a consulting firm and she ended up asking me for my contact information as she plans to refer a bookkeeping client to me. Cole said, "So interesting! THAT's how you get new clients from random people." Networking.
I did not take a photo of this, but at the very beginning of our time on the job site, a lady handed us each a huge permanent marker. "For writing notes on the walls inside," she said. We walked into the roughed out interior of this house and saw scriptures and blessings all over the place. On the studs. On the plywood. All of those words, sweetly given by volunteers, will be holding up this home forevermore. Cole and I each picked a scripture and wrote it in.
Our actual contribution was painting the soffits. Well, the 1st coat, anyway. They will do another coat. Cole was tall enough to reach the soffits WITHOUT a ladder. I had to use a stepstool.
So here's a sweet story of how we came into this scene. You have to know, I pray for my boys (daily) that they will grow up to be productive members of society. That I have not screwed them up too badly homeschooling them, trying hard (as a single woman) to teach them to be decent, Christ-loving men, then moving 2000 miles from their comfort zone in their high school years, and every other small transgression in parenting that I regret and recall vividly (like almost losing them at a hotel when they were small!) I just have to say: God does answer prayer. In His way. In His time.
Cole came to me one day last week with furrowed brow. When I asked what was wrong, he said he felt like he wasn't doing enough to spread the Gospel. That if he didn't overtly try to reach out to non-churched people that he might not get into heaven. Whoa! He was feeling convicted. I told him I felt the same way at his age. Seriously, I did. But I've come to realize that it's not about what you DO, it's about GRACE. (Thank goodness!) Still, that conviction he feels to serve others or help others see Jesus, that is legit. I explained there are lots of ways to reach others for Jesus. Like how we volunteer our time taking care of the elderly couple's lawn each week. This frees them up to do their mission work in Africa. We are one cog in the missions wheel. There are also numerous ways we can serve others in this town and I suggested he look into this service project sponsored by our church. I explained, promised actually, that once you find a way to serve, that angst you feel *the conviction* will be replaced with peace. I know this is true! Several of my adult friends and I learned this when we served in Mexico or with the Love Your Neighbor group we started at our old church. It just strengthens your faith. Later that day, he came to me and said he signed up for the Habitat build. So I signed up too. We only stayed a few hours, but it was really amazing to share this experience with him and I think we'll probably do it again.
 |
| turkey vulture in our neighborhood |
I'm learning in my new Bible study group that I seriously need to take every thought captive. All of that negative self-talk I do, it really hurts God. I do not want to grieve Him. God made me a wondrous creation. He loves me and will take care of me (and my children).
Matthew 6:26-30 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?"
