Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Kitchen Update

Dear Friends,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!

Our son is back at school, so I am working on the kitchen redecorating project by myself, stilling going slowly to baby my sore arm.  This morning the spring sunshine beamed down on me through the window as I painted the window sill and I thought I was in heaven!

Thank you God for the joy of spring!

Love, Sue

Monday, April 11, 2011

Sabbath Rest

Dear Friends,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!

During church yesterday my arm was talking to me, so I decided to go to the woods for a walk in the afternoon instead of painting the kitchen.  My husband went with me and we took our puppy who bounded around taking flying leaps of joy to celebrate his freedom and the love of being a dog in the woods.  The wildflowers are coming up, but not blossoming yet.  We saw deer and signs of coyotes.  The streams are flowing and everything is moist.  It was all very wonderful.

Today is Monday and it's time to get back to work on my kitchen project.  My arm is still sore, so I am pacing myself, but my soul is refreshed from my Sabbath rest.

Love, Sue

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Redecorating the Kitchen

Dear Friends,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!

On April 4, 1993 I married my best friend and moved into his dump, I mean house. I went from room to room redecorating and remodeling, but that was 18 years ago and nature has begun to take over again, so I decided to redecorate the kitchen. Our 15 year old son is helping me to try to give this space a fresh look with a minuscule budget. In the basement I found a 5 gallon tub of white barn paint and we are re coating almost every surface in the kitchen with it, including the ceiling, counter tops, refrigerator, microwave, cupboards, trim and of course the walls. I was tempted to paint the linoleum, but stopped myself just in the nick of time. We are about 2/3rds of the way done and I cannot believe how much better it looks!

But the best part is that our son and I remained harmonious so far throughout the project. I was sorely tempted to spout off a few times, but put myself in time out to repeat the Lord's Prayer until I got past my cantankerous mood. I like thinking about our time together as a play date between two kids who are playing house and making happy memories along the way. We took photos and have been getting lots of rest during our breaks so that our tempers remain calm. We considered wallpapering together, but then a better idea came into my mind. Painting together is much more likely to end in a peaceful outcome.

Love, Sue

Monday, April 4, 2011

Niece's Ex-fiance

Dear Loved Ones,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!

For April Fool's Day my niece's boyfriend posted on facebook that they were engaged without telling my niece. She received calls from all over the country congratulating her on their engagement! Now my niece is referring to her boyfriend as her "ex-fiance!" It's all in good fun, they are still madly in love. Young love is refreshing!

Love, Sue

Monday, March 21, 2011

Garden of Gethsemane

Dear Loved Ones,

God bless you, your family and friends and your ministries today!

All of my life people have pointed out to me that I'm "way too sensitive!" I constantly work on this foible of mine yet I still hear those words, so when I noticed that even Jesus got hurt feelings when his best buddies fell asleep on him when he needed them the most, I took heart. Christ set the perfect example of how to handle the hurt by forgiving them. Thank you Jesus!

Love, Sue

Monday, March 14, 2011

Painting Prayers

Dear Friends,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!

We went to see our high school production of "Les Miserables" this weekend and I found myself being profoundly moved by the line, "To love another person is to look into the face of God." How true!

Love, Sue

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lost in Time in the Library

Dear Friends,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!

Yesterday I was supposed to meet a friend at a certain time to go to a meeting together and I had extra time, so I hung out in the library. I lost track of time and got to the meeting just before it ended! My friend was very forgiving thankfully!

It took me back to my childhood in the 2nd grade when I went to the library after school to browse. I remember having such a lovely time with the books. But my pleasure turned to horror when I left and realized I had missed the bus! I tearfully went to the office for help.

My mom didn't have a car, so the neighbor lady picked me up from school. It was totally embarassing and I never missed the bus again.

I still love browsing books in the library as much as I did in 2nd grade and I haven't lost track of time like that in a long time. There is something wonderful about being so engrossed that time flies by without a trace.

Love, Sue