Changes in circumstances are inevitable. Our reactions reveal our hearts. The company  where my husband has worked for the past 29 years is in a labor dispute with his union. That means no work for him and 2200 other guys. I’m ticked for many reasons. His being “owned” by the company as he worked insane amounts of forced overtime and virtually every holiday with zero sick days are just a few reasons why I think management should be as loyal to these men and women as they have been to the company. But, it is out of our hands and in the hands of God. As is everything. Nothing is owed. Nothing is promised in this world.

So, I am leaning on few of God’s promises. They hold much more water than those of men.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm23:1

 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:19-24

We will be fine. There are other jobs. I am looking forward to what the future holds. God is teaching us valuable lessons through this. I have reconnected with my even-more-frugal self, my kids are learning the value of a dollar to a greater degree, and I am able to see where we are wasteful in our spending and tweaking it as necessary. Yes, I will be picking up some hours cleaning and babysitting to pitch in, and leaning on our kids to help me around here a little more. But that’s ok, too.

All in all, not that big a deal. Certainly not as devastating as a bad medical diagnosis or the death of a loved one. This world is temporary. And so are the trials. I am resting on that truth today, and praying for peace every morning as we journey through.

 God bless our steelworkers and their families, and may a peaceful solution be the end result.

Those of you who know me, know I go on and on about how much I love camping, but please indulge me again. Another couple of days at one of PA’s lovely state parks has produced another chapter of memories. I cherish these moments with my kids, maybe because having my oldest two turn 24 and 25 this year has made me wistfully aware of how quickly they grow up.

 For 2 ½ days NO ONE was hypnotized by the glow of a screen , including me! I must admit, I was a little panicked to learn that there was NO cell signal, not even 1X! OMG, whatever will I do?! I became keenly aware of how dependent I am on my window to the word I call my phone. But a quick trip 2 miles out of the forest allowed me an “in case of emergency” text to my peeps.( Note to self: shoot that text out before losing service and chill the heck out!)

Once set up and settled, we proceeded to ride bikes, eat, swim, eat some more, hike and of course, fish. The river at camp and its tributaries failed to produce adequate results, so up the river we traveled. We had a fantastic day of wading in the river and fishing. We found a fishing pond for the kids where they found the most success. Dad looked on and offered help with snags and the inevitable swallowed hook. Cameras captured the excitement of the catches as the parents commended the successes. No one looked at watches or phones to check the time. No one rushed. Peace and serenity abounded.

My most treasured minutes were those spent outside with my morning coffee reading God’s Word. I even took an opportunity to have a moment of teaching with my kids and husband to start our first day there. As usual, God gave me the perfect scripture to share with each of them.  Nowhere do I experience God’s beauty like this. The days full of activity ended with star gazing, mountain pies and s’mores. The meteor shower was a bonus!

So we’re home again. I vow to remember….. The sweetness of conversation without that annoying glance to the device, the “just a minute, I’m almost done,” the freedom to hop on my bike or take a walk with my kids, the deliberate slowing down and taking it all in. I promise to be aware of the times I make my kids hurry up and wait and to be more patient. Why do I need a geographical change to have a change in attitude? I pray I can keep a peaceful state of mind here at home until next time when I can escape to my happy place…the woods. It can’t come soon enough!

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”--

 So, how excited am I about the beauty of heaven?! Talk about a happy place! I doubt I’ll miss my phone ;)

I set small goals for myself weekly. They usually involve keeping my anxiety under control, eating healthier and moving, as in some form of exercise. I’ve nearly eliminated caffeine from my diet.(yay,me!) ,I started walking in the evening when possible, and I am paying more attention to the number of times I pop random pieces of candy and snacks into my mouth that my kids leave lying around! While I am making progress, yesterday saw it’s share of debacles in most of these areas. My walk was too short and my snacking was over the top. My stress level was peaking by 5pm so consequently…..

I lost it with my kids. Yep, I took an all out hissy fit over a mess they made in the living room. I was furious, and I didn’t hide it. It wasn’t pretty. Once I got a grip on my meltdown, we cleaned up the disaster area together and all was well; except that I had hurt them with my words. So we talked. I explained that while I had every right to be upset, my approach was all wrong. I asked them to forgive me and during our bedtime prayers I asked God to forgive me, too. I used this not so proud moment to show them how God’s merciful grace covers our shortcomings-mine and theirs.

I’m so grateful for forgiveness and grace.

No doubt I will lose my temper again. And no doubt, the God of mercy will forgive me, and so will my kids. I pray that when they have mess making, crazy causing, rambunctious rug rats of their own that they will remember what I taught them about failing and forgiveness, messes and mercy, and God and grace.

 Lamentations 3:20-24 says

I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

So today I ponder yesterday’s chaos, not to feel condemned but to feel gratitude for another day to try and get it right. I pray for patience and discernment as I try to prepare these littles to launch into capable adulthood, complete with lessons of the sweet love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

His mercies are new every morning! Thanks be to God!