Cast of charaters

I feel I must better introduce them than just being mentioned in a sidebar. So, if you would indulge me...

I have earlier introduced you to my daughter's, June, July, and Autumn and why their names. Here is an explanation of the rest.

Superman- cause he likes Superman.
Wee man-cause that is what June calls him. He is by the way, the most perfect of grandsons.

Jean Luc, as in Picard; can you guess why?

Naval-cause he is in the navy and Truck never calls people by their real names.

Czarina- is the result of a Thanksgiving family talent. She had the whole persona down to a T.
Clapboard- because he make movies.
Moviegirl-cause she is oft times in his movies.

Ludwig- because he has his Doctorate in music.
Miss Prim- she is a primitive portrait artist.
Sir Newton- he is a science whiz.
Houdini- he is an assistant to a magician.

Eliza Jane- she is a school teacher.
Troubadour- he is always singing.
Rose-her middle name.
New Boy-that what my grandma always called new grandson in-laws.
Alyssum- her middle name.
Torch-my welding buddy

Treasure-the best and most loved cousin in the world

John Wayne- cause...
Snapshot- she is a photographer.

So, there you have it. Important people in my life and posts. Let the play begin!

Shutterbug

I made an impromptu visit to my folks, Truck (name given to him by a grandchild years ago and it stuck), and Dame Judi ( given by a sibling on her blog, and it stuck). One way to get to their house is a back country road. It is really pretty. There where several stands of Fireweed or Rose Bay Willow,whichever you prefer. I wanted to stop and take a picture, but this road has no shoulder to it, so I was unable to stop. I was in a mood to snap a pix or two.



Once at my folks, I chatted with Truck, interrupting his game of solitaire on the computer. Then, he went back to work and Dame Judi and I chatted. Shortly after leaving Truck come back home as they needed to go to town, with an offer of the best burger ever, I went and had lunch with them. Most of the conversation , in between the continual napkin usage, was of High School chums and reunions. My is next weekend. 30 years. I don't know who felt older, me or my parents. But I digress. Before we left for lunch, I managed to take a few quick photos of my mom's garden.



She is a wonderful gardener. She really has a green thumb. I always love being in her gardens. I even inherited a garden she started once. It was at a parsonage. My dad pastored the church for a couple years and then about 3 years later my husband ended up pastoring the same church. Dame Judi had created a most wonderful garden there from nothing. I reaped the benefits of her hard labor. It was a grand garden!



The garden she has now is wonderful as well. A row of lavender line both sides of her walkway to the house. Tall, soft colored hollyhocks great you at the front door. And then there is the back yard. A place of true respite and repose. Whenever I come to her house, after the usual tribal hugs, I always exit through the kitchen, peer through the back window and then find myself wandering the pathways. Sniffing roses and sweet peas, picking red currants of the bushes, brushing my hand across more lavender. My new favorite is walking on the cocoa husks she has edging some raised beds. Oh the fragrance! When it is warm out, and barefoot, as I always am, the husks leave chocolaty spots on my feet. Makes me want to lick them clean. Sorry, but there it is.



I have missed not gardening this summer. I am grateful there is still some summer left. In 4 short days, I move into my new home. The gal who has lived there is a gardener. The yard is wonderful already. There won't be much for me to do this year, but oh, just to get some dirt under my fingernails.

'Computer haking skills...'

Unlike Napoleon Dynamite, I don't have that skill, nor do I particularly want it.

As I now have to become the bread winner of the home, I am finding skills are a good thing. I have been blessed with the fact that I was able to stay home with my girls for the past 27 1/2 years, being a wife and homemaker for my Prince. But now that my Prince is in the presence of the King of kings, the task of supplying an income is up to me.

Granted, I am not an unintelligent woman, there are things I can do, just not things required by the worlds standards. So, I was thinking how my resume would look.

Please list your skills and years of experience applicable to this job:

wife- 27 1/2 years
homemaker- ( laundry, dishes, general cleaning, basic plumbing, basic carpentry, shopping) 27 1/2 years
chef and baker- 27 1/2 years
decorator- 27 1/2 years
mother- 27 years (I know the calculations look suspicious. June just turned 27, my anniversary in July would have been our 28th year. Just wanted to clarify. Okay, read on)
home school teacher- 13 years
gardener- 27 1/2 years
Sunday school teacher- off and on over 25 years
VBS leader- off and on over 25 years

So, you get my drift. The question now for me is, going to school to get a 'real' skill or not. The answer is, very one sided. Yep, I get to go to school. Ugh! This is not something I look forward to at all. The second question is: to get what skill? I haven't a clue, and when I think of it for too long, I can get very overwhelmed, my stomach gets cold, I feel a heaviness, and I usually end up in tears.

I was reminded today, I have nothing to fear, nothing at all. "The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf...the Lord your God carried you...to show you the way in which you should go." Deuteronomy 1:30-33. Granted, Moses was talking to the children of Israel, about their wilderness experience and being bought into the promise land, but is not the principle of belief and trust the same for us today? Unfortunately, they didn't believe in God's promise, many would not see the land of milk an honey, simply because of unbelief in a good and loving God. They saw the miracles He gave them, from the plaques of Egypt to fire by night and cloud by day. Yet, they choose to send men into the land God told them was theirs to possess. The report was 'it is a good land', but they feared the inhabitants. God said He would fight for them, but they went ahead and did their own thing. The consequences of their disobedience and disbelief was they were chase like bees, and crushed.

God has faithfully, lovingly and with much blessing walk me through this wilderness of grief I am in. I have seen His hand work in ways that have been amazing. What is a job to Him? College? No problem, that is, if I believe my God to continue to be the God His word promises He is.

A trodden path, of richness, goodness and blessing. It truly is one trusting step at a time.

Simple Technology

No, I don't think there is such a thing. At least not for one such as I. I like simple, I often sign letters, remember them, Simply, Julia. I have a ceramic wall plaque made by a friend of mine, that says 'simplify, simplify, simplify'. I have a friend that refers to the KISS principle, 'keep it simple stupid'. Simple is good. It really is my mantra.

I am trying to get use to all the technology in my life. I don't know that I am doing well. I still have to ask Autumn how to use my cell phone. 'What is that symbol?', 'how do I...'. She also is my personal computer geek. She doesn't care for that title, but there it is. I home schooled my girls, how did she learn how to work a computer as she can, since she didn't learn it at home? It is just because she has much younger brain cells than I do?

So, if I like simple why on earth have I created a Facebook account? To be truthful, it was a moment of weakness, while bored. Bad combination. So, now I am trying to figure that out, what it all means. Yep, you guess it, this is where Autumn comes in, once again. I don't know how long I will last on Facebook, it makes my head spin. To much going on. It isn't... simple enough for me.

This morning in my devotions, in Matthew 28, there is the verse where Mary Magdalene and 'the other' Mary, took hold of Jesus' feet and worshipped Him. That is simplicity at its best! How have we in the church gotten so far away from simple, humble, pure worship. Why do we need whinny guitars, flashing lights, smoke and drum solos. These are fine if I am going to a performance of some kind. Worship is to be about Jesus, giving Him the praise worthy of Him. It isn't for me to make me feel good, it is to turn my focus on Him, to cause me to have my heart broken . Today, I was reminded simple for me gives me peace and calm. Simple worship doesn't make my head spin. I don't have to ask Autumn for help. It is just me, taking hold of Jesus' feet, on my face, worshiping the King of King.

An amazing task today. I signed for my new house this morning. It went very smoothly and very quickly, as I had no bank to deal with on my side of the business. 5 minutes and I was done. Kind of made my head spin as I was prepared for 57 pages of initialing as when we bought the house in Oregon. I was done before my realtor, whose office is next door, could get there.

After I left the title company, I went to transfer the electricity to my name and to have the other city utilities taken care of. No problem there. Then, I went an got a celebratory iced coffee and went and drove up to my new house. As I was driving, a wave of emotion hit. Last time I signed it was with my Hubby, this time it was just me. I felt very alone in the moment. I cried all the way home, hoping no one else would be there. They were. So I stayed and cried in my car. I had missed a call from my middle daughter, (who will from here on out be referred to as July, the month of her birth), so I called her back. I cried on the phone to her, she was very sweet. Once I got my self together we had a short chat. I do love my girls.

Later my youngest daughter, (who will from here on out be referred to as Autumn, as she was born in October, but that doesn't sound very feminine), My Mom, sister, BIL, and niece and nephew went had to a little hole-in-the-wall, BBQ joint. It was good, but still misses the mark of real southern BBQ. The only two things I miss about living in the South is the afore mentioned BBQ and the Fireflies. They can have the heat, humidity, poisonous snakes, large nasty bugs, tornadoes and flash floods!

I am anxious to move into my new home, which will be next week. I am ready to make it my own. We, Autumn and I have been staying with my younger sis and her family, during this transition, they have been marvelous, it has been very easy, but I do look forward to my own place, own things and own space. It will be good.

New journey

Actually, I have been on a new journey since Dec.14 of '08, when my wonderful husband of 27 1/2 years passed away. Every aspect of my life changed in that moment. Things have not been the same since. My best friend was no longer at my side, my provider, protector, spiritual head, all gone in one breathe, literally.

I have had to learn so much. Dale took good care of me and the girls. We did everything together, accept golf. I have had to do all the things he did, other then pastor, as well as what I had always done. I don't like it most days. I still get overwhelmed, like having to get a new auto insurance policy. Ugh! I don't like talking on the phone, and then to add business to that!

Yet, Dale prepared me in ways I didn't even know he had. I am finding that as much as I don't like doing certian things, I realize I can do them. I know, it sounds so old-fashioned. I liked it that way.

Tomorrow, I sign on my new house. I am excited, as I look forward to getting settled, my own things about me, yet it feels so odd to be doing this without Dale. It is still hard sometimes to wrap my brain around the fact he is really gone. Only my signature will be on the papers, I will be wholly responsible for this house. When the plumbing goes wankie, when its time to get more firewood, when a window breaks... its all mine.

The emotions at times like this are hard to make sense of. Joy, saddness, even betrayal, as if I am leaving Dale out of the process, like I said we always did everything together.

A new house, a new beginning, a new bend in the road. I am grateful that the Lord has trodden this path before me. He has proven He is trustworthy. He is faithful. He is a God of blessing.

In my new favorite song at the moment, the words really speak to me, as if I wrote them myself:

Still, my soul, be still and do not fear though winds of change may rage tomorrow.
God, is at your side; no longer dread the fires of unexpected sorrow.

God, You are my God, and I will trust in You and not be shaken.
Lord of peace, renew a steadfast spirit within me to rest in You alone.

Still, my soul be still, do not be moved by lesser lights and fleeting shadows.
Hold on to his ways, with shield of faith against temptation's flaming shadows.

Still, my soul, be still; do not forsake the truth you learned in the beginning.
Wait upon the Lord, and hope will rise as stars apprear when day is dimming.
(Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend)

I need not fear this trodden path.