It is time for me to write a blog post, and yet I find myself blank. Empty. Without a single flash of inspiration.
I wish instead that you and I could sit down for a cozy chat in our cabin while my children were in bed for quiet time. I would have a mug of my favorite hot drink – a caramel flavored latte, while you might have tea, or vanilla chai, or a latte as you preferred.
We’d sit on the chipped white chairs around the table, and I’d set a cupcake on a plate in front of you, moving it just slightly to the left to hide that mustard stain on the tablecloth.
“How are your children?” I’d ask, and we would launch into a conversation about all the funny things they had done lately. I would tell you how I’ve been noticing such a difference in my two girls lately. Jasmine has always been a tomboy and preferred playing with a fishing rod or competing with Gabe to shoot a nerf gun or pound nails with a hammer. But the older Ariel gets, the more she loves carrying a doll around and rocking it. Or dressing up in hats and clothes she can pull out of the other children’s bins.
You’d remark about how spring is coming, and I’d say how nice it is that it is getting light so much earlier now, and when we leave for church at 8:30 we have light for most of the drive!
“Other than more light, it does seem as though winter will last a long, long time.” I might say. “There is 15 inches of snow (at least) in the meadow, and it’s been snowing a couple more inches each day for the past several days.”
We would lapse into silence for a bit, each sipping from our mug and thinking.
“Have you applied for the PFD yet?” you might ask.
“I just did that today!” I would respond. “It sure is nice to get that money from the tax on the oil sales since Alaska has a higher cost of living. Last year we used it to stock up on some bulk groceries to help out the budget.”
The clock above the refrigerator would tick as we sat, savoring the silence and cleanliness of the cabin with all the little people reading books in bed.
Then I would ask, “Have you been spending time with Jesus lately?”
And you might respond, “I have! I’ve been making it a point to get up half an hour before the children do and make myself not start on breakfast until I’ve read my Bible and spent some time in His presence. It has made such a difference in my attitude the past couple weeks!”
“Yes!” I’d agree. “I’ve been finding the same to be true in my life! I’ve also been putting off breakfast even longer and cuddling my little ones when they first wake up. It makes a big difference in THEIR attitudes. Almost like my connection with Jesus helps my day go well, and my children starting off the day feeling connected to me helps them have a better day and not be so grumpy or needy.”
“What a beautiful parallel. I find there are so many lessons in my children that point me to God.”
You would scoot back your chair then, and take your mug to the sink for a quick rinse. We would say goodbye and you would slip on your boots and coat before heading out into the snowy Alaskan weather.
“Be careful on the roads!” I would call, waving. “Thank you for the lovely chat!”
This is what I imagine it would be like to visit with you, and definitely how I would prefer it. But since many of you do not live close enough to come over for coffee, please leave a note about what is happening in your life in the comments. That way the conversation won’t feel so entirely one-sided.
I am sitting here on a quiet Sunday morning. Our church service (second) doesn’t start until 11:00 but my two boys (18 & 23) are leaving in a few minutes to work in the coffee shop for the first service. I will enjoy the quiet solitude for a few hours.
We are having beautiful 70°+ weather in Phoenix. It is hard to imagine living in the cold and snow that is almost everywhere else across the country! My heart goes out to Texas, especially! I dream about coming to Alaska sometime, but not in the winter!
We have had a challenging few months, adjusting to life without my Dad, who passed away a few days after Thanksgiving, from COVID complications. We miss him so much! I am so thankful we were able to move close to them 4 years ago, and are now nearby for my mom. Last weekend I went with her to Colorado to spend the weekend with my brother and his family, so her first Valentine’s Day alone wouldn’t be quite so hard. It was an unusual, bitterly cold, weekend and made us extra thankful for our mild winters!
I enjoy reading your posts. I’m not sure I could do an Alaskan winter, but I would love the lifestyle! Blessings to you!
Sipping my morning coffee here.. fixing to read my Bible… Some thoughts that came across my mind as I dressed for the day..
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and his righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame….( the sweetest frame- my husband, my children, the church, finances, my strength, my health, friends… the sweetest frame)…. but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ , THE SOLID ROCK, I stand . All other ground ( my husband, my children, the church, finances, my strength, my health, friends) is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand..
Winter is still here in sw ga, but I need to get my potatoes planted . The sweet peas are coming up nicely.
School is in full swing but looking forward to winding down by May.
The girls and I have been doing projects for a fundraiser- a family we know who are trying to adopt 3 special needs boys from over seas. Yesterday, Grace and i made soap. And I worked at sewing some coin purses . We are hoping to have an online auction to help this family w their adoption costs.
Would love to sip coffee and visit in your kitchen sometime!
Right now I am sitting in the hospital waiting to see my sister. She just had hernia surgery. You see she is the oldest in our family of six and she is mildly retarded. My Dad died in 1992 & Mom in 1999. Ever since then my siblings and I are taking care of Eleanor. She lives with us for 2 months, then moves to the next one. It can be a real trial living with her as she is very nosy and likes to know our business. So we don’t have much privacy when she is with us. Hoping she doesn’t have to much pain!
Today we broke 5″-thick ice in the swimming pool to get water to flush toilets. Our water’s been turned off since yesterday. Today I washed clothes at a friend’s house and got a shower, so now I feel like a human being again. We still have electricity, a wood stove, and gas heat if necessary, so unlike many others in TX, we are not cold, just a bit unwashed.
That said, I really hope the water comes back on asap. You take it for granted until it’s gone.
Have a lovely day!
I’ve heard a lot of heartbreaking stories from Texas. I’m glad you’re doing all right!
Will you homeschool? We are getting ready to send our child to “spring kindergarten.” A first for us.
How do you celebrate birthdays? Next month we celebrate our first birthday for the year. We will likely have a shaped decorated cake and a birthday gift for the birthday boy.
How do you get a little girl to play with her doll? Mine show little interest. Maybe she will when she gets older? Or some have it more then others……
My “words for the year” are faith and trust. Do you have a word? Or any favourite Bible verses with the word faith or trust in it?
I am taking Gabe and Jasmine through kindergarten together this year. It keeps them occupied and they are doing well!
Jasmine didn’t play much with dolls until she was older, but Ariel has loved them from the start. I think every girl is different.
I loved your analogy between our relationship with God and our children’s relationships with us. I really enjoyed watching how you and Andy related to your children when Betty Joy and I were up to visit. This stage of life for you certainly is snuggle time with them!! I often have thought about Alaska since we visited, and would love to go there again. Not sure if finances will ever allow it though!
God richly bless you as you continue to parent and be a light there in your community! Blessings, too, as you consider relocating.
Dale Stoltzfus
Thank you for the encouragement Dale! We’re looking forward to the move, but also dreading building another house a little bit!
This morning the sun had not yet risen when the children got up and Ian said, “There’s a sunset!”
“It’s a sunrise,” I told him.
“But there’s pretty cooloors,” he disagreed.
” There are pretty colors in the sunrise too,” I told him.
“But the cooloors ARE the sunset!” he insisted.
The sun rose and it was so much farther north than I expected and so bright.
At the breakfast table, Lucia looked out the window. “Mama, it looks like we’ll have rain or snow soon, cause there are um. . .Cirrus clouds,” she said. She has noticed that frequently after I told them about that in school a few times. She is right. We are supposed to get inches of snow tomorrow.
Eliana is cutting out doll clothes with Grandma, and asking her questions about her parents and background. “Grandma, do you have any Amish background?” They end up telling stories about ancestors.
We are getting ready for spring too. I’m excited about starting some mushroom logs this spring and I want to go scout out Dad’s fencerow for suitable logs, since they’ll have to cut them down for the power line anyway.
Wish we could actually visit for real!
How lovely to hear about your life, Julie! I’m impressed that Lucia knows about Cirrus clouds and points them out. Like Ian, several of my kiddos get the sunrise/sunset mixed up.
You’ll have to keep me updated on how the mushrooms grow.