When you need a little more patience....

This past weekend we took a family get away to an indoor water park.  It is always a wonderful time, but very tiring.  We had several meals together, spent some time in the evening playing games and then raced around with the kids at the water park for the rest of the time.

I just looked back and we have gone to this park every year since 2011 - except for 2014 when Anna was born in January!  So this was our fifth trip to this park.  We only spend one night there, but that gives us time to swim both on the day we arrive and the next day.  So we get two days in the water.  And with little ones, that is quite enough.  Each of the rooms is actually a one bedroom or two bedroom suite with a full kitchen, so it is really perfect with little kids.  As usual, being with my grown up children and my grandchildren is always an interesting adventure.  When I was journaling today about this time, I noted some things that might seem like really small things at first glance.  But really, they pack a punch.  This was a big trip for Lia, who actually went on every activity in the park this year!  She did the "body slide" all by herself more than once.  And she tackled the "Ropes" course over the water. This represented many years of patience on the part of the grown ups who had wanted her to be ready to try these activities before she was actually ready for them.   Anna needed US to be patient as she discovered that the slide in the toddler area was actually very fun.  Once we let her get used to the idea, she warmed up and let us hold her hand on the first few slides.  By the third time, she was off.  And for the next many hours, Anna ran from the bottom of the slide to the steps and back down that slide.  Over and over. Zeke had to be a bit more patient since you have to be six to go into the hot tub and sadly he is only 5 this year!   Yes, patience.  Not easy but necessary.  A good time was had by all, in any case. 

So today I made my weekly trip to Walmart for groceries.  Always an interesting experience, but today was especially challenging.  I only needed about 1/2 a cart of stuff, so I wrongly believed that I could be in and out quickly.  I really wasn't in any time crunch, but the weather is nasty (rainy and VERY windy) so I just wanted to get home!  As I approached the check out lines, I noticed a man with one item.  So I told him to go ahead of me.  The women in front of me also let him jump ahead.  Still should not have been that long of a check out.  Little did I know what was to come.   Let me just stop right here and say, in total truth telling, that I have actually been journaling about NOT always being rushed and taking time to breathe.  So I saw this as a good opportunity to do just that!  Well, there were all kinds of problems with the women in front of me actually completing her order.  There was a coupon issue.  There was an issue with an item not matching a coupon.  There was a problem with the register.  There was a problem getting a supervisor to the register to fix one of the other problems!  As the time ticked away, I found myself getting more and more anxious.  So, I stopped and took some more deep breaths and turned to the person waiting behind me (with a very full cart of groceries)!  He was actually the fifth or sixth person to get in my line.  The others had all assessed the situation and gone to another aisle! Smart! He had already unloaded some of his items onto the belt by the time I turned to him.  We had a nice chat about our very unusual weather (50 degrees in January and 60 mile an hour wind gusts).  We talked about some produce items.  And he mentioned that his wife was on maternity leave for another 3 weeks.  That led to a nice conversation about his newborn son.  By this time, I was feeling more patient.  Even though it had been 45 minutes since I entered the check out line, I was quite relaxed.  Happy to be leaving, but also calm.  

Yes, I believe that will be one of my goals for 2017.  I will breathe and be in the moment rather than let things get me angry.  The result of that anger is usually fear and fear is never good.  I really liked that I actually felt good when I got home, in spite of a really unfortunate experience at Walmart.  This patience thing is not easy.  But in the end, it is so worth it.   

I was thinking about this scene from the movie Evan Almighty.  If you click on the link you will see a great scene and also words about patience.  Yes, it might actually be an answer for me!  If you want to be more patient, won't God give you situations in which you have to be patient?  Yes, I think this is the case.  Tonight I am so thankful for this past weekend and then this situation today.  What a great reminder for all of us!

Jesus, thank you for giving me a direction for 2017 to become more patient.  Thank you for family times and laughter and fun.  Thank you for kind people at Walmart and friendly conversations.  Give us all reminders to take a step back and breathe when we are faced with trying situations.  And thank you Jesus for warm weather in January.  Amen

Started the day feeling a bit uneasy but ended the day in peace!

Since we were visiting Ken's sisters I have been doing a lot of thinking about my siblings.  This picture is from 1973.  It is one of the few pictures of us together like this. I really miss my birth family.  During the last years that my mom was alive, I visited her in Minnesota at least 3 times a year.  And during those visits I usually saw both of my sisters and one of my brothers.  After my sister Karen died in 2007 and we sort of lost touch with her family, my mom often spoke about her fear that we would all lose touch and never see each other after she was gone.   Unfortunately, that has proven to be true.  I keep in pretty close touch with my sister Julie.  We talk fairly often.  And Julie was actually here for her granddaughter's college graduation last year.  Since this has come up, I know that this is something that I need to be thinking about some more. And I will be considering what I might need to do to change this situation!

I was thinking about that high school time for other reasons also.   Today I spent some time applying for some part time jobs.  I was thinking back on other times when I have been job hunting.  Quite honestly, I have been working most of my life.  I started babysitting when I was 13 and in 8th grade.  I had several regular clients and spent most weekends sitting.  I was earning $.50 an hour.  And that was good money.  When I turned 15 I was offered a job at the IGA grocery store.  I never actually applied, the manager just stopped me in the store and asked if I wanted a job.  My brother had been working there, so they knew my family.  By the time I was 17, I had gotten a job working at the Walgreens.  They had just started being open until midnight and I wanted more hours.  For a college kid, this sounded really good.  After some time off when I had been sick with mono, I happened to see an ad in the local paper for a full time secretarial job in the Industrial Park.  I called, got an interview, and was hired on the spot.  I worked at that job for 5 years.  The only reason I left that job was because Ken and I bought our house.  While we were applying for our mortgage, the loan officer offered me a job as a loan processor (making almost twice what I had been making).  I spent 15 years working in mortgage banking, taking just a bit of time off when my kids were born.

Quite honestly, I have not really applied for many jobs.....that is until this year.  It seems that I have sent out lots of applications and have not gotten any calls.  I have also applied in person for several jobs, and so far, have not gotten an interview.  But I have to look back on my job history and know that Jesus has been in charge of my jobs and what I am doing and where I am working.  This is one of those times when you need great patience and faith to wait.

Today I was talking to a friend about a revelation I had last night.  You know when people are told to "just see yourself joyful" or "just speak the truth about who you are in Jesus".  Well, the truth is that when you are faced with depression or difficulties it is NOT possible to "just" do these things.  WE CAN NOT DO ANYTHING!  Only Jesus can do these things.  It seemed so clear to me that what we need to do is to stop talking about ourselves and start talking about Jesus and who he is and what he has done.  As we praise and talk about Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins to work out all of these things IN us. That is how we are strong in Jesus when we are weak.  So with that in mind, I am going to start talking about Jesus who knows exactly what Ken and I need.  And remember his faithfulness and his provision.  Even as I type those words, I am feeling more patience and greater faith to believe that He will provide my job. What a great lesson for me. So thanks to nudges to remember Jesus' faithfulness to me in the past during job searches, and the reminder to praise HIM for all that he is and does, I am feeling more peaceful and have greater faith to believe that I will find the exact right job.

Jesus, thank you so much for bringing me through today.  I love how you work in my life and bring reminders from the past, along with Holy Spirit revelation to transform a stressful day into a peaceful evening.  Thank you for my family and keeping them in the forefront of my mind.  Holy Spirit, help us all to hang on to the things your have sown into our families and keep us from forgetting those now distant from us.  Jesus, keep us out of busyness and draw us closer to you. Amen