I love Autumn!

Happy Autumn! Living in Michigan, we enjoy a beautiful autumn here and I am looking forward to seeing the leaves turn brilliant in color! Raking them is a pain, but I bought a small leaf blower at a garage sale this summer, so that'll help. I still like to press the most interesting ones and sometimes frame them.

We put in our last day as paper carriers last Thursday. Getting up at 3am was rather disruptive to a "normal" home schooling schedule, so we gave The Sentinel one month notice and we are officially 'done'. The route managers know that I'm open to subbing routes when they might need it and they promised to give me the weekend off before they started calling me to sub. (Ha Ha!) Well, the call came this morning at 5am. The person who took over our old route suddenly quit - after one weekend. So we are running the wholesale route for the next couple of days.... but this time we're getting paid double what we used to. Ahhh.. the pay of a last-minute sub!

Chris has accepted a full time position at 1st Jenison CRC, near Grand Rapids and he begins in October, which is also when his gig at the Dutch Village comes to an end. God is perfect in His timing. The position at Jenison is Music/Evangelism/Youth. As far as I can determine, the three part-time jobs were combined and came just short of full time status, but things were arranged in order to create a full time position with medical benefits. This all is only guaranteed through this December... the congregation will have to vote on a permanent position in November.

So we are appreciative of the full time job with medical, but we can only count on it through December. Of course, in the big picture, we can ALWAYS count on God supplying our every need.

We have not yet found a housing solution and are currently looking for that. (Thanks for praying!)

Home schooling is going well, and I am enjoying my work as a Private Duty Care Giver and Resident Aide at Royal Atrium Assisted Living - part time, evenings and some nights.

I withdrew from the Holland Chorale after only a couple of weeks. After I passed the audition and was extended membership, I felt that perhaps I should not do it - probably the Holy Spirit's nudging. I let the conductor talk me into joining the group and during the first rehearsal-camp-weekend, I knew it was not the right place for me. It's a fine organization with some very talented musicians... but the room seemed to 'drip' with 'ego' - close to eighty musicians - and it all felt like music for performance sake, rather than existing to honor God. It's just not right for me at this point in my life. I've been there, done that 'performance' thing and nothing fulfills me like giving myself to psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that honor the Lord Jesus and put HIM in the spotlight. So, I'm no longer a member of the Holland Chorale and it feels like my priorities are in line with what God would have me do right now.

This past weekend, we picked our first apples of the season at our favorite orchard. Just a half bushel for eating... we'll pick some for applesauce and more for eating (Fujis!) later in October. But it's an autumn thing... apple picking. The boys were thrilled when I made the first carmel apples of the season.

So as the leaves get ready to turn and this season of 'change' has begun, so is our life entering another season of change. With God, it's all good!

Lonely

After an exhausting weekend, I took a long walk with Lucy on Sunday evening. I took my mp3 and listened to worship music, which took me into a long prayer time as I walked. As another time of transition looms, my spirit is a little restless. As I cried to the Lord and asked for his peace, his vision, and for strength to obey His will, I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. I am certain of God's hand being on our family and I know He chooses the path we each must take - for His own divine reasons. All my life I was a 'homebody' - loved being at home, loved it when family was all around. I've never been a 'lone ranger'-type. I really, really do not like the fact that we have no extended family close-by. Close friends are wonderful, but there's really a unique aspect to family relationships. And unless the Lord makes a way for us to move back to the Pacific Northwest, I need to cultivate a heart of contentedness for the path He chooses for us. That's my heart's desire: to be content and joyful in the place God leads me to.

So, as we face yet another move and more change, I am thanking God that He is the ONE constant in our lives and that His grace is sufficient for ALL our needs. In Psalm 68, it says "He places the lonely in families." I'd like that right about now.

Hit the ground running!

Wow! We had a great Labor Day with good friends at our home! Then on Tuesday, we hit the ground running, with our school studies. Spanish will be fun! And Jono's already skipped some math and is into the next book. His first year of High School will be heavier this year, but we are up to it!

This week is a tough start, because I'm still running the paper routes at 3:30 am each morning (Jono is on this week), then we come home and go back to sleep for a little, get up and start schooling, and for the past two days, I then go to work from Noon-5pm, while the boys finish their studies by themselves. I get home at 5:30 and have to leave by 6:15 for Holland Chorale rehearsals....

I got home tonight at 10:15 pm, now I'm having a bowl of cereal, blogging, and trying to listen to John McCain's speech. Soon I'll be in bed, getting a little sleep so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow.

Good night!