I should be on my treadmill . . .
But it's been so long since I wrote anything, I figured this was more needful at the moment :-) Besides, it's a great excuse to procrastinate :-)
Well, I've been absent because I've been moving. It was quite the experience. Of course I realize I'm not alone in this - nearly everyone has a tale or two about the challenges of moving - and most, I'm sure, are far more harrowing than mine. But this is my Blog and so I'm telling my story :-) Feel free to respond with your own anecdotes :-)
Long-whiney-story-short: All my planning was for naught. A full month ahead of time I set up everything - the address change, the phone, the basic cable (just the local channels), the internet, the volunteers, the truck, the day off to clean the new place so it would be ready to move into . . . I really thought it through and planned ahead every detail - researched the best prices and scheduled all the deliveries/installs, etc.
Without going into every boring detail, suffice to say that not one of these things happened as "I" planned for them to. And therein is the key . . . "I" planned. Now, I'm not saying I shouldn't have planned - that would be really dumb. I did what I needed and should have done. None of my efforts was in vain as they were the right thing to do at the time. No, the problem was not in the planning, the problem was in trusting the planning and allowing no room for God to do something different. So, I got to go to "God changes things" school :-)
In retrospect, I am so grateful God took me through that time. I came out of it a bit more humbled and really strenghthened in some relationships as I was *lovingly* chastised by some folks who cared enough to challenge my pity-party when it was all falling apart. And, in the end, every need has been taken care of. It wasn't even a really tough trial, but it was really beneficial!
One of the things I was soundly reminded of in this process is to stop and count my blessings. I thought I'd share a few (these are specifically move-related):
1. A treadmill - a really nice, decked out treadmill for about 1/2 of what it would normally cost - and because things didn't work out as I planned, I saved $75 in delivery fees!
2. Two beautiful kitty kats :-) I don't have to come home to an empty house anymore!!
3. Space! Lot's of it. It's not really usable yet as I've still got boxes occupying the living room, but I can see it all working out beautifully in the end :-)
4. A dining room table and chairs. A nice set too - solid oak wood with a removable leaf to size it down. It's in really nice condition and it only cost $100 AND it was delivered for free! This was the key piece of furniture as it was the primary reason I wanted to move up into a larger place. The studio suited my basic needs but did not allow enough room to host more than a couple of folks at a time - and I do so love to play the hostess! This new place will open doors to have friends over for lunch or dinner, Bible Studies, Game Nights or any number of other "several folks involved" events :-)
5. A sofa bed. This will allow me to house students looking into the Master's College or my brother when he comes to the Shepherd's Conference (unless he comes with his wife who is highly allergic to cats. . . ) or my parents if they decide to come down for a visit or any number of other possible overnight visitors. It opens the door to even more opportunities to excercise my love for hospitality.
6. A matching set of armchairs - free from a guy at work. He and his wife are buying new furniture. The set is in wonderful condition and the upholstery reflects the warm Victorian look I want to have.
7. A couple of wonderful lady friends who have a great eye for organizing and decorating!!! And they're both excited to help me put my home together and make it a warm, welcoming place!
Lastly - the $$ to do everything I really needed and most all of the things I really wanted to do in this move. God provided additional, unexpected funds to more than cover all the expenses involved in the move - including the unexpected ones arising out of the planning-gone-awry! And I can still afford to go home for Christmas :-)
Well, that's it for this post. I'll do a little more catching up in the next one and try to do better at keeping up from now on :-) Thanks for reading - I hope you are encouraged by the goodness of our Sovereign Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ. All praise, honor and glory to Him alone!
Well, I've been absent because I've been moving. It was quite the experience. Of course I realize I'm not alone in this - nearly everyone has a tale or two about the challenges of moving - and most, I'm sure, are far more harrowing than mine. But this is my Blog and so I'm telling my story :-) Feel free to respond with your own anecdotes :-)
Long-whiney-story-short: All my planning was for naught. A full month ahead of time I set up everything - the address change, the phone, the basic cable (just the local channels), the internet, the volunteers, the truck, the day off to clean the new place so it would be ready to move into . . . I really thought it through and planned ahead every detail - researched the best prices and scheduled all the deliveries/installs, etc.
Without going into every boring detail, suffice to say that not one of these things happened as "I" planned for them to. And therein is the key . . . "I" planned. Now, I'm not saying I shouldn't have planned - that would be really dumb. I did what I needed and should have done. None of my efforts was in vain as they were the right thing to do at the time. No, the problem was not in the planning, the problem was in trusting the planning and allowing no room for God to do something different. So, I got to go to "God changes things" school :-)
In retrospect, I am so grateful God took me through that time. I came out of it a bit more humbled and really strenghthened in some relationships as I was *lovingly* chastised by some folks who cared enough to challenge my pity-party when it was all falling apart. And, in the end, every need has been taken care of. It wasn't even a really tough trial, but it was really beneficial!
One of the things I was soundly reminded of in this process is to stop and count my blessings. I thought I'd share a few (these are specifically move-related):
1. A treadmill - a really nice, decked out treadmill for about 1/2 of what it would normally cost - and because things didn't work out as I planned, I saved $75 in delivery fees!
2. Two beautiful kitty kats :-) I don't have to come home to an empty house anymore!!
3. Space! Lot's of it. It's not really usable yet as I've still got boxes occupying the living room, but I can see it all working out beautifully in the end :-)
4. A dining room table and chairs. A nice set too - solid oak wood with a removable leaf to size it down. It's in really nice condition and it only cost $100 AND it was delivered for free! This was the key piece of furniture as it was the primary reason I wanted to move up into a larger place. The studio suited my basic needs but did not allow enough room to host more than a couple of folks at a time - and I do so love to play the hostess! This new place will open doors to have friends over for lunch or dinner, Bible Studies, Game Nights or any number of other "several folks involved" events :-)
5. A sofa bed. This will allow me to house students looking into the Master's College or my brother when he comes to the Shepherd's Conference (unless he comes with his wife who is highly allergic to cats. . . ) or my parents if they decide to come down for a visit or any number of other possible overnight visitors. It opens the door to even more opportunities to excercise my love for hospitality.
6. A matching set of armchairs - free from a guy at work. He and his wife are buying new furniture. The set is in wonderful condition and the upholstery reflects the warm Victorian look I want to have.
7. A couple of wonderful lady friends who have a great eye for organizing and decorating!!! And they're both excited to help me put my home together and make it a warm, welcoming place!
Lastly - the $$ to do everything I really needed and most all of the things I really wanted to do in this move. God provided additional, unexpected funds to more than cover all the expenses involved in the move - including the unexpected ones arising out of the planning-gone-awry! And I can still afford to go home for Christmas :-)
Well, that's it for this post. I'll do a little more catching up in the next one and try to do better at keeping up from now on :-) Thanks for reading - I hope you are encouraged by the goodness of our Sovereign Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ. All praise, honor and glory to Him alone!
posted by Eowyn7 | 6:57 PM
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