be still ....

i've been emotionally preparing myself to get ramped up for our move to the property.  nervous?  of course! excited?  you bet!  but what an adventure!

so what happens?  i get sick.  and not just a cold or flue (which i have had lingering for weeks now).  i have shingles.

ugh.

and all those stories you've heard about how painful they are .... they are true.  and mine is a fairly mild case from what i can tell.  i have this constant dull ache up and down my spine and to the side .... along with blisters and the occassional feeling of a knife jab into my side .... truly .... no fun.

BUT

i have to sit quietly
i have to find a position where the pain isn't so bad
i have to let others do things for me
and i can't cuddle my kids

it's breaking my heart!

but it is also making me stop and rest ... to allow God to work.  to calm my heart about all the things that need to be done.  to allow others to grow as they do things for me.  pretty humbling really.

so as i heal, i am inclined to remember and ponder on the following Scripture, remembering that it is in the quiet and rest that I find His blessed assurance  ....

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46:10-11

i kinda feel like God is forcing me to stop.  to bring me to a halt and remind me to look at all that he has done .... that He will continue to guide and lead us on this path that He has chosen for us.  and i should REST in that .... be at peace, because I know who He is and that He will provide us all we need.

oh .... and rest assured.  i might not be doing things .... but as you can tell by this photo ... i am planning and thinking and organizing .....

niggling little thots

so we on the verge of packing boxes to go into storage .... to begin "our adventure"

i am getting heaps of comments from "you are very brave"  to, "you are crazy." (i don't think folks are trying to be mean .... i just think that people don't understand why we would do this at our age!)

not helping much with the commitment to this "adventure" ... perhaps because the doubts are already there in my head and heart.  those niggling thots are hitting me from all around.

why are you doing this?

think of the kids!

you deserve more!

you should just stay put until you can afford to build a house.

do you realise that the living conditions you are putting your kids in 

are the most difficult they have had since the orphanage?

yup ..... these are the things that are attacking my brain.  let alone the desire to have some comfort and ease .... to, well, quite frankly, have what i deserve at the age of 51!

but we have chosen a different path .... to the tune of a different drummer.  i don't expect others to understand.  but we have chosen to simplify our lives .... to appreciate the natural things in our world that God gave us.

now that's a story that goes back to Adam and Eve!  he made this world because he loves us and he wanted us to enjoy it.

THAT is what i need to keep my eye on.  the prize.  the prize of enjoying this good earth ... this amazing place and time that He has put us in.  keep my eye on the prize .... for what God has called our family, INCLUDING OUR KIDS, to live ... a sustainable life that honors Him above all else.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God

has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14

... join us on the journey ...

check it out ....

www.justearthfarm.net

my blog will be changing it's view .... slightly.

as JustEarth takes off .... that blog will be about our work to establish the farm.

this blog will become much more personal.  my personal struggles to help our family live day-to-day in a sustainable way.

.... not the least of which will be the stresses and trials of yes .... living in caravan for over a year!  ugh.  but i'll share that personal note soon.

i am looking forward to what this blog will become .... from re-attempting sourdough .... to helping my kids with their homework and striving for balance in our lives as a family.

thanks for supporting us so far ... there is joy in the journey!