This Thanksgiving seems sweeter than normal this year. It's been hard to be thankful sometimes, but really, that's because we have much to be thanful for in the midst of it. Maybe you need the bitter in order to taste the sweet. Life seems to be full of so much flavor this year.
Ian's birth, we have to be thankful. It was 15+ hours, but look at what we got! Our little boy is such a bright light.
Dustin's accident. We'd never go through it again, we'd take it back if we could. But we have learned to be so thankful for every day we are blessed to be with our family and friends. We hope we never forget to smell the roses and remember what is important. We met the wonderful people at Farm Rescue. I can not thank God enough for them and their help. Thank you feels hollow. I hope that as we continue in our lives we are able to help this organization pass on the gift they gave us. WOW
My new job. I love the church I am serving at right now. I have wonderful collegues in ministry. I am getting to know these warm, wonderful people. I hope in the midst of some of the pain they have been through that I am able to use my gifts to help them in their journey and help in the healing process. They are doing so well right now, I hope I can help them continue in that direction.
I didn't realize how much I would enjoy coming back to work. I think that I realize that this call doesn't easily let go of you. I am also thankful that I was able to spend the first 6 months home with Ian. It has made me a better mother, to be there and to learn that I should go back to work. I went back to work for Ian as well as myself.
I'm so thankful for our family and friends. I know everyone says this, but this year they have gone above and beyond the call of duty as we have struggled through. I don't know how we would have made it through this year without them. In the midst of all their help and friendship, I think we also took them for granted because we were so fixed on ourselves and our survival. I vow to make up for that and the the friend and family member that I need to be. Letting them know how valuable they are to me.
With that, I should wrap up before getting ready for worship.
I ask anyone reading this to pray for my friend Linda's dad. He has a staph infection and a long road ahead of him.
I congratulate Carol and her family and am thankful that they will be getting a house of thier own. Blessings.
Happy thanksgiving everyone. Remember to hug someone you love and let them know what they mean to you.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Wheel Fell off the Combine!
The title should get your attention. And it's true!
It's been a crazy week in Lien Land. I came to work on Monday. The day was going great, until 3:30, Dustin called. Some drive broke on the combine. Basically, the left, front wheel fell off. (Sounds expensive, doesn't it?) It is.
I did my last stuff of the day and rushed home. Before I arrived at home, Dustin has rescheduled Ian's appointment for Wednesday (that's another story) and Dustin and I were heading for Watertown, SD that night. We would be at Worthington Salvage for a rebuilt thingy by the next morning, they were holding it for us.
So, off to Watertown we go. We get there by about 10:30 or a bit later. We sleep at Dustin's aunt and uncle's house in Watertown. We get up the next morning, have coffee and a visit with his aunt and uncle, get to the dealership, buy the expensive part, (expensive and excess of 300 lbs of iron) and come home.
I'm actually relieved to be at work today, it's a lot less crazy than the farm. The combine is fixed, we are going again. My dad went home today, Dustin is teaching an EMT class tonight, I've got council at church. Nels and Harriet and Ian are going to our church for annual meeting tonight. Life is nuts.
Tomorrow I will take Ian to his PT appointment to have him measured for his helmet. Yes, we are still trying to get that done. Between illness at the place he is having it done and harvest, this was the soonest it could happen. According to the PT, she will have to do an evaluation too, maybe the helmet option is too late. (really? so you should have called me back a month ago, when I first started trying to make this stupid appointment?!)
We'll get there, but the end of 2009 really can't come quickly enough. I'm tired.
It's been a crazy week in Lien Land. I came to work on Monday. The day was going great, until 3:30, Dustin called. Some drive broke on the combine. Basically, the left, front wheel fell off. (Sounds expensive, doesn't it?) It is.
I did my last stuff of the day and rushed home. Before I arrived at home, Dustin has rescheduled Ian's appointment for Wednesday (that's another story) and Dustin and I were heading for Watertown, SD that night. We would be at Worthington Salvage for a rebuilt thingy by the next morning, they were holding it for us.
So, off to Watertown we go. We get there by about 10:30 or a bit later. We sleep at Dustin's aunt and uncle's house in Watertown. We get up the next morning, have coffee and a visit with his aunt and uncle, get to the dealership, buy the expensive part, (expensive and excess of 300 lbs of iron) and come home.
I'm actually relieved to be at work today, it's a lot less crazy than the farm. The combine is fixed, we are going again. My dad went home today, Dustin is teaching an EMT class tonight, I've got council at church. Nels and Harriet and Ian are going to our church for annual meeting tonight. Life is nuts.
Tomorrow I will take Ian to his PT appointment to have him measured for his helmet. Yes, we are still trying to get that done. Between illness at the place he is having it done and harvest, this was the soonest it could happen. According to the PT, she will have to do an evaluation too, maybe the helmet option is too late. (really? so you should have called me back a month ago, when I first started trying to make this stupid appointment?!)
We'll get there, but the end of 2009 really can't come quickly enough. I'm tired.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sermons, CT Scans, and Helmets, Oh My!
It has been a crazy couple weeks. I am back to work in a church and I have to say, I am absolutely loving it. I like the three days a week and I am amazed at how much better I am at organzing my home and work like when I have a schedule. I come home and have plants for what I want to get done there. It's been great for me, Ian, and Dustin. I have come to the conclusion that I am not meant to be a SAHM full time. I admire women who do it, but I like ministry too much.
A long week and a long weekend coming
I guess I'm not completely telling the truth about the long week. It felt like yesterday was the long week. We were blessed with Farm Rescue this week and their arrival to help take our crop of soybeans off. We have the "honor" of being the 100th farm family they have helped in their 4 short years. They are a wonderful non-profit and we are blessed that they accepted our application. We did not know how harvest would go this year. Dustin's accident made a lot of things uncertain.
Anyway, being the 100th family, also made us a news story. We were interviewed by several types of media for several articles. It was difficult to tell the story over and over again, it made me emotionally very raw. I had really put out of my mind that Dustin could have died this summer. Now, it has been in the front of my mind. I wonder if that is why I have had the headache all day?
It was also emotional to share what it meant for us to be helped by Farm Rescue. It's a job we wanted to be able to do for ourselves and we didn't know how we would, we couldn't afford custom harvesters, even if we could find them.
So, while yesterday was good, it was also exhausting.
I wonder if Dustin is being honest with me? I keep thinking he is aching more than he is letting me see, but I can only believe what he tells me.
We will have a harvesting weekend. Farm Rescue is here until Monday, one combine had to leave today, so we are now with one Farm Rescue combine and our 9600 combine. We may try to get the 7720 going as well. Especially if we are not done on Monday.
The elevator filled with wet beans today, so now they will only take the dry ones. We found out that at the 15 moisture they are at, we can store them in a bin for two weeks, so we have some bin space from a neighbor we will use tomorrow. I am annoyed with the elevator manager. We found out today that apparently the reason they are full at the elevator is because he didn't order a train for this week to get them out. Um. We finally get the weather we need and you decide not to get a way to move them? Are you nuts! I wish the board or someone would call him on this, but they won't.
I preach this Sunday and also have conference assembly to attend. It's at my church, so score, I don't have to go anywhere, other than someplace to get lunch between worship and the meeting. It's going to be a bit tense, I fear. There will be a lot of discussion about churchwide. The voting members will be there to discuss the process. yada yada yada. I keep thinking. there are people homeless, hungry, sick, lonely. There is plenty of ministry out there to do, Plenty of do as Jesus would do life to live. Why are we worried about people who are gay. Is sexual orientation really what we are going to worry about instead of all the other things I mentioned? Hmmm. We'll see how it goes.
Well, I have a long day tomorrow. So, good night.
Anyway, being the 100th family, also made us a news story. We were interviewed by several types of media for several articles. It was difficult to tell the story over and over again, it made me emotionally very raw. I had really put out of my mind that Dustin could have died this summer. Now, it has been in the front of my mind. I wonder if that is why I have had the headache all day?
It was also emotional to share what it meant for us to be helped by Farm Rescue. It's a job we wanted to be able to do for ourselves and we didn't know how we would, we couldn't afford custom harvesters, even if we could find them.
So, while yesterday was good, it was also exhausting.
I wonder if Dustin is being honest with me? I keep thinking he is aching more than he is letting me see, but I can only believe what he tells me.
We will have a harvesting weekend. Farm Rescue is here until Monday, one combine had to leave today, so we are now with one Farm Rescue combine and our 9600 combine. We may try to get the 7720 going as well. Especially if we are not done on Monday.
The elevator filled with wet beans today, so now they will only take the dry ones. We found out that at the 15 moisture they are at, we can store them in a bin for two weeks, so we have some bin space from a neighbor we will use tomorrow. I am annoyed with the elevator manager. We found out today that apparently the reason they are full at the elevator is because he didn't order a train for this week to get them out. Um. We finally get the weather we need and you decide not to get a way to move them? Are you nuts! I wish the board or someone would call him on this, but they won't.
I preach this Sunday and also have conference assembly to attend. It's at my church, so score, I don't have to go anywhere, other than someplace to get lunch between worship and the meeting. It's going to be a bit tense, I fear. There will be a lot of discussion about churchwide. The voting members will be there to discuss the process. yada yada yada. I keep thinking. there are people homeless, hungry, sick, lonely. There is plenty of ministry out there to do, Plenty of do as Jesus would do life to live. Why are we worried about people who are gay. Is sexual orientation really what we are going to worry about instead of all the other things I mentioned? Hmmm. We'll see how it goes.
Well, I have a long day tomorrow. So, good night.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wednesday Afternoon and I'm Writing a Sermon!
I am taking another internet break, a little brainless helps get the sermon back on track. Believe it or not. I know some of you are amazed that I would be working on a Sunday sermon on a Wednesday. Some of you are about to call and find out if I have a fever. Stop. I am fine. Healthy.
I have to say, not having to preach every week, does seem to give me a little more get at 'em. I can spread my reading and my process out. I also now work part time, so when I am here, I have to make the most out of my time. I usually have a lot of time on Wednesday's, I don't have things Wed. afternoon until confirmation at 6:00, so I tend to get a first draft hammered out about now.
The only thing I haven't gotten use to...Having to have a title ready by Tuesday. Um, Title, really. This week, my title might actually relate to the sermon. I find that I get surprised lately with a sermon's direction. I think I know where it will go, so I hand in the title. The Holy Spirit has different ideas and then...boom, not related to the title. Now, I don't think the congregation is holding this against me. If they were in my head, then they would be concerned with my sermon process and choices of title. There is a real title and then there is the one that is not published.
This week. "The Gift and the Giver"
What ran through my head: "The Gift and the Giver and Why I dont' eat liver"
Now, the sermon has nothing to do with liver, I just liked the rhyme. Although, liver tends to be a cheap cut of meat, so maybe that would be what a widow would buy. I wouldn't if I were a widow, I'd buy oxtail, you can make a nice soup or something. It's cheap and I'd then avoid the liver thing.
The other title. "Widows! Poor! Hungry! Can we stop talking about churchwide now?" Can we tell that I'm a little tired of some things? If you are a member of the ELCA or understand the ELCA, the second title makes sense to you.
Three weeks ago, I preached my first sermon here. The text was "give everything you have away and come follow me." (Lucinda's annotated version)
I don't remember the title I used, I know it didn't relate to the sermon I preached.
I do remember the alternative title choices. There were two. The first was the sermon being announced by my colleague in the form of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Give it away, Give it away, Give it away, Now."
The other title. "Let's give everything away, start a commune and become vegans." I don't know why vegan entered my head. I'm not a vegan, not even a vegetarian and I'm not capable of being one. And when I mean capable, I mean, have no desire to give up meat and never will, I raise cows and I eat them.
So, you can see, people would be way more scared if they heard all the titles in my head. They should maybe be thankful that I sometime stray from a title.
I should get back to it. Have a great Wed. Night. I will.
I have to say, not having to preach every week, does seem to give me a little more get at 'em. I can spread my reading and my process out. I also now work part time, so when I am here, I have to make the most out of my time. I usually have a lot of time on Wednesday's, I don't have things Wed. afternoon until confirmation at 6:00, so I tend to get a first draft hammered out about now.
The only thing I haven't gotten use to...Having to have a title ready by Tuesday. Um, Title, really. This week, my title might actually relate to the sermon. I find that I get surprised lately with a sermon's direction. I think I know where it will go, so I hand in the title. The Holy Spirit has different ideas and then...boom, not related to the title. Now, I don't think the congregation is holding this against me. If they were in my head, then they would be concerned with my sermon process and choices of title. There is a real title and then there is the one that is not published.
This week. "The Gift and the Giver"
What ran through my head: "The Gift and the Giver and Why I dont' eat liver"
Now, the sermon has nothing to do with liver, I just liked the rhyme. Although, liver tends to be a cheap cut of meat, so maybe that would be what a widow would buy. I wouldn't if I were a widow, I'd buy oxtail, you can make a nice soup or something. It's cheap and I'd then avoid the liver thing.
The other title. "Widows! Poor! Hungry! Can we stop talking about churchwide now?" Can we tell that I'm a little tired of some things? If you are a member of the ELCA or understand the ELCA, the second title makes sense to you.
Three weeks ago, I preached my first sermon here. The text was "give everything you have away and come follow me." (Lucinda's annotated version)
I don't remember the title I used, I know it didn't relate to the sermon I preached.
I do remember the alternative title choices. There were two. The first was the sermon being announced by my colleague in the form of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Give it away, Give it away, Give it away, Now."
The other title. "Let's give everything away, start a commune and become vegans." I don't know why vegan entered my head. I'm not a vegan, not even a vegetarian and I'm not capable of being one. And when I mean capable, I mean, have no desire to give up meat and never will, I raise cows and I eat them.
So, you can see, people would be way more scared if they heard all the titles in my head. They should maybe be thankful that I sometime stray from a title.
I should get back to it. Have a great Wed. Night. I will.
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