Oh, it has been so long since I have written, and I apologize! The sun has come up and set WAY too quickly these last two weeks! Because of the sun’s increased schedule, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to either eat or sleep. LOL O.k., it’s true. There are still 24 hours in the day; the sun has kept its regular schedule. It’s just that our lives have been full. Thus, I thought I would give a quick update. 

 1. My garden is put to bed! Today, because of the beautiful weather, we got quite a bit accomplished outside. I finished pulling up the dead tomato plants (yes, I still had tomato plants in the garden), the dried out corn stalks (no, I hadn’t taken those out yet either). It feels good to have that project done with for a few months. I am now ready to hibernate inside for the winter!

2. I am writing a book! My head is still spinning, and it has been quite an interesting whirlwind regarding how this all came about. I don’t want to say too much about it yet, but during my Master’s work I began writing a book.  After graduation I continued working on it because it was so challenging. I will admit that as other pressure arose there were many times when I wanted to can the whole thing. But something kept me from doing that, and I always came back. Well, one year later I was encouraged to go to a writer’s conference (you can read about that in a blog from last summer). While there I met an editor with a publishing house down in Virginia. She was interested in this book, and she took it back to her team. We have now signed a contract with this publishing house! Within the next twoyears, we will have a book out! We are extremely excited, but because I have not even finished writing the book yet, I am also very busy. I would greatly appreciate your prayers over the next few months as I complete this project. I have seen God’s hand as he has put each step in place; I would appreciate your prayers as God continues to guide this project. 

 3. Many of you have asked about my mother. As you may know, she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She also is suffering from some dementia. I have not noticed a decided increase in either of these lately, but there does seem to be a continued slow decline. I know she is frustrated with her inabilities, and she could use your prayer. You could also pray especially for my father and even for the rest of our family as we seek to support Mom. She is an amazing woman, and it is difficult seeing her suffer the way she is.

 4. We will butcher our pig on Tuesday! Friends of ours buy a pig every few years, and this year they offered to house a pig for us if we wanted to buy one. So, we did! Although we have only seen “Oinkers” a few times, we are proud of how large and pink she is (well, at least she is pink in the places that are not covered in mud). This week we will butcher her. I know this may seem cruel, but our reason for buying the pig is to save money on meat and to know exactly what we are eating. So, we have a new adventure this week!

Thank you all for your prayers. As always, I extend the invitation for you to contact me with any prayer requests that you have.

At some point the airlines will get smart and start paying me NOT to fly. I don’t know when my last uneventful flight was! Last Saturday morning I arrived at the Albany airport ready for a quick flight to Chicago and then to Springfield, Missouri.  However, my flights are never that easy! After flying over Michigan for quite awhile, waiting for the Chicago thunderstorms to leave, we eventually landed in Grand Rapids for fuel. Due to the new passenger protection laws, we deplaned after sitting over an hour on the tarmac. Unfortunately, the storm left Chicago and headed straight for Grand Rapids where we sat!

Inside the airport, we all bought lunch and waited. As expected, when we finally landed in Chicago, we met a chaotic mass of people who had missed flights. Thankfully, there was a later flight to Springfield that I could get on, so I walked all the way to a different terminal and through the underground passage to the right concourse. Two hours later the gate was changed, and I tromped back through the tunnel to a different concourse. Late that night, as I took off my shoes and propped up my swollen feet on the hotel bed, I decided I was in the wrong line of work. I need to invent the perfect travel shoes.

First, these must be slip-on because, in order to go through airport security, you must take off your shoes and send them through the x-ray conveyer. So, you might say, how about flip-flops? No good. Because of the necessary shoeless walk through the metal-detector arch (while your shoes get a ride on the conveyer belt), you will want to wear socks. Thus, these travel shoes must be stylish with socks, yet easy-on, easy-off.

They also must be breathable. It gets hot sitting in an airport or on an airplane, so a mesh-type material would be great. However, they also must be waterproof because of the probable walk, through the rain and puddles, from the airplane to the terminal and vice versa (Chicago did not have jet-ways, we actually walked outside to the plane!). They should be compact because, honestly, it does get hot sitting on the plane. Sliding off your shoes (remember they are slip-on) is a solution. However, there is not that much room for your socked feet, empty shoes and under-the-seat carry-on. Therefore, shoes that fold up and stash away would be ideal.

However, they can’t be too compact and foldable because they must be as soft and comfy as a large down pillow. Hours of sitting and walking from terminal to terminal mean tired, swollen feet. A soft, comfortable sole and sewn-in battery-operated massage machine is a necessity!

As we know, airlines are now charging extra for each checked bag, and some are even charging for carry-ons. Therefore, you want to pack compactly. Since shoes take up quite a bit of room, one shoe to cover all destinations is needed. It should be strong enough to hike in, and yet professional for a meeting. And what about that more formal dinner you might go to for a special birthday or anniversary celebration? One shoe for all!

And so, I’ll work on this perfect travel shoe. Chances are, I’ll finish it just about the time when I get my first check from the airline begging me not to travel anymore!

There’s no doubt about it, I love lists. For me, lists clarify, help develop ideas, and remind me of necessities. And so I think I am going to periodically write a list for all of us to ponder. I am not asking you to agree, but perhaps these lists will help each of us to clarify what we think, develop our understanding of a topic and remind us of some important thoughts. 

Marriage today seems to be one of the fastest crumbling establishments. I think that’s because, in our self-gratifying, me-first culture, we all want easy answers and quick fixes. However, it is a difficult and selfless process to build a lasting marriage, and there are no “one-size-fits-all” answers. Although I am not a marriage counselor, perhaps these five suggestions will help create open, loving relationships in our marriages.

 5 Ways to Love Your Husband 

1. Fix his favorite meal. If you don’t know what it is, ask, and then make a point NOT to complain about how long it takes to make! Serve it with a smile and possibly even with an extra flair of tablecloth and candles. This doesn’t have to be a romantic one-on-one dinner; kids enjoy the special nature of a dinner like this, and it shows them that you love your husband! 

2. Allow him time, without your nagging or complaining, to pursue his favorite hobby. This is a tough one because it often means that he is out having fun while you are home alone or with the kids. This takes patience to bear! There is also the possibility that his priorities are confused and his hobby has become all-consuming. In these instances, communication and honesty are paramount. I don’t think it is wrong to discuss with your husband, in a calm, controlled manner, the fact that while he is spending every afternoon and Saturday on his hobby, you are carrying the brunt of home and family responsibilities. Perhaps the conversation could go something like this, 

“I know you love to ____________, and I want to support you having this hobby. However, because I feel that you are spending too much time on that hobby, I have found myself getting upset whenever you do that. Is there some way we could come to an agreement about how much time that you spend doing ___________?” 

Discuss this. Don’t nag. Don’t demand. State your desires, but then be content with whatever he is currently willing to give you. After a discussion like this, if you stop complaining about his hobby, then he might be more willing to have another discussion in the future! (Wouldn’t it completely surprise him if sometime you suggested he go do his hobby?!) 

3. Accept that your spouse is not perfect. Just like you, he does sin! Once you understand that he is dealing with the same sin issues that you are (i.e. selfishness, pride, wrong priorities) then you will be less critical and more likely to forgive.

 4. Realize that it is not within your job or ability to change your spouse. He was born with a certain personality, and he has learned many habits (just as you have). Accept him with those. If there is something that disturbs you, remember that you cannot change him. However, you can change your attitude! 

5. Pray for your spouse. Pray for his spiritual growth. Pray that he will have wisdom at his job, with his children, and as your husband. Praise God for the man that God has put in your life.