Another Leak

We have a home in the country though we have city water.  It exceeds the pressure limit for our pipes. We have to put the valve on it regulate the pressure to make it stop causing pin hole leaks in the plastic pipes connected to our water heater.

Problem solved.

Well what happens when my man has fixed it, but the valve isn’t working properly? You guessed it! Another leak.

I walked into the laundry room after my workout at 6 am.  I had put a load in the laundry when I went out to the shop at 5:30.  I was stooping down to put the laundry in the dryer when I heard it. I immediately stopped to pull off the water heater door and heard that distinct hissing of the tiny pin-hole leak.  How can something so tiny, cause so much noise and water to spew out and do such damage?

I am uncertain how long it has been leaking, or how extensive the damage, but it has to be fixed.  Bless my husband’s heart.  He gets to fix it again with the replacement part. Not thrilling I assure you!

First, I am thankful for a wonderfully gifted man who is able to do repairs on our home and second, I know there is a lesson here.

How often do we think we have something fixed in our life, only to have it happen again?  We vow that we are done with yelling, or overspending, or overeating. (Insert whatever sin you and I may struggle with here.)  We get help to deal with our issues, and when things seem to be smooth sailing and all is well, we do the thing we didn’t want to do!

We aren’t failures.

We just need to be repaired.

I ask myself, “Am I spending the time listening to what God has for me?” Am I spending time in the Word doing as He instructs? Am I accepting and putting into place the repairs He requires? Do I stop what I am doing to take the time to be a good mom or wife? Do I put my needs on hold to care for someone in my family?

I’m not saying that what I need is less important, nor am I saying my needs don’t matter.  Not by any means. I am simply saying, I may need to stop and fix an issue before I continue my task so there isn’t any more damage done.

The laundry was still waiting for me when I found the leak and tried to deal with it.  Just as my desires will be.

What leaks are you needing to stop and fix today? What things do I need to tend to?

I pray that God will show us so that He can repair us!

Love you!
Tara

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Phony or Faux Me?

 

I have spent many years trying to be someone I thought others wanted me to be. Fighting against what I thought I should be, rather than being the woman God wanted me to be. I have tried to please my husband doing things I thought he wanted me to do. (He didn’t even want that!) I was in the habit of being so serious all the time and not having fun.  Do you know how exhausting that is?

I was thinking the other day about what a phony I was.  Not intentionally mind you, but a phony because I was trying to be something that I was not.  Then I started thinking about words like “faux painting” and “faux fur” and other things that are faux.  Here I was being a Faux ME.  I was trying to be someone I thought I should be, and placed value in something that was valueless. A fake me.  I felt so empty and discouraged. Empty being Faux!  Empty being Phony!

God laid it out for me.

“…but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” I Peter 3:4

I don’t have to try to be a certain kind of wife or mother. I need to be the wife and mom God asks me to be.  A woman who loves deeply.   A woman who meets the needs of her family. One who is a helpmate for her man!

I am the funny jokester that cries at commercials, cap wearing, has crazy sticking up

hair now and then, loves her family kinda gal. I can also trap gophers like nobody’s business! 100 and counting!!!

I am free to be free! Free from the bondage of trying to be someone else.

I am not a phony or a faux me. I am exactly where I need to be, doing what I need to do. I work hard.  I love my family and try my best to honor God.

He filled me up with truth.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am rejoiced over with singing. I was bought with a price. I am forgiven and set free. I am loved. I am cherished. I am worthwhile.

You are all of these as well.

 

I love you!

Tara

In times of questioning… Part 1

In this time of questioning, one must ask, “What is Your will Father?” When all else seems to be lost in the time of confusion, one must ask, “Will You clear the way?” Yet, here I sit typing away wondering about the days to come. Not because I doubt His plan for us, rather what do I do to be obedient to Him.  When you don’t know what to do, what is the best option? Wait. Wait. Wait.  Wait until His path is illuminated. Wait until He tells us what to do. What until there is peace in the decision-making process.  So how am I going to do that??? I don’t honestly know.

These past few weeks have been really hard.  Challenging and frustrating. Scary and sorrowful.

I homeschool two of our three children. We have had an amazing year. A quote from Charles Dickens comes to mind, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Homeschool can be just that! Amazing and wonderful most days, but there are days I want to snatch them bald to be perfectly honest.  (They still have all of their hair 😉

Last week, my daughter’s computer crashed.  The one that she has been using for all of her school curriculum. In my 40+ years, I have NEVER had a computer crash. Needless to say, we lost everything. Why now?

We had some options. Option 1 was send the hard drive to a team of specialists in a white room where they would take apart every little minute piece of our hard drive to try to save the data, to the cost of $600-$1000.  Or option 2, (which we chose) was to replace the hard drive and lose everything.  EVERYTHING! All of her work since August was gone.

That left us with a very creative fun week of letter writing, cooking and library trips, to check out our weekly 60 plus books.  Though the computer was returned in perfect working order, I am bummed about the loss of her hard work.

We then received word that our health insurance policy was expiring, and they were not going to be renewing our policy. WHAT? Ok. Now what?  After doing research, finding an agent, and meeting at a local restaurant, we find that our income doesn’t support the need we have.  Swallow. Deep breath. God has this under control. He really does. Yes. He. Does. I continually tell myself. HE DOES. Full time work may be calling me out of the home.  God knows. He does.

That same week, my littlest runs in from the shop yelling that there is something wrong with one of our cats.  He had been sick, but not for long, and I had a feeling that Mr. Pickles wasn’t going to live much longer. Within moments of that conversation, he had passed away.  Sadly, their little hearts were throbbing in and their cries of hysterical pain echoed across the open area between the shop and our home.

Typically we have to bury an animal quickly, but daddy wasn’t home and I couldn’t break the rocky ground with the shovel. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t get a hole started. The questions came from the kids, “Why did this happen to Mr. Pickles?” “Why couldn’t we have one more week?”

Helping children whilst crying yourself, isn’t always effective.  Through the tears and struggle, we made it through the day. Daddy came home and we buried Mr. Pickles.

I will close this post by saying this, life isn’t easy. Pain comes and hearts that once beat strongly, are snuffed out. Exhaustion is getting the best of me so I will close. Part 2 will not be far behind.

May you find solace in the One who catches every tear in a bottle.  Psalm 56:8 “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?”

I know we have been covered in prayer and seek that same solace.

Blessings,

Tara

 

 

 

Painted skies

Sunrise through the trees

Beauty in my backyard

Funny Shot

Have patience

 

 

Sometimes it is hard to wait. Sometimes you feel like ya just gotta get deeper into the hole just to try to figure out…

There is nothing there. Just a hint of what you are trying to gain.

In the end, you are right back where you started.

WAITING.

Let us wait on the Lord. Trust that He will provide all that we need.

Psalm 27:14 (GNT)

Trust in the Lord.
Have faith, do not despair.
Trust in the Lord.

 

 

 

Let everything that has breath…

The surprise guest

As I snapped pictures of this rainbow, I was just in awe of it’s beauty! I was also reminded of God’s promise  and thankful for the ways He has blessed us. I did not however see the second rainbow until I loaded the pictures to my computer. It was a surprise guest!
Thank you Lord for eyes to see your beauty.