Life has been a whirlwind here lately and I am barely keeping up. We had a wonderful week of vacation 3 weeks ago, but as soon as we got back life went into overdrive. We spent the week after vacation recovering from vacation, i.e. loads and loads of laundry, getting back on schedule, trying to do school! Plus we had to prepare for our county fair the following week. Last week was the fair and we spent part of every day caring for our rabbits or attending 4-H events. Busy, busy, busy!
I figured life would return to normal this week, but at 12:30 AM on Monday, our dear, elderly, neighbor lady pulled into our drive way. I woke Joel and jumped out of bed with a feeling of dread. I ran out on to our front deck and asked her what was wrong. She calmly informed me that she thought her husband had passed away. Joel called 911 and then went with her back to her house. At 2:30 he returned confirming that he had passed away. We have spent the past couple of days helping our neighbor organize her husbands funeral arrangements, cooking meals, grieving, and preparing the funeral dinner. Please keep her in your prayers, she is alone now except for two granddaughters, one close the other in Arizona.
What it all boils down to is that its not about keeping up its about making time to build relationships
Joel is gifted in this. I have seen it time and time again in the last 19 years. He has given of himself time and time again to those in need and especially to our neighbors. He has given of himself and in return has gained a close bond with both them. I truly believe this is his spiritual gift. He will drop whatever he is doing and help those in need and in the process build lasting relationships. I am blessed to be able to call him my husband.
Even though the days have been busy and full, the passing of our neighbor and friend, has made me stop and think about how precious friends and family are. Some days I get so caught up in my to-do list that I forget to really enjoy my children and my husband. The past few days I have taken more time to snuggle, talk, listen and love. I need to remember that in the grand scheme of things, my family is not going to remember the never ending mountain of unfolded laundry on my living room floor or whether the floors were spotless. They are going to remember the times we spent together making memories. That's what I want memories and lots of them with my precious, beautiful family.
so take longer breaths and remember to slow down more often...I can do this, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOh what a reminder, Jenn. I am so sorry to hear about your neighbor...it is sobering to think about, isn't it? Once again you have challenged me to put aside my own agenda and spend some extra time creating those memories with the ones I love.
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy to get caught up in the to-do list and forget what's really important. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI needed to read this today. It's time to slow down and deal with the important things!
ReplyDeleteYou have NO idea how much your post has blessed me today. As I have said before, He always gives us the answers if we are willing to look for them. When we think we are down, we just need to glance around and we will discover that there is someone out there who is much worse off.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your neighbor. I'm sure she will be needing your comfort and compassion for a long time to come. Thank goodness she has you and your family to watch over her.
Jenn,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear the sad news! I know you, Joel and the kids really cared for him. I have "watched" from all these miles away how you take such good care of them! You and Joel are an inspiration to me and great role model for your kids!
love ya and miss you girl!
Wow, great post. A reminder that we all need. Put our time and energy into things that really matter. Things with eternal value. How wonderful that your neighbor knew that she could come to your home. Says a lot about your family.
ReplyDeleteThanks for always being such an encouragment to me!
-Sheryl