Keep Your Heart and Mind

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

I research many subjects on the internet concerning healthy eating and lifestyle, curly hair helps, cardmaking tutorials, and more! I see quite often, “Five things you are doing wrong eating on the keto diet”, “Ten ways you are damaging your curly hair”, and “Never say this in a handwritten card”. I see, “You’re doing it all wrong” videos on YouTube all the time – sometimes it is as simple as cooking an egg wrong! No wonder many people are riddled with anxiety! Hearts and minds are confused because there are so many varying opinions about everything and everyone is an expert. Too many voices have filled my head nearly paralyzing me in being able to decide anything. Finding peace in what I eat, how I live, how I style my hair (or whether I let my white hair growth continue without intervention), and what tools I use to create handmade cards has been a journey. The older I get, the less I care what everyone else is doing or what is trending and the more I want peace within. I pray for understanding, wisdom, and a settled heart and mind because I tend to wander from one way to another. “In every thing…let your requests be made known to God”. In everything? Yes, every thing.

Here is the latest in my growing collection of stray gifts: (comments under the collage)

Top Row (left to right): My first flowers in our home in New Mexico were beautiful and had a lovely, soft scent. I don’t need fancy flower vases- a green mason jar will do! My dad is managing my daylilies in El Paso because we haven’t brought them over yet. These were all in one flower pot earlier this year and Jonathan and I split them into three. They were much smaller then but were crowded. Since we divided the lilies, they have been able to stretch out and seem to like the new space so far. The last photo is of my yellow Lady Banks rose bush that is blooming! These are tiny roses and are so cute! Thank you, Dad, for taking photos of them for me!

Bottom Row (left to right): Since I started collecting stray gifts, I have had friends and family who have caught the excitement of looking for God’s gifts in the day. I am sent photos through text messages often. A friend in the Dallas, Texas area sent me the first photo taken at the arboretum. The tulips are stunning! The middle photo is from a friend in Pennsylvania. This farm is over one hundred years old and her grandmother (who is one hundred years old!) still lives there. I love views like these and this particular friend sends me farm photos often. The last photo was taken by me last week. That day, we were out shopping and John was able to find a new pair of shoes. Because he has scars from three ankle surgeries, he has had trouble finding footwear that doesn’t rub against the tender places. Trying on shoes is an ordeal, but he had the energy and the want-to that day. I’m glad we stuck to the task and found a pair after going to three stores. While we were out, we stopped by the local botanical garden. It’s not very big and there weren’t many plants blooming yet, but it is a nice area to walk around. The Bradford Pear Trees were blossoming quite nicely, though. We hope to return in a few weeks as more plants should be blooming. The rain we had recently should help those along!

Other Gifts: A friend in Georgia sent me a photo of daffodils in her front yard. The same friend remembered my wedding anniversary and sent John and me a pretty card! It meant a lot. A friend in NM is a quilter and had lost a “setting triangle” for a Christmas tree skirt she is making. She had scooted her work table over a bit and found it on the floor. It saved her a lot of time looking for that piece in piles of fabric.

Thank you to all who keep the stray gifts movement going! I just love when you share with me what was in your path along the way.

A Music Bath

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body.

O.W. Holmes

I started taking piano lessons when I was twelve years old and by the time I was fifteen, I was the church pianist. Up until then, my mom was the piano player for our mission church, but once I was able to play a few hymns, she changed over to play the organ. Our song leader was very patient and allowed me to pick the songs for the service each week and I practiced, practiced, and practiced every day to get ready for Sunday. Most of my early years were spent on training to be a church pianist. I did take one year of classical piano, but after learning my instructor wanted me to train for recitals, I no longer was interested. I understand that teachers want to show off what they have taught, but I was so nervous, that I completely forgot pages of music during a recital that I had practiced and memorized for months. Being a church pianist is much easier as I am just assisting in the music and am not the main person of focus like the song leader.

I didn’t enjoy the early years too much during piano lessons. My parents were strict on practice time. When they figured out I would move the dial on the timer to lessen my practice time, they monitored my time for me! Ha. Looking back now, I am thankful for their intervention and glad that they caused me to persevere.

Playing the piano has been a source of happiness and stress relief over the years. John and I bought my very own piano over twenty years ago and having it in the home has been such a source of joy for us. For the last several years, I haven’t played the piano very often for various reasons. There were surgeries for John and other trials back-to-back and the music seemed so far away. After our move to a different home, I sat down at the piano after it was moved in just to see how it felt. John and Jonathan joined me in the living room and cheered me on as I played one hymn after another. My fingers are a little rusty as are my eyes in reading music and playing at the same time, but I still know how to play. Stray gift! It was like a music bath with notes washing over us in a healing way. Before long, Jonathan started singing along and soon after, we dragged out our songbooks from our family singing days. Our voices are a little rusty, too! We had so much fun, though, reconnecting with our music.

In the packing and moving, we found CDs and cassette tapes we used to listen to during our deputation days. Hearing the music from some of our favorite groups (and remembering the words to the songs!) was enjoyable as well. It was another way for music to be a source of restoration after the last few trying years.

Connecting with piano playing is something I don’t want to be so far away from again. Maybe I will play the piano in church again someday and I would like that. For now, I am content to play simply because it brings much gratification and refreshment to me and my family.

Closer Than Yesterday

I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.

-Unknown

It is a new year with new opportunities for our family. We made a big decision last year to move from a big two-story home to a much smaller one-story. My husband John, a disabled veteran, has had eight surgeries in ten years. Through those years, he hauled himself up the stairs with crutches and casts, and his body is worn. His pain management doctor mentioned a possible back surgery in the coming years, and the thought of climbing stairs through another surgery recovery was not something John felt he could do. The house we are renting now is much more manageable for John’s needs. The quieter neighborhood and smaller town are better for his chronic migraines as well. It has been quite the process to simplify all our stuff as we transition into a different house with less space. After caring for him through all the surgeries, fetching water and food, and helping him up and down the stairs, I don’t think I want to “do” stairs anymore, either! The layout of the rental home is much easier for us. It gets John closer to being more mobile and hopefully will aid in him feeling better than he has in years.

We have been able to do some exploring since we moved to New Mexico last month and I am still recording the graces, still capturing the stray gifts in the day. Here is the latest! Photo descriptions will be shared below the collage.

Top Row (left to right) 1) This was the view from our dining room when we moved in. Our next-door neighbor has a big, beautiful tree in their yard and I love to open the blinds in the morning to see it. 2) We love taking leisurely drives on back roads to see what we can see. The mountains are beautiful here. 3) Cows roam freely on open-range roads – such a neat thing to see after living in the city!

Center Row –1) A sunset over the mountains is such a beautiful scene. 2) and 3) On one of our days exploring, we stopped at this free-admission Space Murals Museum and enjoyed the space program’s artifacts.

Bottom Row – 1) Before we moved, I was able to complete a Christmas card order I had received. I made more than these six, but these were my favorites of them all. 2) I squeezed in enough time to make Christmas cards for me to send out and used an embossing technique to make poinsettia cards. Time to create is always a gift to me! 3) Lastly, here is the container we used to pack our belongings. We hired a company that specializes in moving. They delivered the empty pod and we loaded it with the help of my dad. The company then picked up the pod when we were ready and carried it to the new address. This way of moving was such a blessing and help! We are still in the process of unpacking and figuring out where to put our belongings in a much smaller home. We have been simplifying over the last few years and we’ve made some progress. We aren’t where we’d like to be, but living in a smaller space will help define our priorities as we find balance with John’s health needs.

All Your Circumstances

All your circumstances are in the hand of God, so never think this strange concerning the circumstances you are in.

Oswald Chambers

September 2023

It all happened so fast. One day Jonathan was looking for work and the next was entering into the Master’s Degree program at New Mexico State University. For months he looked for work here in the city and prayed that the opportunity to attend West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas would become available. He waited to hear any news about a scholarship to help finance his continued education, but nothing seemed to be there. After prayer and consideration, he let the school in Canyon know that he would not be attending in the fall. He had faith that God still had a way open to him with either work or school. Less than twenty-four hours later, he received an e-mail from a History professor at NMSU. The professor noticed that Jonathan had applied for the spring semester and wondered if Jonathan would be interested in attending in the fall. This was the beginning of August and classes started on the 16th! Jonathan said he would be interested but would need funding, a scholarship, or work to help pay for classes. He received a reply to contact someone at the campus museum because they were looking for a graduate assistant. He e-mailed the contact, answered a few questions, shared his skills and future goals, and the next day was told he got the job! The graduate assistant job is a paid position plus his tuition is being paid for as well.

We hurried to get things he would need for his room (as much as we knew at the time) and moved him up there. He enjoys his museum work (20 hours a week) and the classes are going well. He is super tired (there is a TON of reading and a few papers a week due) and is still trying to figure out his daily schedule. John and I have been up there several times to take him out to lunch and to help get things he finds he needs. It was a whirlwind of activity once he was “in” for the semester. We drove up there the Saturday before classes started either looking for a dorm room or an apartment for him to live in. He applied for an on-campus room and got one that same day. It’s an apartment designed for four students. There are two rooms on either side of the apartment with a bathroom on each side, a living room in the center (sort of -very sparse), and a kitchen to share. It’s a small room, the building is old and in need of repair, but we agree it’s a roof over his head for now and it’s on campus with buses that are easy to get on to take him across campus to get near to work and to classes. He does have our truck to drive when he needs to go to Walmart or somewhere if he needs something. Or if he misses the bus! He is starting to get into the new rhythm of days now and John and I can rest a little more as things are getting figured out (financing and meals, to name a few).

November 2023

A lot has happened since I started updating you on Jonathan’s next life steps. We were all excited about the opportunity back in September, but “things” haven’t worked out the way we thought they would. First, the school backed out of the contract they made with Jonathan concerning payment for tuition. (The tuition payment and museum work payment were separate. The museum has paid him no matter what the school was doing on their end.) Second, we all caught COVID at the same time and Jonathan lost nearly a month of classes and work due to being so ill. At present, he is behind on classwork because he was absent for so long. He is finding it difficult to catch up and may not even be able to complete all the assignments by the end of the semester. This would affect any scholarship he could potentially receive next semester. Third, the dorm situation became a huge hassle when he found flying ants under his desk one day. It took several work orders for the maintenance crew to come to look at the situation and a few days afterward before the ants disappeared. He also had water leaks several times due to faulty pipes in the wall that was shared with the bathroom on the other side. Maintenance looked at it once and said they fixed the problem (without ever opening up the wall to see where the water was coming from). It took several minor leaks to an all-out flood in which water covered his whole floor and then spilled out into the hallway and kitchen. The night this happened, John and I quickly threw stuff in a suitcase and traveled to help. It took me over an hour to mop the mess in his room while John and Jonathan emptied the room of his possessions. We stayed a few nights in a motel while Jonathan worked to get another place to stay on campus. We found out later that the overflow drain pipe from the bathtub was not connected, so every time his suitemate took a bath, Jonathan’s room had water pouring from the base of the wall. The new room is dry, thankfully, but now he has a fellow occupant who smokes something other than cigarettes making it difficult for Jonathan to study – let alone breathe in his room.

On the bright side, he has absolutely LOVED his work at the museum and has easily moved through the tasks he was given to manage. He had genealogical research done in the first week that his superiors thought would take months. He had good managers who believed in him and who gave him opportunities to teach others and to lead different projects. Despite missing out on nearly a month of work due to illness, he is practically finished with all the research and documentation that he was hired to do for the semester. The opportunity to work with the museum gave him a great deal of new-found confidence and it was a great experience that will help him in the coming years.

So what does this mean for the future? We have discussed this at length with Jonathan and we agree that nine hours of classes a week plus work was just too much and the hours are a requirement for a Master’s student. He is very meticulous and careful about his assignments which caused too much stress for the amount of reading and written papers that needed to be completed each week. We do not feel this semester was a waste of time, though. The experiences he has been through have been valuable lessons concerning how to handle the unpredictability of life. Just because life doesn’t go as smoothly as we think it will, it doesn’t mean that God didn’t place us in that position to learn something. At present, we are unsure if he will be taking classes again as a Master’s student, yet we don’t feel any discouragement about it at all. We know God will use this time for his glory and Jonathan will be led in the way he should go.

In the life of a saint, there is no such thing as chance. God, by his providence, brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, and the only thing you know is that the Spirit of God understands. Never take your circumstances into your own hand and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here. I must watch this and guard that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God; never think this strange concerning the circumstances you are in. God is bringing you into certain places and among certain people for a reason: so that the Holy Spirit inside you can intercede along a particular line.
-Oswald Chambers

Simplify, Simplify

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail… Simplify, simplify.

Henry David Thoreau

There’s something to simplifying life. For over a decade, we dragged around boxes of memorabilia from childhood, high school, and college. We had to have a garage, shed, or extra bedroom just to store them! Through the years, we’ve been able to evaluate what is meaningful and what needs to be let go. What freedom! We are still in the process of simplifying. We have a neighbor who has yard sales often and comes by the house every now and then to see if we have anything we don’t want anymore. He pays us a little money for it and it’s a happy little arrangement. The less we have to manage and store, the better we feel.

The things in life which make us the more content are really the simple things, the stray gifts. An impromptu trip to the local rose garden, photos from a friend of baby robins in a nest, or a mini apple pie brought home by Jonathan one day all are things that fill the day with goodness. Here are just a few gifts from the last several months!

Top Row (left to right): 1) Our roses came out strong this year in April- better than last year! 2) The roses in the center are from the local rose garden. We took an impromptu tour of the garden on the way back from a doctor’s appointment. 3) The flowers on the right were brought to me for my birthday back in May!

Middle Row: 1) The scent of honeysuckle in the yard is heavenly! 2) Jonathan has been volunteering at a local museum while waiting to hear about jobs he has applied for. He stopped one day at Whataburger to get something to eat and thought to bring us each an apple pie. So thoughtful! 3) The last photo is of a card folder that holds four cards and envelopes. I’ve made six in the last few months for others who like to gift cards like I do! My card-making business is doing well with one order after another this year!

Bottom Row: 1) We love having birds in our yard! 2) The middle photo was sent to me by a friend in Pennsylvania. How sweet is this photo? That color blue is so pretty. 3) A friend in New Mexico took this photo during a garden tour. Someone had a meadow in their front yard. I love the “wildness” of this landscape.

I still enjoy finding stray gifts in my path and it’s neat to see others sharing theirs with me!

Things Happen

Things happen which would not happen without prayer. Let us not forget that.

Elisabeth Elliot

Have you ever prayed and felt right then and there that you had God’s attention? Jonathan and I had something happen a few weeks ago when we heard an answer to prayer within seconds.

Due to John’s health struggles and time for healing, our truck has sat mostly untouched in our driveway for two years. John has been unable to deal with getting a new battery, an inspection, new plates, and any repair work needed. Our truck hauled a fifth-wheel trailer on deputation. It carried us to and from Mexico for years as we used it for ministry. It has been good to us and we were saving it for Jonathan to drive if needed once it was all fixed up. Recently, the truck really needed attention because our car was going to the repair shop and we had to have a second vehicle.

On a day when he felt well enough to accomplish a few things from the “to-do” list, John took the truck battery to be replaced and found that, due to a warranty, the battery was exchanged at no charge! Another day, he was able to get the truck inspected, the windshield replaced, and the oil changed. For some reason that day, the truck alarm system was not cooperating and kept going off every time he started the truck. His key fob wasn’t working, so he called me to bring mine to see if the alarm would shut off then. Jonathan and I met him at the Walmart car center with my old key fob. Nothing was working. We bought new batteries for the fobs and that still did not keep the alarm from going off. By this time, others in the parking lot seemed to be getting irritated, but we didn’t know what was the problem. John called the business that installed the alarm to see what was the matter and he was given instructions on how to disarm the system. Still no success. Jonathan and I were sitting in the car watching John struggle with the alarm when out loud I prayed, “Lord, please help John. He’s had such a rough time and he’s doing his best to get things done as he is able. Please help him figure out how to stop the alarm!”. All of a sudden, we hear the truck turn over, but this time…no sound other than the rumble of the diesel engine. Relief! Jonathan and I looked at each other in shock. And then we laughed. We bowed our heads again and quickly prayed for everyone we could think of who has been on our hearts. While we had the ear of God, why not? (Don’t we always, though?) John drove over to the car beaming that the truck started with no blaring alarm set off. We told him we just prayed for him and he agreed that God had heard and answered. He took the truck to the alarm installation business and when they saw our key fobs, there were a few raised eyebrows. Apparently, the whole alarm system is outdated by thirteen years and that’s the reason there were problems. For the time being, we don’t need the alarm since we aren’t traveling anymore and are not going over to Mexico. We do not even need a diesel F-250 truck, either, but since it’s paid for, and unless someone offers to buy it, we will use it for now.

Sometimes, it seems the portals of Heaven open up and our requests go straight to God’s ears and the answer comes right away. Other times, we wait for answers. Things happen in life and at times I feel, “Well, God is in control. He knows what is going on and is working on the other end”, and I leave it at that – not stopping to actually pray about a certain situation in my life or in someone else’s. I believe that day’s short in-desperation request to God made a difference. When I think of that instance, I am reminded that God does care about our life things, even trivial ones. I don’t ever want to forget.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

I Peter 5:7

A Piece of Clock-Work

The course of the seasons is a piece of clock-work, with a cuckoo to call when it is springtime.

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–1799)

Cool, restless winds have been blowing for the last few weeks with a nice day in between here and there. In spite of this, blooms are popping open day by day in our backyard- a welcome site to see. A friend of mine who lives in New Mexico told me that there was a little snow on her car this morning, yet she has a hyacinth blooming and a golden currant budding. I told her they were raising their heads in defiance. In my imagination, I saw our own flowers “shaking their fists” at the cool air reminding winter weather that, according to the calendar, it is now springtime. Like clockwork, the plants are waking up and our vines are stretching toward the sun. We have more buds on our Lady Banks rose vines than ever before. Last year, there were hardly any! My day lily is returning as well and may need to be repotted this year. To our surprise, our Virginia Creeper is returning with loads of new leaves. We have tried that particular plant in two other areas which it didn’t like. The third time is the charm, we suppose because, in the newer location, it is thriving! Starting in April, our water restrictions begin again, so I know the winds will die down soon, the nice weather will stay for a few weeks, and then the heat will return. It’s such a fun time of year because we find new stray gifts every day in our yard.

Here are the latest stray gifts with descriptions down below.

Top Left: Wisteria branches twisting around each other – how interesting!
Top Middle: Sunset glow on last year’s purple passionflower pods
Top Right: White Lady Banks Roses blooming
Middle Left: Yellow Lady Banks Roses making an appearance as well
Center: Jonathan spotted this web a few days ago. He crunched up a few dried leaves and sprinkled them into the web to see what the spider would do. She didn’t like that at all and immediately proceeded to tidy her space. Jonathan watched her take each leaf piece and push it out of the web. He was highly entertained by that! The winds have beaten up her web the last few days and torn it a bit, yet each morning Jonathan finds the web to be clean and repaired.
Middle Right: The return of our day lily – a plant I bought for $3.00 on clearance a few years ago!
Bottom Left: Random wildflower seeds were planted here, so we are not sure what flowers we will have in this space – a fun surprise!
Bottom Right: This is a scrapbook that a long-time friend of ours from Washington State made us. In it, are photos of Jonathan and our family that I did not even know she had! She wrote special memories by the photos and wrote notes on each page. What a gift of love! The book arrived around the time we were packing for our trip to see West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX where Jonathan has been accepted into their Master of Arts Program in History. Tears rolled down our faces as we looked through the precious photos she had collected. A stray gift, for sure, and a priceless treasure!

(Photo Credit for this blog entry’s image belongs to my friend Kara who lives in Pennsylvania.)

Where the Buffalo Roam

The Texas Panhandle is so flat, if you stand on a bucket, you can see tomorrow.

Stories from Texas

The winds of change have been softly stirring in this house lately. If you have followed our family’s journey through this blog, you know that last year was a very difficult one with John’s health. I won’t go into all that here as the entries can be read through previous posts. At present, he is in physical therapy for his back and has another Botox treatment coming up to help with his migraines. The ankle is an ongoing issue. A huge praise is that the VA granted him more disability compensation he applied for which helps him focus on finding a balance with his health issues instead of worrying about how he is going to manage a full-time job. This has been a huge relief!

Jonathan has been applying for work in many places yet hasn’t received any requests for an interview anywhere. We know that there is a gap in his work history that might not look so good on his resumé. It is not that he hasn’t been working, it is a matter of where. He has helped me in more ways at home than I can ever write about with my dad and John. Both have had many surgeries and procedures over the years in which Jonathan was instrumental in their recovery. While I was helping one of the men, Jonathan was helping the other. I could not have done all that by myself! But at this stage in his life, something has to change. We agree that he has a life of his own to live. Through many conversations and much prayer, he said he would like to pursue a Master of Arts in History degree. He graduated from UTEP in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and with a minor in Museum Studies. He excels in research and is passionate about western U.S. history. He is not going to find the education needed for what he wants to do here in El Paso as the focus is on the Borderland. We started looking at other schools and after viewing information about West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, he said that was the one. The same day, he applied for their Master’s program. He has been fully admitted to the program now and welcomed into their “Buff Community”. Plans are in the making. Jonathan also applied for scholarships/financial aid. With his 3.9 GPA from UTEP, we pray he qualifies for one that would pay for the education and living expenses! Wouldn’t that be amazing? We’re praying the Lord blesses him in a special way.

We took a trip to Canyon, Texas a few weeks ago to look at the school and the area. We loved it! We toured the campus and Jonathan thought it was spectacular. In the area, we visited the Palo Duro Canyon State Park and loved being in nature. We enjoyed several museums, too! Jonathan said he could spend days just reading all the information at each exhibit. There are roads that stretch for miles with no stop sign or traffic light in sight. Bliss! Just wide open country. We were in awe of just how far one could see over the plains. John drove for hours on backroads – a favorite activity of ours and also my favorite way to take a nap! It was a much-needed relaxing week. We saw buffalo, cardinals, prairie dogs, and many other stray gifts in our path! We also stayed in Lubbock so Jonathan could compare Texas Tech University with West Texas A&M. West Texas A&M still had a hold on him.

There are many decisions to make if Jonathan goes through with attending classes in the fall semester. It means packing, finding a place to live, and getting settled with household items and groceries. No official plans can be made until we know about scholarships and/or employment to help fund the advancement of his education. Jonathan called the financial office to check on the status and he was told they received his applications for financial aid and are working on finding a good fit for him. Please pray with us that he will receive the blessing of a full scholarship!

This is an exciting time for Jonathan and we are thrilled about this opportunity!

What’s in the Mail Today?

It would be fun to send a letter back, oooh, yeah – It makes me smile to think my friends would say, “I wonder what’s in the mail today?”.

From the children’s show, Bear in the Big Blue House

When Jonathan was little, one of his favorite television shows was Bear in the Big Blue House. In every episode, the big bear would sing a song about checking the mail to see if anyone had written to him. That tune was so ingrained in our brains, that it still comes to mind often when we check the mail!

Before I started selling my cards, I handmade them for friends and family and sent them out often. I used to have a jar full of paper strips with names on them. Each week, I would pull out a few names and make a card to send out. I haven’t done that in a while especially since requests for cards started happening. I had quite a few orders last year and my friend Kara was a big purchaser as she needed graduation, birthday, and thinking of you cards. I have known Kara since my college days and we often wrote letters and e-mailed each other to send updates and photos of our lives. Do you remember cameras not attached to phones? And film rolls that had to be taken or sent off to a photo print shop to print photos? I remember not knowing how the photos would turn out until I received them in the mail. Even with texting and social media nowadays, we still send handwritten notes to each other here and there as we continue to value that personal touch. She is such an encouragement to me in my card-making and doesn’t mind when I experiment with new techniques and layouts. Her enthusiasm gives me the courage to keep trying new styles of handmade cards. She also was the first person to ‘nudge’ me to sell the cards I had been crafting!

I still make them for others “just because” as I am able because I know how much fun it is to receive a letter or a card! It has been a while since I posted a card-making blog post. I had intended to share often, but you know how life has a way of changing plans! I have a few family updates to share as well, but for now, I will show you a few cards I made last February for Kara.

In the first collage are various birthday cards. I had recently bought balloon die cuts and a birthday one, too (which was more intricate than I thought it would be), and was experimenting with them. I haven’t used these in a while and this encourages me to take them out again!

Kara takes beautiful nature photos and I always thought they would make great cards. I used a photo editor to make them look like watercolor paintings and embossed the images so they would seem like watercolor paper. I left the cards without sentiments so that they were more versatile for a birthday, sympathy, thinking of you, get well, etc.

Here I played around with different papers, inks and stamps, stickers, and elements for a vintage-type card. I loved how these turned out as it differs from what I usually gravitate towards.

I view my cardmaking as a ministry because I know it means a lot to me when someone reaches out with a handwritten note. I do charge for card-making expenses, though, especially with so many requests in the last year. For a set of 10 cards, the price is $35.00. This includes shipping. The price may be raised in another year, but for now, John and I feel comfortable with this.

You can see more cards I make on Instagram @ stray_gifts_studio. I’d also like to encourage you to write a note to someone- just a simple “Hello”, or “Thinking of You”. Send something special out in the mail today.

Just for kicks, I looked to see if I could find the song. As we watched the video, the little boy in Jonathan grinned from ear to ear at hearing a long-time favorite. The grown-up aspiring historian Jonathan said, “Ohhh…look at the architecture of that house! It looks like the classic Victorian style that I like”. Haha! We had fun looking back for a few minutes. Stray gifts!

The Real Danger

The real danger is not in facing the enemy; it’s in failing to trust in the Lord.

Note written in my Bible margin

This year has been a rough one. It started with John having ankle surgery, which was an ordeal in itself, but the surgery site then became grossly infected. After that, he felt as if the screw that was put in his ankle was sticking out from the bottom of his foot. At each follow-up doctor appointment, the x-rays showed differently, yet John still felt there was a knot there making it uncomfortable to walk. During one appointment, the doctor finally looked at the bottom of the foot instead of trusting the x-ray. There was a wart there! Another appointment was scheduled to remove it. In the meantime, we had heard from a friend and had seen on the internet that duct tape will remove the wart. This remedy is called “duct tape occlusion” in which duct tape is placed on the wart to cover it. The tape is to be replaced every three to five days and should, in time, remove the wart layer by layer. John tried this in the weeks before the removal appointment. When he went in to have the wart removed, there was barely anything to remove! John mentioned to the doctor that he had used duct tape on the bottom of the foot and that it had possibly helped dry it up. John said the look on the doctor’s face was priceless. We’re guessing this method wasn’t anywhere in the medical books and he wasn’t amused. We were, though. Haha. The wart is 90% better and the ankle is still healing.

The Alpha-stim apparatus is helping with an overall feeling of well-being, but it hasn’t helped with his chronic migraines. John tried Aimovig for six months and after that, he tried Ajovy injections which were done at home once a month for six months with no real improvement. Yesterday, he had an appointment with his neurologist to receive botox injections (or “snake poison”, John says). Research has shown it to be effective in relieving migraines for some patients. The doctor gave him a shot in the arm of Toradol to help with the migraine he had yesterday and then proceeded with thirty-one injections around his shoulders and neck, in his skull, and in his forehead. He feels a bit numb today but was told that this is normal. He will receive another set of injections in twelve weeks. He may not see any improvement for a few months or even after a few treatments, but he is willing to try. He has been battling migraines for at least thirty years. Surely, there is something out there to help.

Recently, John and Jonathan were in a car accident. Jonathan was driving and had stopped at a stop sign. The men looked both ways and saw no one coming, so Jonathan pulled forward. From the right, a woman driving a small car (who had the right away) slammed into the front right side of the car, smashing the headlight and denting the door a little. There was a line of cars parked to the right on the side of the road making it impossible to see the car coming. No one was hurt, thankfully. We can still drive the car, but we are careful to not drive too much. Repair work is scheduled for the end of December.

My blood pressure is still a bit too high even with increased medication, but I am still feeling better and have more energy than I did at the beginning of the year.

After the year we’ve had, we feel like we’ve been facing the enemy – discouragement. It really has been one thing or another which has tested the belief that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). I know we are not the only ones who have had a rough year. I have close friends and family who have had major life changes this year due to health issues, the loss of a family member, financial struggles, and other concerns. The real danger though isn’t Satan who tells us God does not care and is not interested in our trials. The Bible tells us that Christians are not exempt from adversity in Matthew 5:45 – “he [God] maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust”. Forgetting that God has not forsaken us and failing to trust Him to carry us through life is the real danger.

I will close with a few more words and include my stray gifts and in another post. The title of this blog entry is entitled, “The Real Danger”. When I opened my Bible last week to listen to a sermon on Psalm 11, I saw my handwritten note from some time ago which said, “The real danger is not in facing the enemy; it’s in failing to trust in the Lord.” It hit me hard and is something I’ve been thinking about all week. And while the sermon was in Psalm 11, underlined verses from Psalm 9 caught my eye on the left page of my Bible. We have felt discouraged. We have struggled with health issues, finances, and trials. But deep down, we know the truth that God does not forsake His own and I am thankful for the reminders in various ways to keep seeking Him in times of trouble.

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Psalm 9:9-10