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  • Writer's pictureGrace

A Week So Sweet

I can hardly believe it's been a week since I last posted. That was not my intentions at all. It has been a whirl of pleasantness and I feel like my heart is so full it could almost burst.


I cannot thank you all enough for reading my blog posts about our life and financial story as well as some of my struggles with everything that happened this spring. Writing and getting all my thoughts out proved very cathartic. Thank you for being part of this process for me and for all of your wonderful emails and messages. They meant so much to my heart. I am reminded again that the good is always stronger than the bad. We had such an awful experience with one person and yet the amazing goodness that we have experienced through so many others just blows me away.


This spring we met a couple here that had a very similar thing happen to them. Different circumstances but someone they loved and trusted very much betrayed them and went back on their word to them. They were devastated. In talking to a friend, I told her that unfortunately there is no insurance policy against finding out that someone you care about is not who you thought they were. There is no contract that can save you from broken relationships and that dishonest people will be dishonest, regardless of the safeguards you put in place. When talking with her, it was like my own words spoke deep to my heart and I realized that what happened this spring had nothing to do with us. People that are going to be dishonest are going to be that way, regardless of the situation. People who have anger issues are going to be angry regardless of the people around them. It brought a peace and settledness that there was nothing we could have done to avoid this situation and I can rest knowing that we walked upright, we have a clear conscience, and what someone else did is on them and does not define our worth and value. I think because we cared so deeply about this person and had been close friends for a long time, the sting of being thrown to the garbage like we had no worth affected me deeper and has been harder to work through. I can feel my heart healing and my mind seems less and less tormented by the words that were said. The recurring dreams have almost stopped and my sleep has mostly returned to normal. I no longer feel my heart beat out of my chest and my breathing restrict every time a red pickup passes us on the road, thinking he is stalking us. Each week I feel myself relaxing more and more in the safety of this place and the sweet friends we have here.



Last Tuesday I drove the 2 hours back to the reservation with the children to visit a sweet friend for the day. I have tried to be very intentional to maintain my friendships there even though we no longer live there. We had a wonderful day and the children had so much fun playing with their friends. We also picked up our chickens that they had been keeping for us so we finally have our little egg layers back. : ) My daughter has been loving having to take care of them again and gathering the eggs each day.


Thursday my daughter had her first cooking day where she made all three meals herself. She did amazing! I was very impressed with her abilities. Breakfast and lunch were very simple but dinner was quite the feat! She made a salad, scalloped potatoes, and honey mustard chicken drumsticks. It was all so good. The only help I gave her was to peel potatoes and explain some of the recipe instructions that she had questions about. She did fantastic! This week she planned another menu and we picked up all that we needed when we did our grocery shopping. I am looking forward to seeing her grow in her skills and abilities.




On Friday night we went to the Rodeo in town. I enjoyed the evening so much that I forgot to take any pictures! It was very nostalgic for us, as this rodeo in this town was the first rodeo we had ever gone to. We were there with our first child at 1 years old in what was a new town to us without any friends, this time we were there with all 3 children and we were surrounded by friends. What a difference!


Saturday saw us back at the fair grounds most of the day for the 4-H sale and other activities. My husband was in charge of purchasing a steer and hog for the company he works for. I spent the day walking around with friends and visiting. It seemed every time I turned around I saw someone else we knew. It made my heart so happy to be surrounded by so many friends and to be in a place where I knew so many people. I have often felt like the outsider in new places and it was such a wonderful feeling to feel like I belonged and fit in this area even though we have lived here such a short time.


Church was good as usual. I cannot even begin to describe how friendship and fellowship start the week off on such a good foot. I'm always so encouraged and uplifted. I just love this little country church in the middle of hay fields on a gravel road, where most of the vehicles are pickups and every single person knows every one else in attendance. These people who are so sincere in their desire to serve God and earnest in their hunger for more of Him. I love the noon meal we always share together after the service and the camaraderie of the women in scurrying downstairs after church to set out food and get everything ready. There is a cooking rotation where one week you bring the main dish, the next week you bring a vegetable for a side dish, the next week you bring a salad, the next week you bring a dessert, and then the next two weeks you have a break. It works out so nice and gives a good rotation where nothing is falling too heavily on any one person.



Monday this week we put the house back in order, did school, and read books. It was hot and the children didn't play outside much as we were all pretty tired from our weekend so we read a lot. We were reading Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule. We all enjoyed it and as we are studying the civil war in history right now, it was interesting to see some of how it was after the war during the reconstruction era. It also brought up really good questions from the children that we got to discuss.


Tuesday I finalized my menu and grocery list for the week and loaded up to go to town. I had taken my husband to work earlier in the morning so that I could have our truck as it's our only vehicle. I loaded up ice chests and did a few chores and then we headed off to town. I love our little grocery store. It is simple and small, very clean and with the friendliest people. I love getting stopped by little old ladies that want to talk or say something to the children, I love being able to find everything I need and not have tons of choices. I love the simplicity of it and how it feels like a treat to do instead of a chore. However, it is so expensive! I am still trying really hard to figure out how to tweak things to make it more affordable. After shopping, we headed to the park to meet up with friends for a picnic lunch and then over to the city pool to swim. I'd never been to this pool before but it was really nice and very clean. The children had a blast! It was 100* that afternoon so the pool felt really wonderful! We came home exhausted but happy. I had the groceries to put away and then made chicken fajitas for dinner. It was a really fun day and I'm always reminded that it is the simple things that really mean the most.

Weekly Menu

Grocery List


Grocery Haul $133.07

Yesterday we had a productive day of school and housework and just enjoying being home. I had a phone call with a friend across the country and played outside with the children. We grilled deer steaks for supper along with corn on the cob and salad. It felt nice to have a quiet day after all the excitement we have had over the last week with things to do and friends to see. I enjoyed doing my daily work slowly instead of in a rush and breathed in the pleasantness of simply being home. What a privilege! Sometimes it hits me so strongly as I wipe down the table or sweep the floor, how incredibly blessed I am that I get to be home and with my children. To teach them, to do life alongside them, to enjoy them and grow with them. I feel so thankful that my husband has always worked so incredibly hard to provide for us and that I have been afforded the luxury of always being able to be here with our children. I wouldn't trade it for the world!


Well, I had better sign off now. Today is my daughter's cooking day and I should see if she needs any help in the kitchen. Thank you so much for your continued support and for reading my blog. It means so much to have you here.


Blessings,

Grace







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