Pilgrimage

My baby girl is sick. She started coughing the night before last, this morning she is running from her eyes and nose, chapped face, a fever, and a pink eye. I'm hoping the pink eye is because of the cold, and not "pink eye." Kaitlyn is my singer of the family. She's been singing non stop since 2. She makes songs up, she answers questions by singing, she just loves singing. This morning she woke up singing her ABC's through once, and then started in on, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do...." I'm going to have to try finding a stuffed hippo for her I guess. Nonetheless, my day which was supposed to be filled with wiping down walls and furniture, will be spent sitting in a doctor's office.

I've been thinking a lot about the last few weeks. I was reminded of a time, only a few months ago, that my clothes drier broke. We couldn't afford to fix it, so that resulted in drying all of our clothes on a clothes line. That was hard work. The Lord showed me how I had become too ungrateful and took for granted so much. We've spent nearly two weeks all camping in a pop up camper, cooking over a fire and Coleman stove, fixing quick fix meals and getting that real quick fix of a drive through. While we won't have a full functioning kitchen when we get in, I am so grateful for the anticipation of getting into our home. I know the Lord will provide the needs we have for furniture, as well as for the other miscellaneous items. I was reminded last night from a sweet lady at Pine Summit, the Bible says He will provide our needs, what we have to have. It doesn't say He will provide our wants. Now, don't get me wrong, there are many stories I can tell where the Lord has provided my hearts desire....where He has blessed me with a want and not a need; however, right now, I am learning to be content in all things, whether it is making a pallet on the floor, or cooking over an open fire.

My other children are stirring, I have a full list of to-do's to tackle. Please be praying for a quick recovery for my baby Kaitlyn (she's not a baby anymore, she's just turned 3, but she is the baby of the family and it has stuck. In fact, she tells everyone her name is "Baby Sister." ) Also, I have family members traveling today to different parts of the states, please be praying for them as well.

Bless you and your family....I'd like to challenge you to look around, see what it is you are taking for granted today, thank the Lord for your abundance. If you are like us today, struggling to get by, and not understanding what the purpose is of the valley you are in, find something of the situation to be grateful about. If you can't find anything, ask the Lord to show you one thing you can be grateful for. I know He will honor that prayer, even (especially) if you don't mean it. I am grateful for the food basket we were given yesterday from a local public school society. I am grateful that I have a husband who accepted me, my past and my daughter without any judgement when he married me. I am grateful for a mother in law who accepted Kayla as her own grandchild, even before we were married and that she never said I wasn't good enough for her son. I am grateful for the restoration of my family from the years of deceitfulness, lies and manipulation and stealing. I am grateful that the Lord blessed me with three new babies (one in being rocked by Jesus) when the world's doctor's said I would never have anymore. I am grateful for the pop up camper we have called home for the last two weeks, for I see now that home is not the structure, but the uniting of family. We have come together in a special way these last two weeks. I love my husband more today than I did a month ago when we were told to leave our home...

I am truly blessed.