Goodness and Hope

My Mom, Dad and Aunt are visiting

my Oma, other Aunts and Uncles.

I just talked to my Mom

and she said that my Aunt

whose house burnt down in September

was just telling her Mom

my Oma,

who will God willing be 102 years old this Christmas Eve (December 24)

that a lot of her photos,

boxes of them,

have been spared

as the fire did not destroy all of the main floor.

My Aunts friends are helping her dry out the pictures

(it took 5 firetrucks worth of water to overcome the fire

that raged most of the night / early morning hours).

I asked my Mom what the house looked like -

devastation she said;

outside walls still standing.

But I am so hearted by what was spared.

My Uncle's work clothes, my Aunt's dishes,

tea pot, silverware,

their new wood stove,

many of the doilies my Oma made

my Opa's Martinitoren!!

(His cross stitch I mentioned in the September post)

Just that my Aunt has her dishes, many of her pictures

(we do not know about the wedding pictures),

my Uncle's work clothes.

That is very heartening.

Though losing everything else

is understandably still significant.

But I am so thankful that in God's mercy that

He preserved some of what my Aunt and Uncle had.

I am still so happy about one of my loved one's getting

a full time job

after years of trying to scramble enough money to live

by doing various part time jobs.

Michelle's post on God's peace

and the song she put with it,

was an encouragement to me this morning,

and the song is so beautiful and uplifting.

*

I am working on three various job applications and have a forth to do

next week as well.

I am still dealing with some unbloggable stuff

but so is everyone and

God is with us.

It is hard to maintain one's encouragement and stamina

but with God's help I will make it through

and I pray that God will help us all

make it through our various trials in this life...