Monday Adventures: NYC!

A very busy and good Monday was had for me, at least.

Sunshine! going to NYC after lunch!

Doing errands, seeing a new NYC Park, with beautiful trees,

and green leafed bushes... 

I came home early, to get the farm-to-table food delivery...

we had grocery delivery this morning

and in the later afternoon, I was at Trader Joes, 

stocking up on fast-friendly food (Lent is coming!),

had a chai tea latte (good but too much sugar)

and my first macaroon, (vanilla, did not realize how soft the 

outer shell is, but also very sweet),

and I made it home just in time for the last delivery,

before I had even put all of my Trader Joe's food away...

We are now stocked up on bone broth for Mr Husband,

we even got some jarred meat and chicken liver pate for him.

The tulips are a belated birthday present,

I just LOVE them!!! 

And I had just been thinking how I would love some

beautiful tulips in the house! God is so merciful to us!

***

We also got some belated Christmas presents!

A book I had been wanting!!! 

and Mr Husband got a wonderful hand repair set and

a get-well-gift of a wonderful (and vegan!) chocolate bar...

I put the chocolate away for a later Lenten day :)

***

Mr Husband and I talked briefly on the phone before he had dinner in NYC

and cabbed back home (he ate at work)...

I had so much goodness in my red cart (oh my goodness was it heavy),

was delighted in stocking my pantry with some new things,

and many staple things, like coconut oil, when he told me

that he needs to see 2 more doctor-related people,

plus his doctor, after hearing how he is doing, 

promptly told him he is not returning to work yet.

This is week 5 of him being so unwell that he can't be at work.

That was hard for me to hear, 

my poor beloved Husband!

Thankfully, and never fear, he is being well-taken care of by his

place of work and we are not in any sort of trouble by this,

we are so so blessed -- and I realize this very very much.... 

***

So, I am thinking of doing sewing on Wednesday morning and

DV have a friend coming Friday for lunch...

so this is a real blessing.

It's fast free week!

I've realized that to help Mr Husband I need to do 

some things in a week that keep me going,

so I am grateful for these plans... 

***

I am praying for Mr Husband to recover...

and I appreciate your prayers very much!

***

God is with us...

Recap of an usual week...

I knew this week I would need a lot of quiet.

I don't know how Moms do it, but I can see why this

article would apply.

After two months in Lent of buying our new home,

in which my husband refers to a few people involved as crazy...

(I still remember the night hours after the close when I realized

how very stressful it had all been)

and then the packing of our old home, 

at least 2/3 done by myself and then unpacking, again at least 2/3 by myself,

with the very real, true and stalworth help of my parents in the move

and preparing the house to be move-in ready,

then 3 weeks about of 24x7 kid-loving (and I did love it)

and then almost 2 weeks of again most needed, good and heartening help

from my parents-in-laws, a time that I treasure,

{esp. remembering my Dad in law's reading of the Book of Acts

that they were reading out loud after a somewhat late breakfast,

how alive it was and how well he understood the story and how to read it};

after all that socialization, plus dinner parties, house blessing

and all the whirl of blessings of the last months,

I would need at least two days of solitude, which thankfully 

Mr. Husband can be with me in without taking away deeply of the solitude.

*

Well, I got it.

The solitude.

Mr. Husband had a crazy 12 hour or so day on Monday,

a later but not as late day on Tuesday

and a quiet but intense work day Wednesday.

And by Monday night I was feeling ill

and by Wednesday feeling mostly better.

So my solitude was inwardly and outwardly imposed

and through it all I've had church hymns mainly playing in my mind

and the silence has been delightful.
And in the midst of it all,
I was able to go out with Mr. Husband on a daily walk or two... 

*

Kathleen Norris wrote of a child saying to effect of

silence is what allows one's soul to catch up with oneself.

*

I am still missing Kathleen Norris, as in a new book by her.

I do wonder if she will write another....

*

This link took me to two new blogs of artists

and I am feeling more and more the need for quiet

and some reading time.

*

Meanwhile our futon apparently is not hinged properly in assembly

and as of Wednesday does not want to stay upright.

My lovely peaceful quiet chapel. Sigh.
I blame myself, as I had wanted Mr. Husband to move it
according to my sense of space for the room...

*

That chapel I can say is the quiet centre of this home.

I am re-reading Gentian Hill as I mentioned earlier in this blog

and Elizabeth Goudge is good at naming homes
and what is in them.

The chapel-library, when it is not as a guestroom,
is my space of quiet,

the circle of quiet that so beautiful titles
Madeleine L'Engle's book.

*

We are working slowly on getting some new icons for the chapel;

will take most possibly a year or so as they 

are not yet made and are being made overseas.

*

I am endeavouring to start a new thing:

Sunday School at my church.

I love the children there.

We are a small parish and there is currently no Sunday School.

So I volunteered.

This means I need two things from any of you who want to offer them:

1. PRAYER. Please. You can't imagine. I do have a partial

personal awareness of my inward poverty and yet have

the idea of volunteering to teaching children in church.

It's a very serious thing and while on one hand I can be very well with children

and children tend to love me and know that I love them

but to teach.

Anyway, prayer please anyone and everyone.

2. Experiences in this nature.Please share. 
Comment, email, FB snail mail if you have it

whatever and what-have-you.

I hesitate to ask for ideas rather than experiences just as
my sense is that there is a lot of choice in how to do things
and I know I have to teach what I am able to
and in a way/manner/format that will work for me.
But your stories and what worked for you are very welcome.
I am going to a half day conference on this,
am reaching out to the people in my life who I know best
who have done Sunday School and am reading as I am able...

*

Sister Magdalen's book continues to be of help;

I hope to order her other book soon...

One of the helps of this book is also 

that she admits that she, to which I take to mean, 

all of us, do not do everything perfectly as we wish or mean to...

*

One thing I know:

I wish for a lot of time to prepare but August is looking like a lot of

family and friend visits and not as much time

as I would like.

Perhaps this is good as it is true of real life.
But I also trust that God will give me the time, information, people,
and things needed for this task.
And I must trust Him for mercy as I think
of the Bible verse about those who teach others
are more heavily judged.
*
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!

Moving...

A friend and I were emailing the other day

about the many times we have moved;

more and more of us have been in more than 10 places in ten years,

if one tallies them up.

School, new job, home, summer job, new school...

and before one knows it moving has been something done many times.

*

Yet I don't find moving easy.

*

Thank God we found packing help this time

and my Mom and I will pack DV also,

but still, it's never easy.

*

So:

Tell me, what are your best moving and packing tips?

And unpacking?

*

Would love to hear!