Sweet September

So we arrived home to a gorgeous September.
Lots of sunshine and warmth plus my super wonderful bed and bathroom.
(cue music) These are a few of my favourite things.

I LOVE this month with its crisp evening air and the still longish days and the afternoon heat that still feels like summer.
And I LOVE that I don't quite have to start work yet.
I'm on holidays and it feels extra special because, well, it's September and it feels like I SHOULD be at work or school but I'm playing hookie.

The trip home was arduous due to delayed ferries and lack of planning.  Oops on my part...Patrice was really not impressed. Therefore, the drive down the rainy sunshine coast to Vancouver took about 13 hours.  However, at some point on the holiday I was wrapped in some sort of blanket of peace and I just kept snuggling into it.  Trials come and trials go, but this peace and calm in the midst of either?  I'll take it!  It felt otherworldly and I loved it.  Thank you Jesus.

And hallelujah, Anita's condo provided a somewhat comfortable refuge (I slept on a rather narrow couch) to break up the trip back. We continued on to Kelowna, beloved home, the next day.

This week we celebrated Mom and Dad's 64th!!!! anniversary at the Orient with Chinese Food and Mom gave testimony of how she had been healed of her dizziness and fainting spells at a prayer meeting last week.  Apparently she had fainted in the car on the way there as Elsie drove and therefore Elsie felt compelled to get that group to pray for mom despite her protests.  As usual, Mom simply wanted prayer for her unbelieving husband, but for the second time in her life, the Lord healed her instead of Dad getting saved quite yet.  He's sure digging in his heels. Look at this cute little bunch of us, still soldiering on...

I am thrilled to report that Mom has not had any dizzy or fainting spells in the 10 days since that time.  They had been plaguing her with increasing frequency but are now GONE!  This whole prayer and healing thing??  It remains a mystery, but I'm ridiculously happy when that power lands on someone - ANYONE - and delivers them from pain down here while they're still struggling through.

Since getting home I have also been selling furniture out of the shop.  We have so much STUFF that I'm eager to purge and yesterday I gave a king sized bed to two gals.  They drove away with it on the roof of their little white car which i found quite amazing.  Part of me wants to keep stuff "just in case" and I realize that mentality is not one of faith or of living simply.  So I hope to improve in my ability to trust.  And let go.  And live more simply.

And today has been a lovely, quiet, sunny Saturday.  Patrice and I were sitting out on the front porch enjoying the beautiful morning with the puppies when Daniel came biking by and drove up to spend some time with us.  That was just lovely.  I didn't know these kids would be adults with their own lives so soon and I drink in the moments that I get to sit in their presence and enjoy their easy camaraderie. I wish it would happen more, but ... contentment.  Gratefulness.  This is all only temporary.

My hands and back are so uncomfortable that I have just stayed home and done very little.  I am pondering how I am going to manage life with this much pain in my hands and with my right shoulder being so tight and painful.  Even after a fabulous massage and chiro treatment yesterday.

It almost seems surreal that this osteoarthritis is not going to reverse itself and I have to make huge life changes in order to protect what mobility I still have.  I'm moving in and out of these thoughts as I ponder how and when to make big changes.  Unless of course one of those healings happen to fall on me.  That would be super awesome.

Trusting.
And enjoying being home with my beloved daughter.  These kind of beautiful things happen when she is around.  She can even make breakfast look like a piece of artwork.