Thursday 13: Changing Times

Times are changing.  I've been saying I just don't have time to write.  Now I find myself with loads of time on my hands.  I keep feeling like I should be somewhere or doing something.  Weird.  I'm mostly trying to stay calm, hold fast to my God my Anchor and create a new normal for my kids who've been thrust into homeschooling for probably the remainder of the school year.  Currently, though, we are enjoying a cold and rainy Spring Break.  We are hoping the closest state park is still open tomorrow morning and not too horribly crowded since it'll be the first nice weather we've had in a while.

I'm excited to see some other bloggers coming awake and restarting some memes I enjoy like maybe Wednesday Hodgepodge.  That always gets your writing juices flowing.  Our pastors have certainly awakened the good ole blog and are sending us one a day to encourage and strengthen us at this time.  This one is my favorite so far... How God's Love Helps Us When We Are Afraid.

From my little corner of the world things were made more confusing by Spring Break.  Closures for our local University seemed partial because they were hoping they'd be temporary.  A lot of college kids, foreign and domestic, stayed in town way longer than they should have or would have because of this unknown.  Thankfully, it seems most have scattered to their homes or are huddling in for the duration.

I'm not understanding the wild run on toilet paper.  I'm cracking up at some of the creative solutions.  It's better to laugh than cry.  Like many Christians I'm trying to figure out what the balance is between social distancing and caring for others.  I loved this article because of its use of history and its encouragement.... What Courage Might Corona Unleash?

So, I'm going to do a 13 Thursday of things I'm thankful for amid the craziness:

1.  I am healthy in body and soul.  

2.  Technology...texting, phone calls, streaming, and group zoom.

3.  Reading...I always have a ridiculous list and now I can dig in...currently started Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop.  Wowsers.

4.  Disney Plus streaming...so many shows and movies from my childhood to share with my children.

5.  A fuzzy doggie named Scruffy who loves her mother and gives many snuggles.

6.  My lovely daughter that does laundry solo and does artsy fartsy stuff with me when she's not playing her French Horn.

7.  My adorable son who still gives me tight hugs, vacuums stairs better than anyone I know and is my fellow struggling extrovert cooped in the house.

8.  Sewing...I just finished binding two quilts.  I need to now focus on getting the top done on my Psalm 23 green disappearing pinwheel.  

9.  Board games...We are a board game loving family.  We  usually have regular gatherings.  I will be missing our peeps but enjoying our little unit's games.

10. My handsome hubby.  He's put up with a lot on top of having to go into work every day still.  Things go boom when chemical engineers stay home.  He's helped me set some boundaries on my social media intake cuz it was stealing my joy.  And he set some helpful rules for the kids time that has made my days much more peaceful.  I love him.

11.  Cooking and Baking...I'm so thankful for the skills my Mama taught me.  I'm glad I can make food even when I need/want to cinch up the grocery bill.  I'm making soups and baking bread.  

12.  Music...It has always spoken deeply to my soul, especially during times of trial.  I love being able to play piano and sing!  I also love having so many, countless, songs via technology.

13.  Glad I went mostly paperless in the last year.  We are already used to doing without paper napkins and paper towels.  TP will be more of a challenge so I'm hoping that craze ends soon and people stop the hoarding.  But, we'll do what we have to I suppose.  Watch out spare socks (see joke above).