For the last two months, Steve and I have been swimming in a sea of boxes. It seemed we'd unpack a dozen or so, and two dozen would appear in their place. Then three weeks ago, all of the boxes containing our new kitchen cabinets were delivered to our living room, dining room, and foyer. It truly resembled an Amazon warehouse!
The chaos escalated this week when electricians and cabinet installers were drilling, dismantling, unboxing, hammering, nailing, and measuring in the kitchen, AND the guys arrived to put down new flooring for the entire downstairs.
The noise level and the steady stream of workers going in and out have been dizzying and exhausting -- even though we're not the ones on a ladder or down on our hands and knees. It's enough to rattle your nerves, as I'm sure you can imagine.
Here is what my study looks like this morning, in case you're wondering why my blog post is a little late.
On the flip side, there has been life's personal "stuff" happening, too. But that's where the blessings started showing up.
Granddaughter Margaret (the one with whom I share a birthdate and who recently got her driver's license) called a few days ago and said, "Grandmomma, what are you doing this afternoon between 2:00 and 4:00? May I come over and hang out?" Talk about a spirit lifter!
Our son Matt has had some challenging moments this week, but his most recent text ended with "I love you as big as the sky!" -- the most important phrase between the two of us since he was a very young boy.
Daughter Laura has gone through some changes as BOTH of her children are now in public high school after she has carefully homeschooled them for years. Her last text ended with "I love you," then "I'm about to teach binary and hexadecimal number systems." What??? She teaches math classes online for Purdue Global. I confess I have no clue what she was talking about, but it's a blessing that SHE not only knows those things but can teach others.
The culminating blessing, though, for the whole family was the birth Tuesday night of Terrence Michael Freeborn, son of our granddaughter Allie and her husband Zechariah. He was born on 8/8, weighing 8 lbs. 8 oz. at 8:40 in the evening. Our daughter Julie, mother of 10, BECAME A GRANDMOTHER!!! We will call him Teddy.
This child has been prayed for since before conception and now has a prominent place in our family. I can't wait to hold this precious baby.
So, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude to God today. The dust will eventually settle, and the house will eventually be put back in order. All of that is temporary. God's goodness is everlasting.
1 Chronicles 16:34 -- "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!"