Hiatus

Time flies...

Just about five months have flown past between posts. What a packed five months it has been!

I find it interesting that my last post was about savoring time together with my spouse and now I am writing about taking a break. I hadn't planned to take a break from Whisper. Life got really busy and I lost momentum. So here is a brief synopsis if my hiatus.

*** We finished our first year homeschooling. WOW! I really enjoyed the school year. I am excited about our upcoming year! We are adding a couple of subjects and planning some fabulous learning trips.

*** My folks came for a good visit. Always a good family time.

*** Trip to Goodlettsville, Tennessee for the Annual Gathering of the Advisory Council and Board of Directors meeting of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. This trip is always a little like going home. A two day meeting interspersed with prayer, worship and family time.

*** We did costuming for a local theater group. All For One Productions is a faith based theater company that does great shows. I was privileged to work on "Emma" in January. Then in I also did a costume for "Women of Lockerbie" in April. I enjoyed working on both shows and look forward to future collaborations. This coming season has some amazing shows.

*** "Life in the Spirit Seminar" is a weekend, local church, renewal event. It is one of several such events that are facilitated by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. I got to serve on a team that went to Woodstock IL in late April. I always go on these teams wanting to give of myself and whatever the Lord is telling me to share. I always come home blessed beyond my imaginings. I love doing this!

*** In May ... Unplanned Surgery. Sigh. I woke up early one Monday morning and my chest burned whenever I would breathe deeply. Off to the Doctor, then from there to the emergency room. You know when your doctor is offering to call an ambulance, you freak out slightly. We arrived at the E.R. and the Doctor there listened to my complaints and said "I think it is your gall bladder." My first thought was " I haven't had tummy troubles?" But sure enough the sonogram showed gall stones and major inflammation. Admitted to the hospital and scheduled for surgery. WOW did that throw me for a loop. Suddenly I cannot even get off the couch without help. Mom came for a week and helped out. I am so blessed by my mom and hubby. They took great care of me, helped with the girls, and generally helped me cope with the upheaval. So for six to eight weeks I was on lifting restriction. Pixie ran around saying " Mama! Should you be lifting that?" " Mama, I need to carry that for you!" "Mama! Put that down!" So I had no chance to push the envelope, I had to behave. UGH.

*** July brought kitchen renovations, Aldersgate conference in Charleston, WV, Mystic Mountain Summer camp for the girls. Camp Blast for T while Pixie went to Camp Powtowatami here in town. Then our friends from Vienna Austria arrived for a few days stay. The next thing we knew it was August.

*** August was full with a trip to Aunt Linn & Uncle John's for the girls and softball tournament for me. I am so glad I chose to play softball with my church's team! I learned a lot and I am looking forward to next season. We also participated in our only living history event this summer at the end of August. Hopefully we will get to do a few more events next year.

*** September rolled in with a roar! A visit from Busia and Grandpa - the Admiral's folks. A sprinkly day spent at terrific air show. Then the next week we left for vacation. which you will hear more about in the coming week.

As you can see it was jam packed summer full of planned and unplanned adventures. Through it all I can say that Jesus walked us through, providing what we needed as we fielded each curve ball. Reminding me along they way of how incredibly blessed we are and how fortunate. We all have hurts we carry, dark valley's we walk through, people we care for who are walking through dark valley's of their own, we can turn to Him. He will carry us through. We can trust Him in every situation good, bad, and ugly. We can give him our pain, frustration, and uncertainty and He will return to us our joy!

Lord help me to turn to you everyday with the small things as well as the big, Help me to trust that you see the big picture and know what is best for my life. Thank you for providing before I even know we have a need. Thank you for giving comfort in the midst of seeming chaos.

Caite

Berries & 'Squitos

  I love berry season! I love the sweet, tangy, tart, bursts of flavor. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Black Raspberries, Blackberries - I love preserving the summery goodness to provide hiatus to the winter blahs. Berries in my freezer, like my own private pirate treasure, hidden away in the dark, awaiting the moment I decide to make shakes or smoothies or some other fruited treasure. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy! I revel in the bags of frozen goodness and containers of freezer jam.
   I do NOT like mosquitoes. One must brave the biting hordes if one desires to add black raspberries to ones treasure stash. Yesterday, I made my way with a friend to a black raspberry patch off the beaten path. After about 5 minutes I realized I had come to the battle unarmed as mosquitoes swarmed over us and made it difficult to even think about berries. We retreated to the van and ran back to the house for bug spray. Rinsing our selves off and quickly spraying down with bad smelling bug stuff. We went back to the berry patch and waded in. We picked doggedly for about 40 minutes, swatting each other as the pesky critters bit even through our clothes. It was better ... sort of. After many bites and several scratches I have approximately 1.5 cups of black raspberries. We conceded the battle but not the war. I am headed back today to see if perhaps I can come out victorious with enough precious tarts to save for winter. If not...I'll make a cobbler and call it good. I will again enter the fray in a week or so when the blueberries are ripe.

      I did a little better with the strawberries. I am thinking that perhaps I will try one more day to get some red goodness. Last week I obtained enough berries to make 14 pints of strawberry and 2 pints of triple berry freezer jam. Its wonderful flavor a bright and cheery note at breakfast or on ice cream. My sister is visiting perhaps I will shanghai her to help me. Of course this whole process is a labor of love... because once you pick the berries you must clean and process them as soon as possible so as to preserve as much as possible from rot. This is a whole day process then - the picking and preserving.  I love the process though it is tiring and I enjoy the products. The work is something so different from my daily life. It makes me stop and think and wonder at all the bounty God has given.

Lord, Thank you for your bounty and for the challenge to take time and enjoy the process. Thank you for a flash of summer in wintertime through the labors of today!  Caite girl