That makes me laugh. Not sure what 'normal' is these days. My normal, for the time being, has become a careful dance of scheduling as much as I can get into 16 hours. At the end of the day, when the boxes are packed and stacked in the hallway, another room is painted, and my kitchen is 'still' clean, I am thankful, mostly because I know that God answered His daughter's prayer of priorities. I like to imagine myself walking in His foot path through my day, one step at a time, and allowing Him to show me what comes next.
One of His precious promises is that He will go before us [always] and guide us. When you are moving a house of six people, that is a promise I will gladly cling to! Otherwise it's all just too overwhelming and scary. Needless to say, the house-packing is pretty much my job. It's funny how, as a couple, you naturally take to the tasks. Brian and I never sat down and divided up the list. It's this crazy assumption thing that happens when you have been with someone for so long. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It's actually quite a beautiful thing and I am enjoying going through every corner of this house, lived in for eleven full years, and 'dividing the spoil' - Goodwill, garbage. Goodness, what stash! I wonder, would I have ever gotten to these hidden spaces if not for moving?
The plan is to be out, completely, by October 31st. I'm praising God that He has kept us in this beautiful place (our job must not be done here yet:) called Foresthill and the move itself will be much simpler than moving across cities. The house is right around and down the way...maybe three minutes. I realize I haven't written much about what God has done for us. I will probably save that for a later post, when we are actually in the home and I can show you pictures and even take you on a virtual tour (with my new iphone 4s ;). In short, the faithfulness of our Father always astounds me and we are moving into a wonderful rental, I feel, hand-picked for the Holbrooks by the One who does not slumber or sleep.
It's funny, as I've been in and out of the Oakwood home daily now for the past few weeks, God has done something in me. The sadness of leaving Green Leaf has been replaced by an excitement and sense of His perfect will for our lives. Truly, the only thing I think I'm going to miss about this place I sit now, is the beautiful view I have overlooking a big Sierra sky and foothills. I will miss the colors of the morning as the sun crests and the sky is on fire with the brilliance of the Master who created it all, for us!
...and yet, the beauties of Oakwood have yet to be discovered. Oaks for sure. They abound on the property...big, glorious oak trees. They remind me of a place in my childhood...Grandma Carlo's in Sonoma....the oak scattered hills of Sonoma and Napa county. There will be new appreciations and I am thankful...so, so thankful for His provision! What a gracious God!
I'm thankful that His provisions come, not only in the realm of the physical, but also in the deep places of the landscape of my heart. His mercies are new every morning. I'm thankful for a weekend of worship, and being led into the throne room as our son Benjamin and the youth worship team of Canyon View played their best for their King. I'm so, so thankful that Jesus uses everything to round us up and bring us to a place He knows we need so desperately. We might go kicking and screaming, or we might go anticipating...either way...it's His work and I'm thankful for the surrender that happens in a place of the heart and spirit doing what it was created to do...worship! Beautiful things happen in that place, unexpected things.
...side note for my table of remembrance: don't want to forget the sweet vision He gave me as I knelt before Him of being at the most gently flowing stream in the middle of such glory, just me and Him. As I bent low to the water He said to me, "Just drink child. Drink up my love for you. Drink up my life-giving water. Be refreshed by my love for you. I see you and I want you to know that I'll be here any time you feel overwhelmed this week. Come back to this place of refreshing."
So, in closing, here I am this morning at the place of refreshing, drinking in His love for me before I walk the path He has for me this day. Fill me up my Beloved with the living water of Your truth, Your mercy, Your healing, Your gentleness, Your peace....overflowing so that it spills into everything I do today.
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