Open Hands

We were standing in in the nearly empty kitchen looking into the echoing living room bare of everything but two scrunched together couches.  It hit us again.  What are doing?  Are we crazy?  How can this be smart?

And it hit me again....the words I explained to the children at the beginning of this house selling journey.

"We cannot accept what God has for us, if we are holding so tightly to what we already have." We have to be willing to live life with an open hand because a closed hand can neither give or receive.  So we open our hands,  thankful for what we have and willing to give it all up to receive what God has for us.

Our hands are tired, calloused, dirty and for some, a little busted up this week.

We are thankful for the opportunity to live with our lives and our hands open to receiving all that God has for  us.  We pack up to move on this week, leaving words on the walls that we have painted with our hands but believe with all our hearts.

Work hard ~ Play hard

Isaiah 40 :28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths with faint and be weary; and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; the shall walk and not faint.

God's grace in providing extra helping hands at just the right time is such an example of his love for us.  As we begin the stuff shuffle in earnest today, we are thankful...

~ for family who offers meals, a place to run our business temporarily, hugs and quality time for the children

~for family who gave new homes to our chickens - counting my blessing that it am just looking at an empty coop and not and empty nest :-)

~for family and dearest friends who offer help before we even ask.

~for encouragement when it would seem from the world's perspective that we are crazy.

~for dear friends who have let us keep kids and dogs in their driveway every time there is a house showing.

~for moments of laughter, music, rest and competition in the biggest and dirtiest jobs.

Who makes a competition out of unloading concrete forms?  We do.  Why not?

Who dances barefoot through the rain storm?  A cute little pair of Givens. Isn't there always time for this?

Who plays and rests every Sunday?  We have seen the blessing in every large project we do of honoring God by resting on Sundays - so we play hard and rest hard on Sunday.

A wise women once told me that life is not made up of days and years but moments.  Praying and planning to make each moment in this transition full of fun memories.

Does anybody remember the song from Annsilvania...."we begin our job in April and we never take a break till all the food for winter has been stored.  We don't pretend it's easy but at times work can be fun and you'll never feel the feeling that's as good as the one that you feel when you're done."

Here we go....