Living, Loving, Growing

When you live with someone you can begin to take them for granted. You can begin to misunderstand them. You can start to be resentful and hateful in your thinking when you feel your being wronged. You can just resign yourself that things are not going to change and that you can't fix the other person.

And then God steps in.

I've been praying for my husband diligently for a few years. He is a great guy but he tends to be stubborn and obstinate in his thinking. He also always feels he is right. Many times he is right but it's frustrating when he isn't and he thinks he is to be the loving wife I need to be. So I have been praying. I have been praying for him, I have been praying for me, I have been praying for us.

And God is working.

It's little steps right now, a chink in the wall here, a revealing of a fear or hurt there, but its true communication, open and honest. It's more than just the everyday mundane parts of life. It's about opening up and being Close. That oneness that comes in marriage where you feel comfortable sharing even the ugly hurts and raw emotions. We haven't been there in a LONG time. It's rebuilding the closeness that makes two seperate people one. It's been broken and walled off and the walls are starting to fall down, there may be big things happening, and I can't take credit for it...it's gotta be God.

Thank you God for helping us in our living, loving and growing.

Weekend Update

It was a busy week.

Yet it was a decent week. I was able to keep up with the goals I had for the week, especially the living room and it wasn't until last night...when all 4 of us were home that the living room wasn't looking good when I went to bed. The kitchen sink is full but that's not a huge detriment since I just loaded the dishwasher this morning and now it's clean again. I have been keeping up with the pots and pans and big stuff so the little stuff is so much easier now. I think I am making progress.

I am making enough progress that I feel like I am ready to start a 3rd weekly goal. Now when I set a new goal I am not giving up the first 2 I am simply adding another layer, flavor to the cleanie stew I am making. I haven't set it yet...that's for Monday...but I think it's going to have something to do with laundry. I really slacked off with the laundry this week and I need to get better. It may also have to do with the bathroom...I just can't decide. I may ask Dan what he thinks I should work on next.

Speaking of Dan, he is noticing my hard work and I think he is appreciating it too. Though he still is unhappy when shoes aren't where he thinks they need to be and so he hides them...I found my favorite pair for work hidden between the front door and the screen this morning...but that's another ball of wax. The kids are also helping more around the house. It's so great to have good little helpers.

So that's this week in a nutshell...progress is being made, progress still needs to happen but I am happy with the changes and looking forward to changing my thinking even more!

Proper Tools

In order to meet a goal, one needs proper tools.

I have tools to help me clean my living room. I have 2 little people who make messes and get to clean up their stuff. I also have a vacuum cleaner to help me with all the little pieces that fall from our feet, hands, mouths, noses...etc...except my vacuum cleaner wasn't really cleaning all that well. In fact when I turned it off it would spit out dust and dirt and the top was getting really dirty...so I went investigating.

I dismantled the hose...and looked down to a great big pile of yuck...jam packed full, I checked my bag...it's empty...I check where the hole to the hose is and felt in it's full to the end of the vacuum. I start pulling out stuff...yuck, crumbs, dirt and get it unjammed and go to vacuum thinking I have solved the problem...it's still not going up into the bag...what's the deal???

I take apart the area where the vacuum meets the bag...and blow into the hose to see if air is moving...I blow...nothing...I blow harder...still nothing...so I try to reach in...my fingers are too fat! I"m perplexed...how can I fix this...I think, I look for a coat hanger to dismantle but I have no metal ones....I keep thinking...and then it hits me..BAM! I can use the plumbing auger....so I get it and start threading into my vacuum hose...and it gets stuck...I move it around and wrestle it and bang it on the floor and out pops an army man and kleenex...all wadded up in a big pile of yuck...that's what's been clogging my vacuum cleaner...

I reassemble my vacuum, plug it back in and Voila! It's working like a charm! It's amazing what some elbow grease, ingenuity, and just sheer frustration can do for a person. Now my tool to help me meet my goal is working again! Thank Goodness!