Tuesday July 21, 2015  MAKING PROGRESS

 

Slowly, slowly we are making progress.  Dave is progressing in his healing and we are both progressing in our stand to reclaim our house!  You saw the pictures last night of the kitchen eating area packed full of “stuff” from the sunroom.  Well about 90% of that accumulation is now back where it belongs.  However, anything that felt like clutter I did not put back in.  It is still in the kitchen floor awaiting for my footsteps to carry it downstairs.  We also have our dressing room about 95% back up to snuff.  Again, the “stuff” of clutter did not go back in.  At least that is a start.  I included pictures tonight that shows our sun room put back together.  I enjoy my sun room (Dave never uses it because the furniture is wicker and he doesn’t trust it and besides, it has no television).

Today Dave and I each made a list.  We made a list separate from each other, no discussion first except to know what kind of list to make.  We were to make a list of all the tasks around the house that needed to be accomplished to make our house uncluttered and easy to live in.  Well, we did just that.  He wrote his list, I wrote mine.  We were curious to see how many of our “jobs” would overlap.  Dave wrote down 19 on his list.  I wrote down 36 on mine.  What we truly found surprising was the fact that neither one of us overlapped on any jobs.  Each list was unique unto itself.  It was quite enlightening to see how each of our minds work when thinking about what needs to be done.  And the really good thing about that is that we were both 100% right!  All the jobs need to be done!  Most of his list were things that he would probably do by himself just because of the nature of the job.  My list was jobs, which I hoped he would be available to help me with, all pertained to the inside.  Some things on my list were personal only for me but a lot could be shared.  Isn’t it wonderful how two minds can so compliment each other.  If only my jobs were accomplished, by the time I was finished, the outside of the house would be falling down or at least in bad shape.  If only his jobs were accomplished he would find that the inside of the house would probably be uninhabitable.

My list was mostly about the order in which I wanted to go through rooms and closets and cabinets, etc.  His was about cleaning up the yard and trimming the trees in the woods, and cleaning gutters and power washing the brick on the house and the terrace.  It was an eye opener to us both.  Oh man, I don’t ever want anything to happen to him.  There were a lot of other priorities on the list but mostly it was as I stated above, me – house, Dave – yard.

Hopefully by the time I go into the hospital the main level will be clean.  But boy you should see the lower level.  We have about 2200 square feet on the upper level and about the same on the lower level.  The lower level is a bit larger because if has shop under the garage and sun room that is about 20X40 feet.  That is a big job for Dave just keeping the shop orderly and up and in running order.  A couple of years ago we rented a dumpster that was 10 feet wide by 20 feet long and 4 feet high.  We filled it to the very top from shop accumulation.  And we could probably do it again.  We are so excited to both be able to focus on what we have long had to overlook due to our busy schedules and long hours at the job.

I have really arrived at knowing in my heart that I really do want to be retired from photography.  It was a long road to retirement (3 years) and now that I have made the commitment in my heart, it is standing the test of my decision.  And though I am not finished with the wedding work, another wedding, and one last newborn session, (I finished the high school senior work).  I am still beginning to FEEL like it is true.  I think that is because Dave is home now with me every day.  I love having him home.  I just asked him if he liked having me home during the day.  He said “Yes”.  I asked him what he liked most about me being home.  He answered “I just like you being around”.  I’ll guess I’ll have to settle for that.

I truly think I am making better decisions about our retirement together, expectations, behaviors, the closeness and such because of having gone on my trip and talking to so many couples who are living in retirement together.  I watched and observed and found there were so many interesting pointers I picked up.  I so much want our ending years together to harmonious and loving and fulfilling to both of us.  I don’t want to bicker and backlash at each other because of the close confinement.  I desire freedom and I desire for Dave to have the same freedom.  He knows he has an independent wife and has always supported me in anything I wanted to try, or do, or places I wanted to go.  I see so many other couples living around me who do not have that freedom in their relationships, especially the women.  I don’t know what it would be like if my husband demanded me to be home to fix his lunch or for any other reason for that matter.  That would drive me crazy.  We have a master calendar and all our appointments are coordinated on that calendar.   If I am going someplace for the day or an extended time it is always on the calendar so Dave know what to expect for safety reasons.  Likewise for him.  We plan outings with each other (right now it is all Doctor appointments for Dave and now me with surgery coming up) but it is a plan that seems to work for us in our limited experience.

I just feel so blessed by God to have my husband with me after all these years and to have the husband I have.  There is no one else in the world I could imagine spending the rest of my life with.  I hope that all of you who read this blog and still have your spouse would feel that way about each other.  I think what makes it all so wonderful is that I have such peace and joy in my heart that comes from the Lord.  When God is the central part of your marriage, life is so much more pleasant than living in the “world’s way”.  I am listening to another series from Calvary Chapel Modesto.  I am listening to the book of Proverbs.  Proverbs is one of my most favorite books in the Bible.  I think I have worn that book out in my Bible from reading it so often.  If you haven’t really read and studied it, do  yourself a great big favor and get it out and study it verse by verse.  Better yet, go to the website and listen to the teaching on Proverbs from Calvary Chapel Modesto.  New insights and understanding are revealed to me daily through this teaching.  I can barely retain my excitement knowing that I have the entire Bible to go through with this teaching.  I can’t wait to listen to them all.  It makes working out at the gym something I really look forward to because that is when I listen the most.

Okay, if this blog is boring I am sorry.  For those of you who have asked me to continue to write a blog just know that you will be reading about the mundane and ordinary happenings of someone who is getting a little older each day.  I didn’t climb any mountains today but I will tell you that I am more tired than I ever was when I was climbing the mountains in Washington and Canada.  This is hard work getting 4 months of dirt out of your house (much more so is getting 30 years of clutter out) and I’m not even doing it all myself.  My new motto is LESS IS MORE.  I am aiming for less.  Less stuff to dust, less clothes to wash, less clutter to work around, less of everything. (Except books)!  Remember, if I had a bucket list it would have one desire.  I would like to read every book I own before I die.  And my library is extensive.  Books are my downfall and since I have run out of shelf space I am having to be creative when it comes to where I park them.  Right now, that 10% of the sun room that I didn’t get put back, are stacks of books on the kitchen hallway floor to be taken downstairs.

We have plans for a larger library but I must first sell all my studio equipment.  That was one of the things on my list.  We have given a priority of order to what we are doing so we can get certain things accomplished before the cold weather comes.  I’ll go into more of that later if anyone is interested.  Here in Wisconsin all things are seasonal and the weather must be taken into consideration.

I think of so many interesting things to tell you as the day progresses and then by nightfall all my thoughts of the day have seemingly gone to bed.  And to bed I must follow.  Another busy day awaits me tomorrow.

 

WHAT AWAITS TOMORROW?

By Kathleen Martens

July 21, 2015

 

What awaits tomorrow

I never truly know.

But God has a plan

When it’s time He will show.

 

I need not worry,

Nor do I fret.

I follow my schedule

And try not forget.

 

I live each day

One moment at a time.

It is truly the only way

To live a life sublime.

 

No matter if there is struggle

Or things don’t go right,

God is in total control

Regardless of my plight.

 

Never do I need fear,

For perfect love casteth out

Leaving absolutely no room

For even the smallest doubt.

 

When I arise at daybreak

It is the day the Lord has made.

I will rejoice and be glad

For my life He has paid.

 

He ransomed me from sin and death

As on the cross He died

He is the Savior of my soul

The one who was crucified.

 

So as I await tomorrow

I’m not promised it will come

But one thing I know for sure

If it doesn’t I’ll be with God’s Son.

 

And what better day

Could there ever be

To awaken alive in heaven

My Savior’s face to see?

 

Well, I didn’t mean for that poem to be so long but it just kept coming.

Enjoy each moment of your life for it is part of eternity.

Love to you all!