Tuesday April 19 2016  HOME AGAIN!  

There is nothing quite like walking into my house after having been gone for several weeks.  It is always a relief to know that our house is still intact.  There is just so much that can happen when someone is gone.  It was quiet and empty when we arrived home and looked just like it did when we left except for the big box of mail and newspapers that had been carefully stacked by our caretakers.  Not a dirty dish in the sink and the bathrooms were clean.  What more could I ask for?

After arriving home we emptied the car of absolutely everything, dispersed it to the correct rooms, I finished my blog, published it without having proofed it, and was in bed by midnight.  I slept until 9:00 a.m. this morning.  I left strict instructions on my blog to not call me today as I had some major plans! 

Sunday at church when the minister spoke about money there was a guest video speaker that told how she was able to get out of debt.  She had thousands of dollars of college debt that was hanging over her head.  It weighed her down and she prayed.  She felt God was calling her to get rid of her debt as soon as possible.  Once she found a job she lived on one paycheck a month and the other paycheck she received was paid toward the principle of her loan.  In eight months she paid off her entire school loan.  She told about how concentrated and frugal she had to be.  She decided to do it that way so she would have much suffering for a short period of time, rather than have the cloud of debt affecting her for the next twenty years or so.  She decided she would rather have much pain for a short period of time instead of protracted pain over a longer period of time.

So…that is what I decided to do with the debt of too much stuff hanging around.  I decided to tackle my clutter debt all in one day instead of walking around it for the next two weeks.  I decided to tackle it head on and have everything back to order before I went to bed tonight.  Stuff undone just seems to rob me of time later as I hunt for what I can’t find because it wasn’t put away.  I determined to work nonstop until everything (and I mean everything) was done.  Clutter robs me of time and mental comfort later on.  I did not want to be hunting for clothes, only to have them still waiting to be laundered.  I wanted every single item in its rightful place.  Even the suitcase and bags are already put away.

I started with the laundry.  We decided to wash absolutely everything we took with us.  Dave has very sensitive skin and somewhere along the way something caused him to break out in a very horrible skin rash where his shirts touched him on his upper arms.  They are the same clothes he always wears but we used different detergents at each house we visited.  Because it wasn’t over his entire body we did not think it was a food allergy.  Many foods affect him with allergic reactions as well.  So, to be on the safe side we used our “normal” detergent, did a double rinse on each load and we hope that will help him heal.  I can’t even tell you how many loads of wash I have done today.  That is the one thing that I am still working on as I type this due to the time it takes each load.  I have had the washer and dryer going all day long. 

I still have one other task to finish before going to bed.  I decided to blog first and then do my final so I can settle down in a comfortable place and take my time doing it.  Dave went through the mail and took out all the time sensitive materials, bills, bank statements, that sort of thing.  He relegated the rest of the mail to me.  A lot will be political propaganda (of which I will probably make bookmarks out of), advertisements, junk mail (of which we shred anything with our name on it), and newspapers.  I can probably go through it in one hour or so.  And then I will have paid off my time debt by getting everything back to order in one day instead of walking around it for several days.  Life gets busy for me and sometimes it is all I can do to get everything done that needs to be done on each given day.

What was really wonderful last night was to be able to set out a couple of jars of soup from the freezer so we would have food to eat today.  Dave picked it out after I went to bed and set it in the sink to defrost for today.  Earlier today I picked out frozen grains made earlier in the year and meatloaf I froze before we left town.  We felt as if we had a feast for a king!  I love eating our summer bounty in the winter.  Yes, it is still winter here.  Dave and I have been three weeks acclimated to a warmer clime and now to return to this cold rainy weather, we must again acclimate to the lower temperatures.  Sort of cruel if you ask me.

These past three weeks have been a wonderful experience for Dave and me.  It has been a long time since we have had a chance to take a trip such as this.  I guess this trip was actually a vacation.  Everyone we visited treated us so special.  We had beautiful rooms to stay in, our own bathrooms, delicious healthy food to eat, and we had opportunity of new places to explore.  We had great conversations, wonderful church experiences, and felt safe and secure in the comfort of our friends’ homes.  And all the places we stayed had wonderful dogs to enjoy.  What more could we ask for?  I only wish we could see these friends more often.  And that includes Rebecca and Neil.  We see them as two of our very favorite and special friends.  Yes, we will always be Rebecca’s parents, but our relationship is now more on the “friend” level.  One thing that is so special to us in our later years is having two wonderful children and their spouses as our friends.  I just wish we had more opportunities to spend time together.  What makes it even more exceptional is having two more little people added in our lives that we consider to be very special friends in the making!  And when I say they are “special”, I truly mean they are SPECIAL in a big way!

The dryer is calling.  Time to put in another load of laundry and hang the clothes that are now dry.   

 

TRUE FREEDOM

By Kathleen Martens

April 19, 2016

 

Debt comes in all kinds of forms

Money is what one thinks the norm.

Too much to do can also be debt,

When our obligations are not met.

 

Or our obligation can be to health,

That one commodity our greatest wealth.

To abuse the physical costs a great price

When it is food or alcohol that is our vice.

 

We must always pay back that which we borrow

Because unintended consequences show up tomorrow.

Be it too much that we may eat

All the costs we will someday meet

 

If it is money the interest will accrue

If it is time we’ll have too much to do.

If it is bad choices that take our health,

We will be robbed of our most precious wealth.

 

So chose today and tackle what you owe,

Do that which is right so you will know

That you owe not one penny to another,

So in unending debt you will not smother.

 

Use your time wisely to do what must be done.

Get today’s work finished before the set of sun.

Do not borrow tomorrow’s wealth for today’s pleasure,

For it is your health that is your greatest treasure.

 

So search your life and get rid of all debt.

Live all aspects without the fret.

Give it a try to experience liberty

TRUE FREEDOM, IS LIVING DEBT FREE.

 

Lord, thank You for the food You provide for me every day.

Thank You God for granite.

Thank You for giving talent to men to create beautiful buildings.

Thank You for all the materials of this earth that You have provided for man to create beautiful things.

Thank You Lord for Your Living Word.

Thank You for my peeling knife.

Thank You God that I can still peel an apple.

Thank You God for apples.

Thank You God for prunes!  You just thought of everything!

 

GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!  I AM SO HAPPY TO BE HOME!  As much as I enjoy traveling, my favorite place to be in the world is at home with the man of my dreams.  Do you realize how fortunate I am to have lived with the man of my dreams for the past 43 years?  When I think of him I still tingle inside! 

P.S.

Thank You God for my home. 

P.S.S.

AND GOD BLESS YOU!