A Slight Christmas

It's been a year!

A year this week since Mr. Blessing was laid off. I know that many of you have been praying so I wanted to celebrate with you and give you an update. No, there's no new job. And while Christmas has been slightly smaller at our house since the lay-off, we have not felt slighted in the least. God has provided in both big and small ways. It's possible that the worst is yet to come. That future months will find us forced to tighten the reins drastically. But at every turn we are given immeasurably more than we can ask or even think.

We are growing.

Our roots are going deep. It's a by-product of being dependant rather than independent.

"Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants." And we are indeed tender. Raw, somedays.

I've developed a need to really talk with God. So I ask Him stuff all day long. Little bitty conversations. And I ask Him to talk back to me. So I read his Word. I've been praying verses, substituting Thee's and Thou's with Me and I and Mine. Do you think it's ok to pray this verse for my family... Then this "family" will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all "bloggers" who hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.

It might seem that I have my head in the clouds but let me be perfectly honest... We are stressed. We are working harder than ever at a job that some would not consider a "real" job. We are weary. We are unsure. But we are not destitute. We are not alone. I'm delighted that our household is drawn inward, becoming even more old fashioned... baking & crafting & staying home by the fire. We've discovered that our youngest boy loves to draw. He spends hours drawing now. Our oldest has learned the value of a job that's hard to come by - even if it means he's the only guy in his crowd that bakes bread and decorates cakes (Wal-Mart bakery). Amazingly, all four of our kids had a hard time coming up with a Christmas wish list. But what brings me to joyful tears is that God gave us enough so that we could buy the gifts they wouldn't put on their lists.

No, it isn't easy & I'm often on the verge of falling apart, but we are blessed in the midst of it. Blessed with more than we've ever had. Blessed with each new French Cupboard member, each new web shop sale. We are blessed to have our home and really, truly live in it - work in it, play in it. Blessed with joy and blessed to be weary.

Blessed to be unemployed!