I know....

So I’ve been here for about six months and we are now into winter, this is what I know:

1.Don’t eat the yellow snow! (Ok I think everyone knows that)

2.That when it snows then rains then snows and rains again, that is a mixture for ICE!

3.When it’s so cold you ask the age old question “Do I really need it NOW?” to the basic needs of your home i.e. milk, eggs, toilet paper, etc.

4.It’s hard to stay “cute” and “fashionable” and stay warm during winter….I’ve been told it’s just not possible and I refuse to buy into the lie…but they might be right. (Don’t tell)

5.And you still have a choice to be happy or miserable. I can be upset about having to go outside in the cold or I can bundle up and get whatever needs to be done as quickly as possible so that I can return home and be warm once again.

“Were not in Kansas anymore Toto”

I feel that way as we are inching ourselves into winter here in the Windy City. I’ve been told that January and February are the coldest months and that I haven’t felt anything yet. Huh?! Are you kidding me?!

The girls and I are trying to adjust as gracefully as possible but it’s not always very graceful. I don’t think me walking like a penguin down the street, trying not to fall on the ice qualifies me as graceful. But this is my life for the next 4 to 5 years.

Tomorrow is Christmas and right now as I’m writing this entry my family is all at my Tia Martha’s home, enjoying great food and the warm company of family near and far. Do I wish I was there? Sure I do…but this is my life and I’m grateful I’m here.

So….no regrets! My only request is:

Lord keep me from the danger of myself. Keep me balanced Lord. Let me not be so ambitious that I leave you behind and in return lose it all. I don’t want this city if you’re not with me, I don’t want all I desire if I in return I have neglected my relationship with you. It’s your love that that gives me wings, your joy that strengthens me to continue forward, your peace that secures me when everything else is falling apart, its You that I seek and long to be with. You have been my healer and beacon…I move toward You….and I move with a purpose!

Ready. Set. GO!

The speed of my life has not slowed down and with the New Year fast approaching there are no plans of the pace changing, if anything it will increase. The past two weeks I have been rushing here and there. And on my days off I’m still out and about getting all that is needed in our home. The weather is extremely cold and every time I step out I am reminded that my California clothes will not due. Thanks to my sweet friend Jean she has made life a little more comfortable and we are eternally grateful for her generosity. Our beds are warm thanks to the flannel sheets she sent us and I’m staying a bit warmer with the thermals that she also gifted.

Last week we had the first snow of the season and the girls and I were like kids….looking and playing in the snow as if we had lived in the Sierra Dessert all our lives, it was comical. But we have all found a comfortable routine and everyone does their part.

The busyness of my schedule posed a problem. My time with the Lord was not like before and I feared I would allow that to continue. One day while at work I was telling the Lord how much I missed our time together, He said “I’m here, we can spend time now” and that is what I did.

Later on my ride home on the bus the Lord showed me that just like a marriage when changes happen couples get creative on how they spend time together. He shared that my schedule will only increase with the New Year and that I need to embrace the thought and flow with it. He also said that “we” just need to find new ways of enjoying time together. I love my Lord and how He guides me through my new life here….I am not alone!

Psalm 31:23a-24
“Love the Lord, all His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful….”
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”