Ives Run COE #19, Tioga, Pennsylvania
Then he (Jacob/Israel) gave them these instructions. “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite…which Abraham bought as a burial place…There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah…When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. ~ Genesis 49:29-33 It is at this point, that God’s plan begins to shift. For three generations, He’s been cultivating men who would seek and follow Him – Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob – men who would teach their sons about Him. Men who would walk with tremendous faith with a God who wanted to be their Friend. Now, God is beginning to grow His people. A chosen people. These twelve sons (with a few changes and revisions I don’t want to get into here), will grow into twelve large tribes of people who will, in God’s time, become a great nation. It will be roughly 400 years of waiting for that to happen. Does anyone like waiting these days? We get upset if someone doesn’t answer our text right away! But in the past, people waited. Even in our nation’s not-to-distant past, people waited. Before planes, trains and automobiles, it took weeks or even months for people to get from one place to another. We need to remind ourselves that our time isn’t God’s Time. We need to practice waiting with faith and patience. Definitely not easy!
I don’t know whether to thank my mother or hate her.
When I was growing up, we ‘Spring cleaned’ every Saturday morning, all of us working together dusting, sweeping, moping, swiping baseboards and window sills. And of course every nook and cranny of the bathroom, along with whatever else Mom deemed necessary. We even cleaned the washer and dryer.
When I got married and moved out, I wasn’t very good at keeping house. I think it was mostly in defiance of my mother, but that didn’t last long. I still hate cleaning. I view it as a necessary evil, but I do surface cleaning every time we move. However once a year, I figuratively as well as literally, roll up my sleeves and steel myself for the job of deep cleaning the entire coach. I have to. Dirt from driving and being in dust and pollen finds its way into every possible crack and crevasse. It takes a minimum of two six-hour days because everything has to be wiped down, and pulled out of every cupboard, appliance and cubbyhole and cleaned.
I’ve accepted this as necessary, but I still don’t like it. However, I definitely know how to do it, thanks to Mom! Can someone please tell me how the silverware drawer gets full of crumbs? I don’t leave mine open, never have. And yet . . . My brother has the same problem. We’ve talked about it, but have no solution. The freezer’s the same way. Things that make you go, hmmmmmm . . . . .
It sure looks nice in here! At least to my eyes. Not sure anyone else would notice. Cleaning’s one of those thankless jobs that, if you keep a neat house, you can’t really tell you’ve spent hours and hours wearing yourself out to get it done. It’s times like this I’m so grateful to live in a 40’ bus instead of a two-story large house!
Blaine does help. He has the job of anything on the ceiling and the cockpit area.
This is one of those years, when I’ll need additional time. The area around the TV and the floor still isn’t done. Not sure when I’ll get to it. Maybe tomorrow . . . .