Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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Archives for March 2018

Somedays I’m the sledgehammer hammer, but that day I was the finger

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The day started with a nice breakfast, smiles & thoughts of getting a lot done! As our morning events took form, we started on removing the chimney, enter the sledgehammer! So far? So good! Row after row, “crack” followed by a thud. Hammer swings, lands with a crack against the chimney then a thud as chunks land on the floor… time to do a bit of “training” I asked Al if he would like to help, I was met with an enthusiastic yes! Al grabs the 8 pounder with both hands and swings like a pro! “CRACK” “nice job Al! Just like that… now let’s hit the other side.”…. another crack but this time it was three coarse too low. “Ok Al, you need to hit it at the top not the bottom” swift reply of ok and another big swing “CRACK” “ok Al, stop for just a second” as Al lowers the 8# hammer… “ok Al, instead of hitting it way down here, hit it up on the top, hit it right…….” as I was uttering the word “here” I felt the “CRACK” as my fourth finger on my right hand cushioned the chimney from its impending doom!

As years in the trades, and years in the Bible collided at one moment of time, I’m proud to say the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart controlled my tongue in a two word prayer, all I could say as I thought “Lord, help me in this moment” was clearly and repeatedly “OHH GOD” … I laid down on the floor to prevent falling as the pain surged and I started to loose my balance. But God is good all the time and in some miraculous way, no blood! It hurts pretty bad still but it will heal. I learned another valuable lesson that day, and God gave the strength to continue to achieve a productive weekend.

Finding good in a bad situation is one of God’s greatest gifts! Well that and ice!

Settling In

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It has been almost a month since we started the Hazzardous Adventure.  Al and I are settling in nicely.  There is not a day that I don’t look around and marvel at the beauty of the land and the brightness of the stars and the almost eerie quiet.  There is nothing that I do not like about living on the edge of the wilderness, as this community is often referred to, except being so far from my hubby, family and friends. Charlie and Jacob are on their way home for the weekend right now and I can’t wait to hear them driving up the incredibly muddy and rutted driveway.

Updates of Hazzard Life – We are thankful that Jacob is recovered from Salmonella and back at school and work.  The antibiotics did the trick. I am anxious to hear more about his trip to Haiti and all that he learned and experienced.

Things have settled down for Sam.  He returned to school on Monday after meeting with the administration, and we are grateful that there have been no further incidents.  We received an outpouring of support from friends, family and even strangers and are so appreciative.

I am working on the second phase of paperwork for getting licensed to do adult foster care.  We are getting closer!  In the meantime, we are doing some updates on our home starting with the half story, which will eventually be our bedroom, office and half-bath.  New kitchen cabinets will be picked up this weekend, and I will be working on painting them next week.  Totally new experience for me, so if you have any tips, feel free to pass them along!

We would appreciate prayer for the licensing process to go smoothly and quickly.  We know that there is a person out there who is waiting for a new home, and we can’t wait to welcome him into our family.

Well, that is it for now.  Just a quick update.

God bless and much love!

Jess

 

 

12 hours, 4 hours, And a week!

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time! It seems time is our biggest challenge, God gives us strength to endure but “time waits for no man”

we discovered it takes about 12 hours for the first signs of salmonella poisoning to manifest, most people can recover in time without anything like antibiotics. So it seems salmonella is more common than most people think.  It’s not “if you get it” but rather “how bad it gets you!” Jacob pick it up in Haiti, he started feeling it after about 18 hours(we think)  then after a four hour drive pulling a trailer, hauling in Sheetrock after a drive into town to get it… and a trip to the ER we have him on the road to recovery which will take up to 7 days. But God is good all the time, his attitude  is good and all is well .

 

50 pieces of 4x8x1/2 at about 40 lbs each, two pickups and a bunch of stairs. Like I said, God gives us strength. I ran out of time once again this weekend as we have a very long list of things to do for starting up this Hazzardous adventure.  4 hours up, 4 hours back, every weekend I can spare.

Our Friends are also moving, they have lost a vehicle and I need time to look at that. I’m in no shortage of things to do!

 

But then, I step outside after all is done for the day, I hear nothing! No cars, no rumble from the highway! I look up and see the evening sky, stars so bright and seemingly so close! “If you reach up, I think you can touch them”! yes, it’s worth every drop of sweat, every taped up cut on my index finger! Off in the distance I can hear the night stirring up and life all around me in the silence of our new home.  I bow my head and give thanks to the ONE who gives all.