Progress is being made but not at breakneck speeds!

I hear whistles from the moaning Allis Chalmers, as I drag the driveway, out to the pavement, turn around, drag it back… over and over grading gravel from the edges to the middle, heaping it up and creating a crown. Whistles from the spring tine rake, as we pull it around digging and scratching. Whistles from the brush hog, as it beats and spits the saplings and grass around the edges of overgrown fields.

I hear whistles from the toilet as it refills, just after I notice the water running down the foundation due to a toilet flange that was installed with nails. Whistles from the new discovery of water from our now “off limits” bathroom in the basement due to a leak that requires a complete demo of the basement bathroom to fix it.

I hear whistles from the truck as we travel into Duluth to pick agates from the shore. Whistles from the car’s brakes, as they remind me the time draws near to make them new again. Whistles from the trailer, as we cruise home with a load of insulated glass doors for a future green house.

I hear whistles from the bobcat as it scrapes the ground in a nearly feeble attempt to move the dirt I am commanding it to move when I move the pedals and levers.

Yes, whistles while you work. This takes me back in time to my youth when I would do my father’s will every summer by “building, rebuilding and un-building” the patio. Fixing, replacing and building new fences to block the neighborhood from my father’s piles of “stuff” in our back yard, so the city inspector doesn’t write us up again. Mowing, gardening, shoveling dirt through the sifter screens. Stacking, re-stacking and moving granite blocks… again and again! All the while, I would WHISTLE, every tune I could remember, some I made up and some just to be annoying to my work partner and younger brother, Sam. My father would yell at me with colorful expletives to shut up (I was never allowed to whistle when he was around), but my mind would wander to some far away place filled with mystery and wonder! A place with trees, rivers, camping and beauty beyond measure! Never in my life would I have thought my dreams would come true… to live in this magical place with such a great help-mate as Jess. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my father and he loved me, but the way his love was shown me did not resemble love to most people when seen, BUT I know his back story, I know from whence he came . The horrible world of his youth that brought him to where he was and how much worse it could have been for me. My father made leaps and bounds to “man-up” and be a better dad. So much more than that which was his. My father gave me more than he had and in turn, I give more to my boys. I hope these young men I call “sons” can see they have so much more than what was even available to be given to my father and in turn to me. My hope is they can continue this pattern for their children. Yes, my childhood was difficult, hard and even tragic! But my childhood is not my excuse, nor is it “more than I could bear” because God had plans for me. So I would whistle, all the time I would whistle.

The next time you hear a whistle, remember : God’s love is bigger than our circumstances, Bigger than our problems and better than what we can do for ourselves.

So, today, WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK! Give thanks in ALL things because this is God’s plan for you… To bless you, we just don’t know how the story ends, but neither did Job, and in all this, Job remained faithful.

I covet your prayers in this Area: wisdom and strength to continue doing God’s will and to sing a new song (or whistle a new song).

As of right now I have 408,xxx seconds left before I’m officially unemployed.

When I started the countdown I was over 7million seconds, it seemed like time moved so slowly. We have been through so much! God provides everything we need.

Last night Jess and I sat and watched Sam (Jessica’s youngest) walk for his high school graduation at the Golden Gophers hockey arena. I went back in time, I went back to my youth and thought. “Is this what I missed out on when I dropped out of high school?” You see, I attended a Minneapolis high school as well, I wondered if graduation would have been here as well. Then I thought deeper about things and realized I never attended my little brothers graduation. I didn’t attend pretty much anything! Life was so different back then! Life was cruel and harsh! In my sophomore year so many things had come to a crucial collective, I had to make a choice.

UPDATE! I can’t believe how the time has passed by us and it’s now June 27! I started writing the beginning of this post on June 3 and now I’m living in our new home full time. I’ve barely stopped working from the day I pulled our last load up from Chanhassen. We are blessed beyond measure with strength that’s only from God! But, if anyone is looking for something to do? I have plenty to do up here. I apologize for not posting regularly! I will try to do better! (Actually, I welcome the down time I need to take to do some writing)

 

may the peace of our Lord be with you all

We are working harder than ever to meet our goals! But new challenges arise and resources get stretched, we trust you God!

So, do I spend more money than I have ever spent before on a truck? It’s hard for me to spend money on cars. It’s because the money is just gone! The return on investment is always a negative investment. It’s not like “updating a house” where you get equity that offsets expense. With a car, it’s always more money, But in this day and age, it’s a “necessity”. We have been looking at a truck that’s bold enough to get through the deepest of snow, provide protection from collision with deer (it’s a real threat up here) haul people & cargo, use for work and dependablity for travel.  We have a car, it’s high on miles, but it’s in decent shape(although it’s windshield is below the center mass of the tremendous number of deer we see every evening on the roads). We also have an old truck that’s proven its value. But I need something better for Jess to drive safely on these roads. We need the seating for 6 with ease of loading (third row seating is just not an option) durability in case of deer collision, ability to use it for work, hauling and such. So I looked for days, weeks! Me, Jess, Misti, KJ and Jacob…. we found one in Montana that fits the task. It’s older, it’s powerful, it’s four doors, seats 6, 4wd…. everything but it’s a manual transmission. Jess has agreed to learn to drive a stick! (she is a trooper) but now? I need to spend money! (This type of Truck is not cheap) so, buy the truck and put off a few other things? It’s all about decisions, prayer is my only resource needed, so, here’s what we do, we ask you to also pray for us. Please pray for these many decisions each day that we are wise and God centered!

Btw, this Saturday I get to install flooring in the living room and our bedroom…,finally! That’s right, Jess and I will soon be moving into our bedroom and have a living room! Kitchen cabinets are half installed and walls are painted and we still have so much to do! But, we have a stove, microwave and a refrigerator, it’s tough cooking on a camp stove. My bride is an amazing woman and she has put up with so much during this first phase. Ohh, did I mention? We also have a washer and dryer now(although it’s just cold water hooked up and it’s in the garage for the summer) but no more laundromat. God is good!