My New Job

I love my new job. Granted it is very different from the full-time job I traded it for. That the gender scale is still unbalanced however in the office I was surrounded by women, and now, I'm the only one around. Conversations that used to be about recipes and shopping, are now about Transformers, Bionicles, and farts. My hands look different. They were usually only used for typing and receiving manicures. Now they are dry and rough, from actually being used. Yep, my new job is definately different. The company is different. The wages are different. My coworkers smell different. My job description has vastly lenthened and my hours have greatly increased. By those standards, one may say that I've really backstepped on the ladder of success. But I get to build something intangible. I get to witness everyday miracles of self discovery. I get to feed, clothe, teach and encourage boys who will one day be great men. Being a full-time mom? It's an awesome job.

The Road of Life

-- author unknown

At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn't know Him.

But later on when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was that He suggested
we change places, but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring,
but predictable . . .
It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains, and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds, it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!"

I worried and was anxious and asked,
"Where are you taking me?"
He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure.
And when I'd say, "I'm scared,"
He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing, acceptance and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my Lord's and mine.

And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away;
they're extra baggage, too much weight."
So I did, to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life.
I thought He'd wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places,
and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore,
He just smiles and says . . . "Pedal."

Discovering My Roots

 

I am just beginning to understand how deeply my roots are embedded in Heber Valley. Just minutes away from my new home, stands the home of my great, great grandmother Sarah Jane MacDonald. (Fortunately for me, the home was for sale so I had the opportunity to walk through!) The MacDonald family helped settle the Heber Valley and eventually built this home in the late 1800's. Just down the street from Grandma MacDonald's, on quiet Daniel's Road, you can see the home in which my Grandma Eva and Uncle Gary was born as well as the homes of several of Grandma Eva's siblings. Becoming aquainted with Daniel's Road was a really profound experience.

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