Shoes Off

My husband and I did a thing this year that was so unexpected. We invited two female high school exchange students to come and live with us for a school year.  We are not new to this experience, but we did it when we had children in the home.  So, this time as empty nesters we decided to bring in two so they would have someone their own age in the home.  Two trips to the airport, two different languages, two different tastes in food, twice as many questions and twice as much fun.   At first it feels as they are guest to us, and they feel like they are guest in our home.  It takes a few weeks to get settled into a routine and feel comfortable with each other.  One of the first questions that was brought to us from both was about shoes in the house.  Each of them asked if they should take their shoes off at the door.  Tim said, "you take your shoes off when you are in the house?"  "Yes" replied both of them.  "Why?" Tim asked.  One of them explained that when you come in from the outside you bring all the dirt in on your clean floors.  I said, " I should start that practice because I dislike sweeping the floor ALL the time."   It is custom to take your shoes off in temples of the Hindu religion as a sign of humbleness as a part of worship.  Yesterday when I when to church I wore a simple sundress and some sandals.  The sandals were hurting my feet so during worship I slipped them off.  I felt so connected in church as I stood there without my shoes on singing praises to God. Standing there without my shoes brought me right back to the conversation of taking our shoes off in the home.  The church is a place where we can let go of the "dirt" we bring in with us as we enter the sanctuary. God wants us to feel renewed after we come to worship him.  So many times, we leave feeling the same way as we came in.  He wants to take away our burdens and sorrows. Psalm 55.22 reminds " Turns you burdens over to the Lord, and he will take care of you.   He will never let the righteous person stumble.

Bitter Sweet

Just now sitting down to reflect on the past year.  I can look back on 2021 without a doubt and say it was bitter sweet.  We all know what that saying means throughout the year the was the sweetest of sweet moments and just the same as of bitter.  I did learn that God gives us both to learn lessons in life.  Some that we need for sure. Through the bitter moments came some sweetness out of them and the same as the sweetest moments came some bitter.  All of which I needed for sure.  I can say that now that 2021 is about a month behind me. Let me explain of few of those. I started out the year with Covid. Locked in my room for 10 days to keep my husband well.  A bitter moment for sure but the sweetness was knowing how lucky I was to have a spouse able to take care of me. I did have to face time him to teach him how to make a couple of coffee because he didnt know how to make coffee.  Other bitter moment were Hurricane Ida who graciously put a tree on top of my home, the death of my grandmother, and last of not all having to have my front tooth pulled 5 months before my daughters wedding.  Such times brought the kindness of neighbors when I really needed help, a renewed connection with family that I havent seen in such a long time and knowing I have the best dentist in the world.  On the flip side there were such sweet moments that brought out such bitterness. One of the sweetest moments of the year was my daughters wedding. It produced a sweet of sweet time but it opened up a big conversation that needed to be had between me and someone else.  All were growing moments in my life.  God intends for us to grow in Christ.  He gives us these moments to teach us to be better. The bible are the names of people who learned lessons from bitter situations and stayed strong. Such names a Joseph, Job and Ruth. All had bitter moments in their lives but stayed faithful and strong.  Lord give me the strenght to grow.