The Book of Common Prayer

 We have a big week here and by the end of the week, Lord willing, we will be unpacking and fully residing in our new home, in our new town.

As I was thinking about what I could share this week, I kept thinking of the book of common prayer.  This is not something I was exposed to as a child because I was not raised in the Episcopal church, but I have heard a few excerpts from this book from a dear friend from graduate prayer whose father is an Episcopalian Priest, but also from the Mitford books by Jan Karon, in which, the main character, Father Tim will frequently reference The Book of Common Prayer.

I love the reverent language, and I love that there are so many prayers for so many unique situations.

All that said, I did not find a prayer in the Online Book Of Common Prayer over those who are moving, or to bless a new home... but I was drawn to one prayer over Towns and Rural Areas.

Please join me in prayer:

Lord Christ, when you came among us, you proclaimed the
kingdom of God in villages, towns, and lonely places: Grant
that your presence and power may be known throughout this
land. Have mercy upon all of us who live and work in rural
areas [especially Rangely, Colorado]; and grant that all the people
of our nation may give thanks to you for food and drink and
all other bodily necessities of life, respect those who labor to
produce them, and honor the land and the water from which
these good things come. All this we ask in your holy Name.
Amen.

The Battle Belongs

Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God

Message For Now

 My sister-in-law gave us a light-up message board sign for Christmas to hang on our wall.

I change the message on it every other month or so.

Coming into this Spring, this is our message for now:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 Happy St. Paddy's Day!

This

 Every. Word. Of. This.

Prepare

 

New Every Morning

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning, new every morning.  Great is they faithfulness, O Lord.  Great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

This picture was taken by Hubby one morning from our front yard.

 

The Prayer

 The Prayer... our prayer...

A New Chapter

 Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for us.

Tracey will begin first grade at a new school.

Truthfully, the new chapter began one year ago when Tracey started full-day kindergarten and wasn't home with the other children all the time.  But, after seven months of school, she came back home again -- we all did because of COVID school closures.

We have ALL been home for the past five and a half months... and it has been crazy, and it has been wonderful.  Learning to live in our home, with only each other has been a blessing.

Tomorrow, Tracey goes back out into the world... a different world than she's ever experienced... it is a new chapter for us.

Here's The News

 In an effort to keep everyone in the loop so to speak, here are some updates on changes in our lives at the moment.

And without going into the very long stories of how they all transpired, just allow me to say, Hubby and I spent much of the Spring and the ENTIRE Summer wondering and praying about what this fall would look like for our family.

We even thought we had made some decisions a few times, and then something else would come to light or another factor would present itself and he and I would come back to the discussion table, and the PRO/CON lists and consider other options.

As of today... here is the news.

Hubby will be teaching 5th grade this coming year at a school very near our home.

  Tracey will be attending 1st grade at the same school.

Our Twins will be attending half day preschool at the same school.

Lee Lee and Hunter will be home with me full time.

I will be working part-time providing distance learning services to my students.

While with the turmoil and uncertainty of the world right now, I don't know that I can say we are thrilled or overjoyed with the plan... I can say given ALL the factors, and the uncertainty of COVID, Hubby and I feel about as good as we possibly could given the information we have.

Tracey and the twins are INCREDIBLY excited to be attending the same school, the school where Daddy teaches, AND a school so close to our house.

Maybe you remember, all our children have been attending school an hour away from where we live.  We loved their years at those schools and we still strongly value the Montessori education they were receiving... times have changed, and now other priorities have become factors and everyone will be switching schools.

Hubby has taught elementary school before but is has been a number of years, so this year will look different for all of us, but we know God has opened these doors for a reason, and we really are thrilled with the school they all will be.

We also feel, perhaps foolishly, like we are limiting our exposure with COVID a little by having everyone in the same building and my providing distance instruction.  Last year, Hubby was in one district an hour away, Tracey was in one school an hour away, the twins and Lee Lee were in another school an hour away, I was serving students across three districts, and Hunter was looked after by a friend of ours about 20 minutes away.

Even though Hubby, Tracey, Howard, and Caroline will still have some exposure to peers and colleagues and the germs they carry, it will be on a much smaller scale than we were exposed last school year.

Thank you for your prayers as we all prepare for these changes and prepare for a safe and healthy year.

God's Plan

The Mountain Millers have quite a bit up in the air when it comes to this fall.

Well, let me back up... I feel safe in saying that nearly every single family in the country with school-aged children has quite a bit up in the air when it comes to this fall.  Specifically, what schooling will look like in every district around the country for the 2020-21 school year.

Well, the Mountain Millers are no exception to wondering what schools will look like this fall, and wondering if we will want to send our children to school or if we will have other options.

In addition, other factors are unknown to us at this time that I have not shared on this blog, and will not be sharing at this time.

All that to say, I have been praying like crazy since early May regarding all of the unknowns of which I am aware, but I've pretty much been figuring out some plans in my own head and asking God to follow through with those plans I've created.

Well... so far, He has not been listening.

My plans do not seem to be His plans.

So, as we enter July, I have changed the way I am praying about this fall... I am trying to pray for His plan.  I am trying to accept that He has a plan that I CANNOT see.  He has a plan that is already in the works, and I cannot even begin to imagine what it is... but He does have the plan, and His plan will be revealed in His time.

Now, I will admit, this is not the way I like to pray because local schools are supposed to start on August 18, and Hubby and I are supposed to sign contracts and report for work duties WEEKS before then... so I REALLY REALLY pray that God's timing coincides with the school district calendars... but I am trying to increase my faith and trust that He has a plan, He is guiding our steps, and He will open doors that I do not even know are there.

I'd appreciate your keeping us in your prayers during this time of prayer and waiting on God and I'll certainly keep you posted when there is news to share.

A Mighty Influence

I have an Aunt who has had a very strong faith as long as I have known her.  I wish we lived closer so I could meet her regularly for coffee dates and ask her for stories of answered prayer throughout the course of her life -- as I type this I realize that yes, I should just pick up the phone more often and build that relationship while she is still here to learn from.

I know we always are supposed to stand together in prayer, but I have come to find in adulthood, it is hard to share prayer needs with people.  I don't know why -- but it is an intimacy to ask someone to pray for you in a specific way.

So when I do have something "big enough" in my life that I actually call people to arms -- or rather, call people to prayer on my behalf, she is always my second call (my mom being my first call).

A few days ago she shared this video with me and it is definitely worth the ten minutes to watch it.  Very inspiring and empowering... and a reminder of what we can claim in prayer.  What the Bible SAYS we can claim through faith and with prayer.

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
Thanks, Aunt Pat!

Our Weekend

So... our weekend was none like any other full of highs and lows, but ultimately coming out with the family unscathed and for that we are grateful.

Friday afternoon, when I picked up Lee Lee from school, her teacher said they had noticed she had "zoned out" a few times that day.  Her eyes were still open, but she was unresponsive to anything they asked of her, and then she seemed to snap out of it very quickly.  One spell lasted about 90 seconds, and another nearly 3 minutes.  They were able to get one on video.

So I headed home with the video, and concern, but a plan to watch her over the weekend, talk to our physicians in the family, and call her pediatrician on Monday.

Then, about an hour after we arrived home, she began vomiting, and kept vomiting every 10-20 minutes for hours into the night.  After her second bought of vomiting, I was on the phone with the on-call physician in her pediatrician's office who recommended I take her in to the emergency room.  With the hope that she just had a stomach bug, but with the knowledge of the potential zoning-out seizures from earlier that day being serious enough that we wanted to make sure she was going to be okay.

Hubby was working a high school football game an hour away, so thankfully, the next-door neighbors that I called were happy to head on over and watch the three healthy kiddos who had been bouncing off the walls as they knew they did not have my undivided attention as I was dealing with Lee Lee's situation.

Addallee and I took off for the ER around 7:30, and Hubby met us there by 8:15.

Hours later, they had contacted a pediatric neurologist out of Denver who felt that the zoning out, which we had now learned were probably "absence seizures" (pronounced ob-sonce) and the vomiting was probably connected and potentially a presentation of childhood epilepsy.  We were told to go home with medicine and call our pediatrician on Monday to start a work up for an MRI and EEG to start the diagnostic process.

The problem was, the couldn't get her vomiting under control even with multiple attempts at oral and iv medicine. 

I finally left the ER around 10:30pm to go home for food and sleep, knowing that I would be the early shift up in the morning for the three other kids leaving Hubby with Lee Lee in the ER.  They would arrive home around 2:00am where Addallee would sleep in our bed and continue to vomit several more times throughout the night.

Saturday was spent in a haze as we kept a very close eye on Addallee, tried to entertain the other kids, and encouraged EVERYONE to catch up on sleep given our abnormal Friday night.  Addallee had a pretty good day, but began vomiting again Saturday night and spent another night in our bed vomiting and crying.

By Sunday morning, with our three big kids ready to climb the walls, my plan was to take them to church and leave Hubby and Lee Lee to sleep.  Addallee got up and vomited in the morning before fall back to sleep with Hubby.

Howard, Caroline, and Tracey were all getting their shoes on about 10:00am when Caroline began vomiting.  She would go on to vomit every 20-40 minutes for the next six hours.

We did not go to church, and I immediately instructed Caroline to get back in pajamas and keep a bucket close by.  The tv went on, and we waited to see what would happen next.  Whenever multiple kids are sick, I have a system -- we unfold the couch hide-a-bed.  This creates a nice cozy place for the kids to lay and sleep where I can still keep in eye on them while I'm doing my usual routine on the main floor.  It also gives them a chance to watch tv while their sick while being in a bed.

This was the last picture I took from the weekend when just two little girls were sick... four more victims would be taken out by these virus before sunrise the next morning.

Well, by afternoon Tracey, Howard, and myself would all succumb to the stomach bug, each vomiting between one and four times a piece.  So, not a horrible presentation, but enough to knock everyone out in the course of one day.

Hubby, who was battling aches and a sore throat all weekend would finally get hit with the bug in the wee hours of Monday morning, and so that stomach virus took no prisoners.

While our whole family has been taken out by viruses before, we have NEVER ALL been sick in the same 24 hours period.  That. Was. Rough.

Monday everyone stayed home, and everyone seemed pretty well recovered.  Lots of toast, ice, applesauce and rice.

And did I mention that while some kids were taking a bath Monday morning, water started dripping from our kitchen ceiling just below the bath tub?!?!  Can't wait to hear what that damage and repair bill will be.

Also, Lee Lee's pediatrician's office called me first thing to set up an appointment to see her.  They had a note regarding her ER visit and wanted to see her as soon as possible.  That was very nice to get a call from them ready to schedule instead of my having to do that in my Monday-morning, I-have-been-sick fog. 

I took her in at noon, and the BEST NEWS regarding Addallee was that our whole family came down with the stomach bug!  Crazy, I know.

But, on Friday night, the main was concern was these potential absence seizures and vomiting as a neurological symptom.  We had no reason on Friday night to think she had a stomach bug (although, to give credit where credit is due... that is exactly what my dad, the pediatrician, said.  As soon as she began vomiting, he said that she had a stomach virus).  It just seemed like too big a coincidence that she was having possible seizures at school and then happened to catch a stomach bug and start vomiting within hours of each other.

What we probably saw last week was, yes, some absence seizures brought on by the fact she was in the process of catching this bug.  Her exposure to this virus, and being tired as it was starting to impact her system probably made her more susceptible to these absence seizures. 

So, she is still regaining her strength and staying home from school again Tuesday, and we get to start the non-emergent out-patient process of MRI imaging locally and EEG scanning in either Denver or Grand Junction.

We are not looking forward to this new world of pediatric neurology, but we do consider ourselves so fortunate, that first of all, her school noticed what was going on, and we did just have a stomach virus... and we are now in a position to get some answers and make a plan for our sweet little Lee Lee.

And, if in fact these are absence seizures, from what we have read and been told, this would not be a major thing.  Sure, something we watch and our aware of, but nothing compared to the medical news other parents receive regarding their sick children.

So... quite the weekend... but really, a weekend where the entire family getting a stomach virus is the best news you could get, that's not a bad weekend of keeping things in perspective.

Thank you so much for the prayers you offered as we navigated this past weekend, and please keep us and especially Addallee in your prayers as we move forward.

 

Prayers for Lee Lee

I don't want to go into details right now, but please join us in prayer for our Addallee Marigold.  We're trying to figure out a medical situation regarding her, and we would appreciate your prayers for her health and healing.

 

Such a Gift

Something amazing happened on Monday.  

Tracey asked Jesus into her heart.

I have been trying to make a point to read more Bible stories with the kids -- especially the staples I want them to know as best as a child can.  So David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion's Den,  Noah's Arc, and the Christmas story... but I realized the other day that I've never read them the story of Moses or many stories about the miracles that Jesus performed.

So Monday I sat down on our family room floor in the afternoon and started reading about the story of baby Moses -- how Pharaoh ordered all the baby boys to be killed but Moses' mother hid him, and then put him in a basket down the river.  That led to talking about how God saved Moses because God had a plan for his life.

Then, Tracey was really excited to learn about the plan God had for Moses' life -- so we read about the Burning Bush (which she called the Fire Plant).  Then we talked about Moses' message to Pharaoh -- "Let my people go!"  And her Sunday school has been singing the song "Pharaoh, Pharaoh" lately so we were able to build on those lyrics a little.

Then we talked about how Pharaoh disobeyed God and wouldn't let the Hebrews go and so there were consequences.  We talked about that Pharaoh said, "No" to God 10 times and there were 10 punishments for disobeying God.

By the time we talked about the last and worst punishment when God killed the oldest child in every family, Tracey's eyes were so wide and she said, "What happened next?"

Then we read about the Hebrews' leaving Egypt and Pharaoh chasing them and the parting of the Red Sea.

She was enthralled by the stories... and the only reason we had to stop was because the twins and Lee Lee were requiring more of my attention.

As we had dinner a little later, she was still talking about Moses.  She mentioned that she didn't like the sad parts of the story... but that its going to be okay to die someday when she's really old because she'll see Jesus.

That's what opened the door to asking her if she has invited Jesus into her heart.  She said she knew he lived in her heart... but when we talked about it she realized she hadn't specifically asked him.  So she and I prayed together and she asked Jesus into her heart.

Then we called Grammie and Memaw and Daddy to tell them the great news!

Then, later that night, she kept talking about Moses and how he was saved.  I reminded her that God had a plan for Moses' life.

She thought about that... then looked at me so intensely and asked, "Does God have a plan for my life?"

It was such a beautiful night and such a gift to experience with my daughter.

As the night when on and Howard and Caroline realized what a big deal this was, they each said they wanted Jesus in their hearts, and I prayed with each of them.  I certainly hope they had an understand of what they were asking... but I have an assurance that Tracey is truly understanding the magnitude of what she has asked.

Thank you, God for this child, and for writing Your name on her heart and recording her name in the book of life!  

 

Powerful

I saw this picture on instagram and it just took my breath away.

I just want to take a moment to pray for all these first responders in California... but really everywhere who run in to disasters and danger when all others are fleeing for their lives.  Thank you, Lord for these men and women.

 

Just Perfect

Last night Caroline kept tattling on Tracey for something.  Tracey kept denying it.

I told the girls that God knew everything and could hear all words, even words in their heart, so God knew the truth.

Caroline (being two) continued to repeat herself tattling on Tracey.  So, I told Caroline she should pray to God that He would forgive Tracey.

Tracey then told me, "I'm going to pray for my brother and sister."

I responded, "Sweetie, you have a brother and two sisters.  Brother and sisters."

She replied, "Well, I'm just going to pray for my brother and sister.  I need to pray for the twins, Lee Lee is just perfect." 

 

Keep In Mind

We are living with some very strict fire ban policies in effect right now... on a pile of tinder called Colorado.

Please pray for rain and a lot of precipitation this winter. 

 

Our Flag

I saw this the other day and I thought it was perfect to post on our Nation's Independence Day.

God, please continue to bless and protect America.

 

Prayer

I told the twins to bow their heads for prayer, and this is what they both did...

 Amen.