A New Point of View
Many of us as a pastor’s wife live far away from our mother, sisters, and long time friends. Because of this challenge, we often miss out on the friendly, trusted advice and counsel those dear women provide for us in the caring of our homes, families, and selves. I encourage each of you to find someone in your present circle who can help fill those areas in your life. Finding such a friend wherever we have lived, has been such a blessing to me as I manage our home and family.
My Mom is a talented nurse and super Grandma. She also is an excellent pantry organizer! I really think she could get her own Pantry Makeover TV show, but she’d rather put her efforts into arranging my soup cans and Tupperware when she makes visits to my home. In handing my jumble of plastic lids and canned goods over to my mother’s hands four times a year, I’m providing her with a way to express her gift, and I gain tidy cupboards.
When it’s time to go through my closet, I enlist the eyes of a local friend who knows what I really wear, will eventually wear, and will never wear. My dear friend Victoria was my set of eyes and voice of reason during our days in Iowa. She would perch herself on my bed with a good cup of tea and kindly but firmly say “Give Away,” “Throw Away”, and “Keep.” My husband also recognized her gift and allowed her to do the same with his side of the closet. We gained much closet space and Victoria was blessed to help us in a way that expressed her time and talent well.
Currently, I am experiencing my second season as a U.P. gardener. The growing season is short, the weather unpredictable, and my skills are much in need of improving. God has blessed us with a wonderful neighbor, Ron, who is known as THE gardener in our community. Recognizing the needs of our large family to be able to put up vegetables for the winter months, Ron blessed us with tomato, pepper, and bean plants. He gives us the thumbs up when it’s time to plant, gives advice about the local soil and how to treat it, and when to cover plants on nights of possible frost. By using his expertise, we’ll be the recipients of scrumptious produce, and Ron has been blessed to help his new neighbors.
I pray for you that you will find a new set of eyes to assist you in your home, and in doing so strengthen friendships with those in your church and community.
