My sister in law, Renee, wrote this comment on another blog recently:"The more I read post like this the more I want to give, to live a simpler life, I pray that I could give more and trusting that God will provide only what we need and trying to figure out what are my "wants" and my real "needs" there is a difference between them."
I keep needing to figure that out, too. Living in this small house, I think about this often. Not all the time, but sometimes...
Sometimes... when I get soaked, showering Katherine, because the bathroom is too small to have a tub. Or when we get groceries, and there isn't enough room in the kitchen to put everything away, and I have to keep the cereal in the coat closet. Or when I drive 46 minutes (one way) to do my laundry, because we don't have the room for a washer.
Don't feel sorry for me... I don't! To be honest, I enjoy the things I listed; going to mom's to "do my laundry" (aka visit), having so many groceries the kitchen can't contain them (can you say 'good provider?' I love that man!), and showering a baby that actually pants in eagerness when I mention a shower (love her, too.)
Oh, I'm getting off topic. I meant to say:
When I think about the woman who used to live in this house, I realize how easy I have it! She raised three children in here in the days when this house was still a woodshed, without even things I consider basics, like sinks, and a kitchen.
If I think on, I remember Gladys, my 95-year-old neighbour lady. Born in 1915, she lived through wars, lean days on the farm, miscarriages, and isolation; she grew her family's food, planted an orchard, raised 6 kids, and went to work in town when money was tight. When Katherine and I walk up to see her, she always has something positive to say. She still lives in the old farmhouse; you could say that it's bigger than my house, but she can't use the upstairs; because the stairs are bad for her heart condition.
And here I sit, thinking, "I need more space for my cereal." As Michelle used to say, "Suck it up, Buttercup."
