As Winter Wanes . . . Not

I think Mother Nature is confused. Maybe she’s getting senile, or else there are just so many environmental issues for her to worry about she got a little mixed up. I think she thinks it’s January and not June. It is cold and dreary here. While it is common to have rain during Rose Festival week here in Portland, I don’t recall it ever being quite so chilly and dank. It is only supposed to be in the 50s here today and there are possibilities of thunder storms and hail here in Portland, snow in the mountains. Seems like forever since we’ve seen the sun for more than a brief glimpse. I finally broke down and turned my heater on this morning for a bit just to ward off the chill.

It makes me doubly glad I was able to spend so much time in the sunny south this winter and spring and makes me sorry we had to come back so soon. We would probably still be in New Mexico or Colorado or even farther east and south if we hadn’t decided we needed to be home earlier. But then, on the flip side, we would be paying even more dearly for diesel. I realize that if I hadn’t made the decision to travel this past year I would never have done it. I would not have set off with fuel prices so high.

Charlie is getting cabin fever. I take him for walks whenever the weather lets up a bit but I would really like to get him out for a long hike or something. It would be good for both of us. When he gets too bored he likes to tear up things, usually paper he finds. So far he hasn’t torn up anything too valuable. We did take a fairly long walk yesterday afternoon when my brother dropped by. Charlie keeps running out to his car to see if Nick is there. He is always disappointed.

As of today I’ve had a nibble or two on the motor home but nothing substantial. I am continuing to advertise but it feels rather hopeless at this point, I fear. However, I am going ahead with the house. The inspections showed a couple of fairly expensive repairs that should be made and many small things. The roof will probably need to be replaced in the next 5-7 years. My realtor and I wrote up an addendum to the sale yesterday to try to take care of some of those things. The rest will just wait until I get there.


I have been shopping for appliances, primarily a washer and dryer, but also looking at gas ranges and will eventually switch the water heater to gas. It is old and rusty and will probably need to be replaced in the fairly near future. I splurged and bought a beautiful wool and silk hand-tied Persian rug at a bankruptcy sale. While it was marked down more than $4,500, I later found out for the same amount I could have gotten a very nice gas range. Oh well. I will try not to be too frivolous; there are so many things I still need to do. I also spent some time yesterday looking at stone flooring. Wow, there are some gorgeous things out there. Not cheap, but I will do the installation work myself, I think.


I continue to be busy with church things and earlier this week worked on a Habitat for Humanity build for one of our parish families, a family of six from Togo, I think. It was part of a blitz where they did five houses in a week’s time. Pretty amazing: from the foundation to finish work. I did some painting and scraping and helped some with other things. Habitat is a wonderful program and I am glad that I have been able to volunteer and it is one of my ongoing financial donations.
This morning after contemplative prayer I spoke with one of our staff members, a Holy Names Sister whom I spoke with at the retreat last weekend. She encouraged me to consider a program they are doing to discern where and how people want to give their time to their parish and faith community. It will include four retreats and faith sharing opportunities, as well as reading suggestions. It sounds like exactly what I need.


So once again, as I continue to stumble along kind of blindly, God is sending me guides to help me find my right path. Seems like there are a lot of people like me, trying to figure out what to do with their lives, how they are being called to serve. I spoke with a woman who will go to Ethiopia this summer with her teenage son to work on some Habitat builds there. I’ve spoken with others who are taking a “time out” from their careers to try to figure out the next step. I always go back to Thomas Merton’s prayer that asks for guidance but hopes that whatever we do, if done for love of God and in the hope of service to God, will please God. And then there is the prayer by Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, all shall be well, all manner of things shall be well.” It is a matter of trusting God to point us in the right direction. It is a matter of listening for guidance and watching for God’s road signs as we travel along. And believing that we’re never really lost, just finding a different route, seeing a new road.


TravelinLady