That Mother Teresa...She Always Gets Me to Thinking

I'm inspired by the lives of those who forgo their own pursuit of happiness to seek the good of others, not just for good deed's sake, but to bring glory to the Creator of all the living by treating his masterpieces with dignity, honor and love. When we serve one another are we not serving him who made each of us? Reaching the heart of God is as simple and as accessible as reaching the unmet need of our fellow man, the one who lives near us, yes even our neighbor. 


My thoughts after seeing a program on Mother Teresa last night via Netflix stream. 

The Psalms

I had a thought about the Psalms today. When you read the Psalms, you realize just how foreign the words are to everything else we hear in the world around us. When do you hear someone expressing the attributes of God? When do you hear someone proclaiming their need for help from on high? When do you hear the kind of vulnerable language that is everywhere in the Psalms? When do you hear the high language of love and adoration towards our Creator just spoken or written? There is a gaping void in the Universe that the Psalms fill. It's just amazing to me.

Time to blog again

Hello blog world. It's me. I've been gone a long time. I think I have a little space for you in my life now. I have some quiet moments while my sweet Millie is sleeping and that's about it, but lets see if I can gracefully reenter your world again. I need to keep my memories and thoughts and experiences written down because my memory is just not as awesome as it has been in the past. In fact, my time perception is so rotten, I'm a little freaked out by it. When was that? When did that happen? Oh, some time in the past...a day, a week, a month, a month of weeks...grrrr.

So what's new? Well, I am working full time as a live in caregiver for a sweet 91 year old with dementia. Millie and I have been together for 3 plus years and it's just a perfect match! She used to live 7 minutes from my home, but now lives 97 minutes away, so I stay three nights a week and care for her four days and then I'm back to my busy household in Marysville where I mother six children and love on my husband of 18 1/2 years. The aforementioned husband is a furniture maker, a stay at home dad, and a part time volunteer staff member of our church. I have a senior and sophomore in public high school (this after 10 years of homeschooling), a middle schooler, two in elementary and one 24 month old surprise package known as Revellie.

I have a photography business on the side and I am enjoying exploring that creative side of me. I am totally loving theology right now and would love to go to seminary one day and become a chaplain and/or an author of books on living the Christian life.  I play flute at church, sing and help with our compassion ministries. I really have a heart for the persecuted church and for the orphan and widow problem in our world.

I am almost 42 (as old as Sesame Street, apparently) and I am on a quest to retrieve my health that was hijacked from me from our little wake-up-call that showed up after her mother had lost 90 pounds. I am forever grateful to the Lord for this new life in our world and I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn't for her unintended arrival. I would just like to be "less" of that woman in some respects, if you know what I mean.


So I am back. I am really praying that I don't return to this post in six months and find it alone, without any follow up, showing a life of good intentions not quite realized. But I have high hopes for some really good writing to be put down here. Come along for the journey if you'd like, I'd appreciate the company.

Two months....oh well.

Okay, so my boasting self declared new activity to be had on this blog but alas....my life has kept me from, well, MY LIFE! Ha! I am not whining. No. I am totally enjoying this thrill ride the Lord has me on. I get to hang out with some amazing young adults at HOP (House of Paine) each Tuesday night, as well as meet with different ones here and there as need arises, and boy does it ever arise! I also get to homeschool my 5 treasures! Oh my! What amazing young people they are. I made a book with my images and poetry/prose about them on blurb.com. I am very proud of it and of them. You can see the first 15 pages of it here.

I am taking care of Millie 3 mornings and 1 evening a week. Millie has mild dementia and needs help with meals and medication. My time with her is like an island of peace in my world. Selah.

I am playing flute and helping to lead worship at our church, Allen Creek Community Center. This makes me feel truly whole. When I am not involved in music in some capacity, especially worship, I feel a bit empty, a bit disjointed, like I left my left ear in the bathroom accidentally.

Hmmm, what else. Oh ya! I am married! He monopolizes my time quite a bit, thank the Lord! So please forgive me for being a two month slacker! Love you all.

Jules

Welcome back, self.

I have been gone a very, very, very long time from this blog. I have been growing people, losing weight, designing homeschool curriculum and living my mission and my dream. Sorry if anyone missed me. I have become "Mamma" to many new faces, thus I have a new identity. I am thinking about changing the layout of this blog all together. What's your opinion? Anyone still out there?

Jules

Photo by Reuben Paine "Hay fight"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Love

by Julie Paine

Our Love started in the heart of God
He knit us together, in our mother’s wombs
Our sweet mothers roamed the Earth,
Going to pre-natals at the same time,
In different states

My mom hated her doctor
He made her eat practically nothing
Salads
And natural breast feeding was never even discussed

Blake’s mom had a kinder experience
And she never considered NOT feeding her son
The way God intended

We grew up in the 70s
We discovered who we were in the 80s
We fell in love in the 90s
We married in my hometown church

We have lived in seven different homes
We have gone to ten different churches
Helped to start one of them
We were even on staff

With every home we have lived in
Excluding our first and our most recent
We have welcomed a new child into the world
7-2 = 5 children

We have been in love for over 15 years
We have been soul mates for just under 15 years
We have been parents for just under 14 years
We had no time alone before a little one showed up

Truly

But no regrets
We love our children with our lives
We home school them, we cherish them
We count them as our treasures above all treasures

Our love has grown
It has ebbed and flowed
It has accelerated and run out of gas
Occasionally

Our love has recreated us
Our intentions
Our dreams and desires
Our view of ourselves

We no longer live for just us
Or for our parents
Our peer groups
Our country

We live for one another
For our God
For our children
For our community as a whole

We have been institutionalized
We have been legalized
We have been galvanized
We have become super sized

I am just discovering
The soul of our marriage
I am learning how to make deposits
I am learning when to make withdrawals

Always building
Building this love
This masterpiece we were born to build

This is our love
This is our life
This is only the table of contents
So to speak.....

Children, if I've told once, I've told you a thousand times, You may not put the chicken in the pirate ship!