Impressed

I think I'm going to give myself a time limit for writing my blog posts.  Otherwise, I'll spend too much time working on them.  Time I don't have at this point.

Today, I want to record how impressed I was with my sister-in-law this past weekend.  I'm extremely impressed with both of Stuart's sisters, but since I was staying at his sister T's house, I noticed more about her and how she lives.

T is a about a half a year younger than me, and she is having her fifth baby in May!  They are having a little boy after four beautiful girls.  So happy for them.  Last year, she and her husband bought a home which behind Stuart's parent's home.  Stuart's dad has been having a lot of health issues, and they decided it would be best to live closer.  The house that came available was built I think in the late 60s had only had one owner.  It had not been updated.  The house was also about the same size as their last house, but it did have one more room than their other house had.  When I first went to see the house last summer, my heart kind of sank because I could see all of the work they would need to do to update it.  Popcorn ceilings, green wallpaper, dark walls.  It reminded me very much of the house Stuart and I bought on Greenmountain Lane.  It wasn't pretty.

Just a few months later and T and R have made that house a beautiful home!  No more popcorn ceilings.  They still have olive green countertops, but T made the best of this and wrote Bible verses on them.  :) (I also liked the way she had whole chapters of the Bible attached to the mirror in the bathroom and on the bathroom doors.)  Yes, there is still some updating they might do, but their home felt warm, welcoming, and rich with activity.  More than that, though, I'm impressed with how T and R care for Stuart's parents.  They have made it a priority. I love Stuart's parents so much, so I truly appreciate what T and R are doing for them.

T is more of an introvert, but she put herself out there as a leader in the family more than I've ever seen her do.  She organized who would cook which meals, and she supported everyone who needed any help.  She also organized what we would do each night.  One night, she had Stuart give a report with a slideshow about his trip to Tanzania.  Another night, she directed a sing-along with all 23 of us, singing hymns that Stuart's parents grew up with and loved.  Stuart played the guitar, his other sister played the piano, and T ran the projector and said what songs we were going to sing.  I think that was the happiest I saw Stuart's dad all weekend.

Also, T not only welcomed Stuart, Katherine, and I over to her house, but she also welcomed her other two nieces who live in town to spend the night at her house.

T never looks like she's in a hurry, but she just works steadily along.  Her house is so organized, and she is creative in how she uses the space that is available.  I get the sense that when she notices something that is missing or needed in her home or something that isn't working well, she takes note of it at that moment and makes plans for how to address it.

She homeschools her four daughters, and they are all doing very well in their studies.  They also all proficiently play two instruments except for her youngest who only plays the piano...but has her eye on the flute, which T says she might start playing in a couple of years.  As a 10th grader, her daughter aced the ACT!  I mean, through the roof!  T makes it look so easy.  I know she has done the hard work in their earlier years to teach them to help with the housework and to know how to study independently.  And mainly, just how to be disciplined.

So yeah.  I'm thoroughly impressed.  In my younger years, I think I would have felt more jealous than inspired.  I would have felt bad that I'm not more like T.  Ha!  I have learned the hard way that whenever I try to be like someone else in an overall sense, I just get depressed and resentful because it becomes so clear that I can't do it.  I am me for better or worse.  These days, though, I just want to take some actions I noticed T doing which I could work on in my life.

1. Bring more scripture into our home.
2. Be more mindful of making my house a functioning, warm place where people can have the security that we have what they need and they know where to find it.
3. Addressing things that are lacking or not working in our home.
4. Working steadily.
5. Being a servant to others.