the "olden days"

Don't forget we just have the 6 younger ones here and last night we were eating dinner and somehow Terry started talking about "in the olden days" when we had this station wagon and it had like 270,000 miles on it and he was telling the children how it caught fire one morning driving it to work and he was giving all the details of that morning and Jeremiah (9), who is our big thinker, with a big eyes, questioned Terry about "the olden days," with "I didn't know you lived in the "ole days!" He also wanted to know more about the "wagon" we had. You see when they think of the "olden days," they think of cowboy and Indians, they pretend they play in the "olden days" when they play toys and such, so in his mind he was thinking we had a wagon and we lived in the "olden days!!!" Oh, my......I told him we were not that old!!!! We went on to explain that it was a car that was called a "station wagon," and the last seat was turned backwards and Caleb and Daniel use to ride back there and then I got a picture out and showed them. The other funny thing about that car was it was a major provision because when Elijah was born we had no more room in the vehicle we had and we were desperate for another car, so God provided the money to buy the car, at that time it had over 100,000 miles and we went on to add about another 170,000 to it!!!! Interesting that I read a scripture this morning about the "old days." We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. Ps. 44:1 That brought alot of reflections to my mind. Like today I have only two loads of laundry, like the old days. Last night I fixed 9 hamburgers instead of 16-18. Yesterday I went grocery shopping and thankfully I had more than a $100 to purchase groceries, all the stuff at Wal Mart with, like I had in the "old days." Last night Dave and Kate came over and we made cookies and baked and baked and baked them, alot of dough!!!! And then Dave played Legos with the little children and the conversations were like the" old days." Since the older children were not here, we did not talk much about land and futures it was talk of toys and fun!! The "olden days" have a bitter/sweet reminder. In some ways I do not want to go back to the "olden days" because that would mean I would not get to be enjoying the blessing of 13 children and then in another way I want to run to the "olden days" the days when Joel was here. I want those "olden days." But I guess after reading that verse and knowing I can not go back to the part of the "olden days" that I really want to, this verse calls me to "remember the work" of olden days and know that He is Faithful. He was faithful to provide for our family when times were really difficult, he was faithful to give grace in being new parents as we established our home on principles and truths that others did not understand, he was so faithful to protect us in health, accidents, and births and then He was faithful to carry us through the greatest trial of our lives with Joel. I just need to remember and not wish to go back but move forward with hopeful expectation of his faithfulness for us in the future.

Lets see..... today, I have a few more things to do in town, I think tonight we are going to have wiener roast outside, and thats about it as far as as plans, we'll "wing" anything else and do what we want to do!!! Terry is here to take care of the fort while I'm out of the office! He's pretty good at that:)

The older children made it to Illinois with safety, thankful for that and thank you if you prayed!! They will travel back on Sunday, so another few prayers to bring em' in safely if you think about it! It will seem unusual to have church here at our house with the other families and our children not be here!

Wow....two posts in two days......