While Dad's Away

This was what Silas did right as I was taking Thanksgiving dinner out of the oven :(

Life has been such a blur lately, that it's hard to believe it is real sometimes!  It seems like forever ago, but just over three weeks ago, we moved from one house to another house, so there was more room for the new families orientating.  Just a few days after that, Benjamin was flying across the ocean to be home for his dad's surgery.  We are so thankful that we made that decision for him to go and for those who have provided the funds for him to be able to do it!  God has been gracious to the Hatton family through the surgery and now as James recovers.  Please keep praying for him to get back to good health so that he can begin treatment for his liver cancer.                                                                                                  

God has also been gracious to me and the kids as we have stayed back at home, very far from Daddy and all that is happening there.  We are actually finishing up week 2 of the four weeks that he will be gone.  It has gone fairly quickly for the most part, but there certaintely have been some days that have felt pretty long.  I am realizing how much work it is to parent four kids on my own.  Each day is full of meeting their needs in every way.  I am asking the Lord to continue to remind me of His strength that is always available to me in even the smallest situations.  I find myself getting frustrated a lot more than I want to, with the kids and their ability to know how to manipulate and live life just a little different than they would if Daddy were around......and I want to deal with them appropriately, but with the right attitudes and perspective.  It isn't all negative though - they are also, many times, being a help and blessing to me.   I am also realizing how much I miss my husband!  I am much more dependant than I ever used to be as someone who didn't get married until 32 yrs. old......I miss my Friend and partner in life!  Can't WAIT until he comes home!!                       

Our trials here are SO little compared to the ones that my father-in-law and his family have been going  through back in Michigan, but I thought I would just mention a few:                                 

                                                       

Besides not having internet while Ben is away (until tonight!!), probably my biggest trial (and this shows how much we haven't really suffered) was on Thanksgiving Day, when I went to grab a can of Cream of Mushroom soup from my cupboard and when I picked it up saw a pile of something under it.  I looked closer and saw a lot of tiny brown ants (the ones that have infested the whole house we live in) and thousands of little tiny eggs!  Yuck!!!!!!  That was extreemly disturbing to me and I made my neighbor, Dave, vacuum them all up.  And very wisely of him, he then sprayed Mortein into the hose and let that get sucked up as well.  These little ants all over my house are not my friends!

Then, there have just been a few little things like the neighbors palm tree being cut down and coming right through a tall, tin fence, and into our back yard, crushing the metal clothes line and landing about 10 feet from where I was standing..................or the nightly thunderstorms and torrential rains accompanied by power shortages.  Not sure which wakes us up more, the thunder and lightening, or the loud rain on the tin roof, or the power outage that turns all our fans off and causes us to immediately sweat.....regardless, it has been endless nights of the kids screaming out in terror and me stumbling with my cell phone light trying to find the candle and matches...all while Silas is clinging to me and not taking no for an answer :)  Oh do I wish that Ben was here to take turns getting up!  And I do miss the "Principle" of our homeschool, to keep things in line....I am not enjoying taking over his job as well as being teacher!                                                                                    

Such small trials in comparison with what others are going through, but God knows what we need, big or small, to keep us dependant on and needy for Him....and to keep us focussing on TRUTH.....and being thankful!