It is Saturday morning and the bookstore has been very quiet this week which has enabled me to clean up three email accounts, get some papers filed, prepare the next newsletter for the bookstore, and pour through catalogs for Christmas ordering. Dick has used the van all this week so I think that many believe we aren’t opened. But that’s okay, I’m getting things accomplished and listening to old music as I find songs for a playlist we hope to put together for the new church.
Speaking of the new church, Dick has made the sign and hung it, installed an outside light, finished the interior electrical, and sanded and varnished the floor in the main room. Part of the floor will need a second coat after he recovers from the high and dizziness he experienced yesterday and the floor is completely dried. We peeked in this morning and it looks lovely.
how did my mother get into the pictures?
I am late with writing from just over the hilltop journal but that means that I been busy with family, friends, and work. The West Potsdam Retired Ladies took a delightful wagon ride given by Canton Carriage with Monica Stone and her driver Tom Aldous. Our ride took us down and back on the Schoolhouse Road through a tunnel of trees, with dragonflies flitting about, and the horse’s bells and hoofs keeping a rhythm that soothed the soul. Eight of us with our August host, Judi, who arranged the trip, enjoyed making a precious memory. We then went back to Judi’s for a delicious lunch and a special dessert of shoo-fly pie. It was definitely a special day. A side note: how did my mother get into the pictures? I was shocked to see that I resemble my mother more than I realized.
Busy days
The once-a-month sing along at the bookstore was another special evening of beautiful voices joining together and singing some old hymns. We welcomed a new singer and found we have common friends. Isn’t life such a beautiful web of connected people?
There have been several opportunities to sit and visit with friends stopping by the bookstore. Catie, who sometimes fills in for me, brought over her vacation stories and adventures with many pictures. That was a special time of learning some of her family heritage, seeing pictures of Ground Zero, enjoying her knowledge and love for Michael Landon as she shared her tour of his hometown, and so much more.
Family. I love this time of the year because Karen and Jami usually come for a several day visit and then we have an impromptu picnic with Eric and Andrea and family. This year we were joined by Dan (my nephew) and Bernadette and their family at the get together with a total of thirteen children that played and played and played so well. Fun times for sure.
Heaven always seems closer when Errin’s birthday comes around
This year Karen, Jami, and family went on to Maine for a few days, which gave me a little rest and break, then they came back last night. Sergi’s pizza is usually a fixed requirement for their visits to the Potsdam area and so last night was pizza night. Earlier in the week, which would have been Errin’s 45th birthday, they joined with us as we sent up his annual balloon. Heaven always seems closer when Errin’s birthday comes around.
It is now Labor Day, September 2 and I didn’t finish the journal that was started in August. To quote Veggie Tales, “We’re busy, busy, dreadfully busy,” but I will try to complete my thoughts and happenings today.
Dick has been working on the Mechanic Street storefront, where we are launching the new church the end of this month. The bathroom was this week’s project and just the floor and baseboard is left. It is painted and has a new light plus he hung the twenty-five cent mirror found at a yard sale. Yesterday we both worked there washing windows, hanging curtains, setting up a serving area and a cozy corner for conversations. Saturday he stopped to get permission to cut grasses and rushes along Route 56 for the window display area. It is amazing how welcoming natural grasses can be. We put up a sign asking the question “what does grace mean to you?” with a flannel board picture of baby Moses hiding among the grasses (or that’s how I tried to make it look). We are just wanting anyone who walks by to think about grace. Next week we’ll ask another question.
We have been given a piano and that is so exciting because I prefer piano over keyboard but was willing to use the keyboard for singing. God is amazingly good at supplying even our wants sometimes and not just our needs.
More special visits
We stopped to visit with our friends, Charlie and Sheree, the other night because we hadn’t seen them in too long a time. We only intended to stay about half an hour but it turned into close to three. They love talking about spiritual matters with us and so all our spirits were lifted that night. There is nothing like a few close friends.
we desire to help with the spiritual side of life
Then Friday night Eric and Andrea and grandchildren came for pizza and to brain storm about music for the church and whether or not some sort of sound system would be needed. Matthew had a Bluetooth speaker and my tablet has Bluetooth and so we experimented and then tried it at the church yesterday. I think it will work and hopefully, it won’t be too complicated (neither of us is tech savvy) or we trust that God will send someone who is.
All in all the last several weeks have been full of busy, busy, busy as I wrote earlier and also included finding Dick a van. But we are grateful to be working together and wanting to be used by God to reach out and help unchurched people in their spiritual life. They get help for their health, their finances, and their physical bodies. We desire to help with the spiritual side of life. We appreciate any prayers for wisdom and clear direction.
Have a blessed week and I’ll try to be on-time next Tuesday. Love, Sharon