Today feels like a rare day. It’s a day much like the other 160 school days of this term, yet it has a different dimension. Today marks the last day for the five schoolchildren to go off to school.
I savored the quiet days to be rejuvenated yet I’m also eager to having the children at home every day. There are projects we want to tackle as a family and find a routine that works for all seven of us under the same roof. The boys are at the age where they thrive on real things to do with real goals. It tends to be a challenge minus Daddy, but we’ll take a day at a time and trust God to meet us every hour of every day.
For today, four-year-old Joshua and I relish the quiet, then we relish it all over again.
We took advantage of the day by going back to the cabin for the forenoon. Ah, the accomplishment of scooping out a winter’s worth of ladybugs and stinkbugs, plus the dust that accumulates from being mostly empty for a few months.
I loved my time back there in the quiet of the edge of the maple grove. Birds sang their songs as I swept, cleaned, and revisited memories from when Daniel and I were building the cabin, then of the reality of using the cabin minus his presence, then oh, the sweetness of my Savior meeting me there again and again and again. Since there was no heat in the cabin on a regular basis this winter, I learned to enjoy my time with God in the house. It was okay, but is there anything like that cabin nestled in the edge of the woods where nothing disturbs the quiet?
Today Joshua was delighted to have Mom and the cabin all to himself, more like it used to be in the beginning of the school term. He wasn’t impressed though, with the idea of the upcoming storm. His wide eyes would not relax until the storm subsided.
By noon the rain had subsided. We decided to have our lunch on the deck on his miniature picnic table. He stuck his blue umbrella in the center to keep the sprinkles off.
If I have no one to cook for besides the two of us I often enjoy the break from cooking, and we eat what happens to be in the fridge — enough to fill Joshua and tie us over ‘til the others are home from school. After he had prepared our lunch of cheese sticks, fruit, bars, and salty snacks he summoned me to come join him.
As I walked across the porch, I was amazed. How can God time so many things so perfectly? As I was ready to stoop to sit on the low bench under his umbrella, the sun came out for the first time that day. It was not going to rain all day after all! God showed up and showed us his touch of his love light as we enjoyed a final meal together before the intensity of summer sets in.
As we ate I asked him who kept us safe through the storm that had now passed.
“Jesus did. And do you know what the lightning is?†he asked importantly.
“What is it?â€
“It’s actually God’s camera flashing at us.â€
I smiled.
“And the thunder is God saying, Be not afraid,†he continued,
“That’s a nice,†I commented. “I like that. And who taught you that?â€
“Elijah did.â€
Inside I felt more than I expressed. Surely it is a blessing beyond ordinary blessings when one child encourages the other without Mom even finding out at the time!
Hi, I’m back again, the children came home from school with stories of their last day.
I’ll be wrapping up with a recipe Julia wants to try for breakfast one of these days as she is the one who will be doing breakfast this summer. It’s a recipe I used when I was a girl. (I’ll never forget that morning I went on the porch to fetch it, as I had prepared it the night before… well, a dog must have gotten there before I did, it was licked clean. I stood, frozen to my spot for a bit, then walked back to the kitchen to find a plan B.)
Brunch Enchiladas
1 cup fully cooked ham or sausage, diced or chopped
1/4 cup onion
5 (8â€) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice, divided
1/2 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt
Combine ham or sausage with onions. Place about 1/3 cup ham mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9 by 9 inch baking dish. In a bowl combine flour, milk, eggs, and salt until smooth. Pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate overnight or 8 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake covered at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. I also like sprinkling parsley flakes on top before serving.
