One day at a time

Still taking life one day at a time (or maybe one minute at a time)

 

Evanston is a good place ripe with opportunities and new experiences. I look for the blessings and the exciting pieces of our life here. But, life still feels like we are in the thick of transition. I still feel like I have to do what is in front of me and not think ahead too much. Everything still takes longer than it should, and I still make lots of mistakes. Life is just really different here from life in Clovis. The three flights of stairs and two doorways that separate me from the rest of the world still seem difficult to traverse some days. (Not to mention getting my two-year-old out of the apartment.) I am tired, too. Probably the pregnancy has a lot to do with it. I think the stress and change may be bigger factors, though. There is no one big thing that I can say is stressful; it’s just a slew of little everyday things. I will try to give examples…One thing is shopping. Grocery shopping here requires going to four or five different stores each week to get all of the items that we need. The stores are, of course better than Clovis stores. And, shopping at different ones helps our grocery bill to be half as much as it was in Clovis. There are stores with just produce, stores with just health food, stores with toiletries, and stores with cheaper boxed or bulk items. This is all good, but it’s very time consuming. I just don’t have it all down yet. I forget which store is where. I forget where certain items are at different stores, because none of it is familiar, yet. And, because of all of the running around, I end up without everything I needed in the end – which, means more trips to the store! Once I get home, there are always heavy things to carry up all the stairs – not to mention a tired Jedidiah. I usually end up collapsing once I get home. That’s one example. Another example is laundry (which is in the basement of our building and requires special tokens that must be ordered ahead of time). Another example is parking (parallel parking in inconsistent distances from our house and street cleaning days that mean you can’t park certain places – we’ve gotten two tickets already). More substantially, maybe, are the ambiguous pressures of preparing for a new baby, raising a toddler, finding a job, making friends, and being the new person everywhere we go. I am able most days to see all that God is working together for good, but some days I am just tired and overwhelmed. This is transition, I suppose. My brain and body and spirit are trying to make sense of everything here. I am praying for God to sustain us and to keep me focused on His call. Some days I still cry and feel disappointed. I think that’s okay. I guess I just feel so far away from “home” – whatever that is. Please pray that God will make this place home for now – I am certain that He is able and willing.

 

From Josh:

     I have put in two days at the Amish furniture store now, and it’s a lot of learning right now. Thankfully I have a job that should provide for most of our needs now. Candace has had two of three interviews for a part-time job that she’ll probably be offered soon. Financially, things seem to be settling into place.

     I realize that I am still very fragmented, not centered, not peaceful. I am trying to make family and employers happy, and I am trying to integrate into a new community. So far there are a lot of demands on my time.

     Recently the community has started trying to support the artists. I am lumped into that category. So we have all-at-once rented a storefront on Main Street in Evanston, formed a business of sorts to try and sell paintings, planned a two month blitz scheduling lots of social events to get publicity for the art and artists, and we’re painting and preparing the space right now. I am not the initiator, only a meager participant. Hopefully, we’ll get a lot of foot traffic and I will get some attention and commissions. It’s all about exposure and networking. I hate selling myself / marketing, but brace yourselves for the future!

   It really is great to be in proximity to working artists who are intent on being self-supporting, and it really is great to be included in a community that will do the business end of things so that we can do the work we are good at and maybe get paid for it.

In the name of Jesus,

Josh