Keeping the Sabbath

As I wrote in my last post, these last few months I’ve been feeling weary and tired. The trip to see my dad was refreshing and I was thankful for being able to unwind and relax during our time there. I thought having that break would be enough to last me a while, but it wasn’t even a week until I was right back to feeling tired and overwhelmed at times.

Last week I was reading ‘Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World’ for my Tuesday morning women’s bible study, I was intrigued and convicted on the idea of keeping the Sabbath.  Here is the excerpt that spoke loudly to me:

Despite all the distractions, real and imagined, I really believe that if we want to balance our lives we must set our hearts towards obeying the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8). The specifics of what that means for you and your family will be between you and God. But I believe that Sabbath-keeping as God ordained it must involve three things:

First, it must be different, set apart; it has to contrast noticeably with the six other days. It shouldn’t just be a day when we take care of errands we didn’t get to do on Saturday or finish paperwork we brought home on Friday.

Second, the Sabbath should be a day of devotion.  It’s meant to be spent in the Living Room, Kitchen duties can wait. This is a time to focus our hearts and minds on God alone.

Finally, the Sabbath should be at least partially a family day- a time not only spent with our biological families, but also with the family of faith gathered for worship and fellowship.

-          Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver, pg. 185

While I usually make a feeble attempt unwind and relax on Sundays, I have never made it a purposeful effort to do so. This is usually what ends up happening: I run errands during nap time, go grocery shopping and plan our meals for the week. I often try to clean around the house thinking it will get me ‘ahead’ on cleaning during the upcoming week. But somehow my kids end up making a mess again and I’m right back where I started. It feels just like every other day of the week. My mind still going a million miles an hour, trying to multitask as much as possible, and attempting to be as productive as I can.

After reading this chapter and talking to Steve about it, we are going to make an effort to keep the Sabbath on Sundays. We came up with some ideas that we’re hoping will help us find  rest from the week:

-         Not cleaning around the house or doing laundry on Sundays. Only do what is necessary for the day.

-         Only use paper plates

-         Not run errands that we didn’t get to do during the week

-         I plan on reading a magazine or book during nap time (something I LOVE to do, but never have time for!)

-         Not check fb or instagram. This will set apart this day from the rest of the week and allow me to focus on other things.

-         Not organizing newspapers/coupons


Will continue to add to the list...

Our goal is that we would look forward to Sundays  instead of viewing it as just another day like the others. I hope we’ll be able to make time for things we enjoy to do, have a mental break from the planning and work of the week, have good quality family time together, and ultimately focus on seeking the Lord that day. I’m excited to do this!! I can't wait to see how it turns out and how it will impact our family.  And I hope that if we stick with it, it will be something that Jack and Palmer will practice as adults as well.

I've closed this post for comments but feel free to email at Carolinabriggs@gmail.com if you'd like to share something. Good night!

Punta Cana

About two weeks ago we traveled to Punta Cana to spend a week with my dad. Due to circumstances he’s not able to come to the US, and we’re not able to visit him in Venezuela. So we try to once a year meet him somewhere to spend time with him. In this trip he saw Jack for the second time and met Palmer for the first time.

The few days leading up to the trip were very difficult. Three days before we realized Palmer would need a passport to travel and he didn’t have one! We were so upset thinking we might have to postpone the trip, or I would have to go on my own with Jack. After much research, phone calls (and a few hundred dollars later) we were thankful to have gotten his passport in time, just 2.5 hours before our plane left on Wednesday morning!

Tuesday night we drove down to Miami since our plane left from the Ft Lauderdale airport Weds morning. The kids were awake most of the way, we ended up getting to the hotel close to midnight and we all got very little sleep that night. Palmer did not do well on the plane and he didn’t nap as we had hoped .  On a good note, the plane ride was only 2 hours which was manageable. We arrived around 4pm exhausted. We weren’t sure what to expect of the trip, since traveling with kids is usually a lot more work than a vacation. But we knew it’d be worth it to spend time with my dad.

My dad got there at 7pm that night and he was as happy as could be. He was so thrilled to see his grandchildren and we just had a great time that night and the rest of the trip.

 

 

The hotel was all inclusive (thank you groupon!), and it was nice to not have to cook or clean for a week (since the kitchen is where I spend most of my time at home). Their food was excellent- ranging from Filet Mignon, to lobster, to paella, etc.

 

 

 

The weather was perfect. It was sunny every day we were there with a few short afternoon showers.  We spent most of our days lounging at the pool and beach.

 

 

The people in the DR are very friendly! Everyone greeted us with a big smile and dotted on the boys.  And although most of the people staying there were couples they had plenty of activities for families. They also had a kids club (which we didn’t take advantage of since the boys are so young) and a babysitter service. Really could not have been a better run and service driven place.

We didn’t go anywhere outside the hotel. Figured with two kids and Palmer’s naps it would be easier to stay there. Palmer napped around noon every day for 2-3 hours, and we’d take turns going up to stay with him.

My dad was happy to watch the boys while Steve and I spent some time on our own at times. We took a lot of walks by the beach (and even got to see a few shooting stars!!), went out to dinner, dancing, and to a bonfire at the beach the hotel put on. 

 

We met a lot of interesting people- all the way from France to Polland. There was one couple we spent a lot of time with because they had a little boy Jack’s age and they played very well.

Mother's day was very special. My dad gave me flowers that morning and a beautiful necklace. Steve's present was taking me on this wonderful trip! And as a treat they took care of the boys so I could have time to myself to read at the beach. The rest of the afternoon spent it with the boys at the pool. Truly was a very special mother's day that I will always remember.

 

 

We are truly grateful we got to spend this week with my dad. We only booked the trip in mid April (it was rather last minute). When the new Venezuelan president was elected on April 14th, we were worried that my dad wouldn't be able to leave the country in a few months, so we took the jump to book the trip.

 

It has been a very busy and at times difficult first half of the year. With Palmer being in the hospital, going through foster training, buying a house, and two week long vacations, it has come with it's challenges . Most of these are good things that have truly been an answer to prayer. We are grateful for them. But cramming them all into less than five months, it leaves little time for routine and simply enjoying the moment without having to rush to the next thing. Prior to going on the trip I had been running on empty. I hadn't had a good quiet time in a while and had missed my Tuesday morning women's bible study for a few weeks. When my relationship with God takes a backseat to anything else, it leaves me feeling empty with a void only God can fill. While our life may seem so picture perfect at times from the outside looking in, it is not perfect by any means. I am a sinful, broken at times, weary mama, that needs to get back to putting God in the center of my everyday life.

 

Can I just add how much I love blogging? I love the opportunity to be transparent and share more about what's behind each picture. And thank you to my hubby Steve for encouraging me to blog during the times in the past I've wanted to stop. He is always my number one fan in blogging and I'm thankful for how he guides me and our family.

 

It is way past my bedtime, so I'm heading off to bed. I've closed this post for comments but feel free to email at Carolinabriggs@gmail.com if you'd like to share something. Good night!

Brief Update

Since my last post on foster parenting our computer stopped working and we have recently been able to have it fixed. I had written two additional posts on foster parenting, which unfortunately were not  recovered. I will write them again and will post them as soon as I'm able to.

Brief update on foster parenting- We are finished with our training and paperwork, however we did not pass the radon test. Radon is an odorless gas that causes cancer that comes from the soil. It is specially high in this area from what we've been told by our FDS worker. Our levels came in at 5.8 and the maximum allowed is 4.0. We have retested twice, but unfortunately were not able to get a good reading and so we are working through this. The good news is that it is treatable and the levels can be brought down. The bad news is that it is expensive to treat and it will cause a delay in being licensed. Please pray for us as we are awaiting the results of the last test any day now!

Also we are getting ready to visit my dad next Wednesday for a week. We are very excited to spend some time with him! And this will be his first time meeting Palmer :)

Venezuela

Monday April 15th was not a good day.

It was sad because of the Boston bombing and the families that lost loved ones that day.

And it was sad because the result of the presidential election for Venezuela was released. Two presidential candidates were in the running: One a socialist Nicolas Maduro which would continue with the socialist regime of the previous president Hugo Chavez. The other one Henrique Capriles, a young 40 something year old with hopes to take the country in a new direction.

Capriles

It's been hard to watch my beautiful homecountry of Venezuela steadily decline for the last fifteen years. I so long to go back and visit. I wish my family and friends wouldn't have to endure the uncertainty of living in an unstable economy. You can google Venezuela right now and you would find endless articles of Venezuela being at the brink of a civil war.

During the last fifteen years president Hugo Chavez has been president.

I still remember the day Hugo Chavez attempted to take over the democratic government in a coup d'état back in 1992. I was 10 years old at the time, sitting in our apartment, which was on the 16th floor of our building overlooking the city. I looked out the window to see military armed men patrolling the streets, alarming everyone to go back inside their homes. Suddenly the TV channels went black, and Hugo Chavez came on to give a speech that would change history.

A picture of his statement that day

* Source: http://profesor-daniel-alberto-chiarenza.blogspot.com/2013/02/4-de-febrero-1992-rebelion-de-hugo.html

In his speech he admitted defeat and took responsibility for the events of that day. He gave such a good speech that he began to be viewed as a martyr and praised by the Venezuelan people.

He failed to overtake the government that day and was sentenced to jail for life. Two years later he was granted a presidential pardon and was allowed to run for president in the next election. Oh how different things would've been had this pardon never taken place!

He was elected to president in 1998 and ruled until he passed away earlier this year. Whether I agree with his policies is not relevant in this post, and I could go on and on that subject. But since then the economy of Venezuela has steadily declined. Back then it only took only 4 Bolivares to buy $1.00. Today it takes over 3,000 bolivares to buy $1.00.

Back then large international companies were based in Caracas, Venezuela. Each one representing hundreds of jobs. Each job providing for a family. And today most of them have left.

A good example is the Latin-American headquarters Coca-Cola had in Caracas, Venezuela. (I'm going off in a little tangent here). Brent Willis (pictured below) was in charge of  running that office. Years later he would become CEO of Cott Beverages based in Tampa, Florida.

I worked for Cott for a few years and would look forward to his company-wide speeches. I have sat through more CEO speeches than I care to count, and most of them are rehearsed, routine, and boring. Brent Willis was different. He never read off a paper.. He wasn't always politically correct, but he was always energetic and inspiring. I know he had good influence during his time in Caracas.

Less than six months of working at Cott, I attended their first formal Christmas party. This was a pretty big deal as we went offsite, listened to a band and got to bring our spouses. I was surprised to find out when we got there that we had been assigned to sit in Brent Willis's table. It was such a fun night chatting it up with our CEO and two other VPs.

Brent Willis either thought I had a bright future in the company or he wanted to talk about Venezuela. I'm definitely going to go with the latter of the two.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2008/08/18/story6.html?page=all

Willis comes to Kmart from The Coca-Cola Company, where he was President of one of their major divisions based in Latin America. In that senior-level position, Willis was the architect of Coca-Cola's turnaround in Venezuela, during which 50 years of competitive brand dominance was reversed. Coca-Cola now leads in Venezuela with near 70 percent market share versus only 10 percent in 1996.

Source: http://www.searsholdings.com/pubrel/kmart/pressrelease/2000/news/pr001204.htm

Today my beautiful homecountry of Venezuela feels empty and forgotten in some ways. In April 15th, Maduros was elected and he will continue with the socialist views previously carried out by Hugo Chavez.

Please pray for this beautiful contry! That it would one day flourish again, that jobs would come back, that it would be a safe place to travel to. Please pray that more missionaries would be led to minister there and bring hope to a very broken community.