I watched America 250 coverage and wore a bicentennial dress while watching a show of an immigrant worker who kissed the top of the Statue of Liberty – cool…  

So, yes I wore a 50 year old red white and blue dress that my aunt made – for 1976 – fits me well now… And fittingly I was working hard at her and her mom (my Grandma’s) boxes of between 50 and 120 year old letters from our family – including learning what I now know is my Great Grandmother’s many siblings, plus their children and grandchildren. I’ve sorted by year and type, and person and family branch – Auntie gets red ziplocs and a red folder – and other get yellow or green or blue – and labelled – and paperclip or binder clipped – and well, yeah – I wrap up this one month plus journey of working hard on researching and scanning and copying. I am not contacting current relatives – this was a deep dive to just know (and now know over 200 new cousins).

I worked hard – as if both working for myself and for their memory – and seeing how I think this was not a distraction but a mission – then I think I was also working for the Lord in all this – which also meant that I understood that it was a project that one had to find an end to – which I did – and everything is now boxed up ready to deliver back to the farmhouse with copies to my family – and yes I look forward to explaining it all. WHEW! (and I wanted it done before heading off to a VBS and then my BIG trip – and then another VBS).

And what a blessing too – to know my family members joys and struggles – to know what a community brought to them  – seeing census records which showed that they were MANY in NYC – and great in family. What brings me sadness is that my grandmother moved away from her many cousins and their letters must have been a comfort but also a reminder that she would not see them again maybe once or twice… And they were in the same state!

Well, I am crossing the state too again to deliver these items – organized so well and well, in all the scanning and the organizing on my google drive and then the printing out of them for both my family and for physical paper copies to go with the letters – well it was sort of me working for myself this last month. I think that is what I realize – is that I knew the JOY – and the mission – and the motivation too – the motivation comes from somewhere – well – but from WHOM was I being motivated? I checked in with the Lord often in the last month and questioned myself and Him – and still felt the peace of this pocket of opportunity – which I have been taking all along. So, if it feels like I was working BOTH for my project and for myself – I was. And was it like “work” well, no – just a JOY to do. And was I  or am I – working for God – well I hope so… I hope to state that this helped me know the names of faithful to meet somedays

I think that God gives us time = and freedom = and we have to decide what to do in it… And yeah to ask for and accept God’s Grace when we realize we need it. And to stand “be still” and know that God has all this under control.

In one of the postcards, there is a peasant woman looking in a small space and seeng an halo-ed figure.The kneeling shows prayer and maybe conversation. That’s me too – I kneel to the Lord – in THANKS – that I got this window of opportunity – had the window – opened the window – and took the window of opportunity.

Thank You Lord for this time of me hiring me for my projects – which I do believe You placed in front of me…

Thanks Lord for my family – and me…

AMEN