The author of the blog will now hereby confess; I wasn’t very community oriented in January. I deeply regret it. To be honest though; it wasn’t my fault; nor was it my usual nature.
The month of January came over me here like a ton of bricks. We experienced family members having COVID during the Christmas Holidays; and those members sheltered at home with light symptoms until they were well again. By the end of the first week in January my husband was tested because of a case a work. In five days they gave him the positive results; which led me to be tested. I had it too. What a great way to start the year huh?
My husband’s symptoms were light, similar to a bad cold. He went back to work after the 10 day quarantine. My symptoms were terrible though. I had fevers, chills, no energy whatsoever. Terrible upset stomachs and loss of appetite. All I wanted to do for ten whole days was sleep. So that was pretty much how I spent the first 10 days of 2021 – sleeping and hoping to feel warm again some day.
Fortunately; none of us had to be hospitalized, and I’m hoping to return to my normal job in a few days. Blogging and writing are NOT my “normal” because I do have bills to pay and so I also carry on a professional day job too. Writing is what I do because God made me to do it. In the meantime – I appreciate all of those paychecks from my company job, and I’m grateful to be with a firm that has been able to survive the world turning upside down so far.
One blessing that comes with being flat on your back in bed is that you have lots of time to pray. This year has definitely started out in a prayerful mode for me. I’ve been extremely worried about the condition of our country and where it is headed for months now; and so I lifted up prayers every day for America; that God will heal our land and return us to our first love – His Kingdom.
I’m usually filled with news about what is going on and the latest seasonal happenings with The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community. Strangely for me though; this month I have been more quiet and inactive. Don’t give up on me though; I’m getting stronger every day and things will be back as normal as possible as soon as possible.
I’m still happy to say, in spite of my lack of focus, we gained some new viewers both for our weekly Thursday COME AS A CHILD on-line bible study lessons; as well and our monthly Newsletter mailing lists.
Welcome to all of our “newbies.” We are glad to have you on board. Our mission is still based on 2 Timothy 4:2; so it is great to have some more voices out there helping to spread the gospel and helping to make the world a better place by living upside down and inside out; like Jesus did.
I hope you enjoyed the lessons we covered this month in Deuteronomy. Fortunately; the writer/teacher had been working ahead and we were able to continue on with the January lessons.
God’s timing is always amazing.
I’ve been amazed at how the lessons on God’s plans for setting up the government for Israel as a new nation and a pattern for all nations seemed to tie right into the changes that our nation is now encountering; with a new cabinet after a hard-fought, rocky and violent election.
I’m not sure if anyone celebrated New Year’s this year. If you did good – I know no matter how many people celebrated; EVERYONE is very ready for a new change from last year’s on-going drama and problems.
I honestly have had to tune it out and pray for peace.
The economic ruin that is coming looms heavy in my heart; just as I was hoping to retire and enjoy the good life with my grands a bit. Not sure what to do now. Waiting on God’s direction. In the meantime; I have found writing to be a great release; and when I look back over 2020 I see a whole trail of articles that we explored to answer questions about how a Christian should approach the subject of Social Justice.
Finally; this month of January, right on the heals of Martin Luther King Day, (I hope you caught our article about walking in his footsteps); we gave our answers to the ten original questions that we have been seeking answers for over the last year.
I’m sure not everyone will agree with my opinions; but now I feel better about letting this subject go for awhile and just living out the answers. You can find the article under our PIECES OF THE PUZZLE topics for January.
You all know my other “release” when things are not going well; after prayer and writing is seasonal decorating.
In January, we reviewed all the ways we have shared over the years about winter décor. I thought it was great fun. We hope you enjoyed the articles as much as I did. The navy blue theme is going to be prevalent in our home now until after Passover of 2021; but I have saved some photos of the final touches. I’ll be sharing these with you in the month of February in THE HOUSE DOCTOR topics that are coming up.
Speaking of February; Valentine’s Day is around the corner. I hope you are able to catch our explanation of the TRUE meaning of Valentine’s Day in the SEASONS topics of the blog.
As usual; we will be sharing a few love stories and thinking about being a bit crafty. Look forward to this in February, as well as a few new MONDAY NIGHT MENU meal plans for cold winter nights.
Looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Check out our IN SEASON Community Store for some good ideas. There are also books especially for couples that will help strengthen your relationships. Why not read a few together during this upcoming month of love?
AN APPLE A DAY is going to address how healthy it is for people to have relationships of love. Did you know that falling in love is good for your heart? It is! Be sure to catch our article.
It is also very healthy to keep your life in order instead of living in chaos. This month of February is a good time to explore some organizational and time-saving techniques; so stay tuned to some wonderful new information in these areas.
For several months now we have been wanting to share our travel experiences in a little North Carolina town called Tryon. Look for it soon in OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO articles.
The PEN ART Topics for February would love to include a few new book reviews; but time will tell. Depends on how much energy this author is able to get to kick in before those March winds start to blow our way.
PEN ART will share some winter poetry though. Isn’t winter the most conducive to inspiring poetry for you? I know it brings the words and thoughts out in my own life; and you know we will be sharing them. If you have a winter poem you would like to share with the community; please send it to wordcastlepublications@gmail.com. We love sharing for you.
If you have begun to read Book One of The Gospel Hidden in Genesis; which recaps our Thursday Bible Studies on The Book of Genesis; you might be excited to know that Book Two of Two for The Gospel Hidden in Genesis is about to hit the press.
Just a little more editing and we are SO CLOSE to publishing. Be watching for our announcement. Book Two will be for sale (same as Book One) on Amazon.com. We always try to give you a link to buy in our weekly lessons and articles too. Be watching for it in February!
So here is to a real sweet February.
God bless you everyone!
Gail Landgraf/Editor/Blogger/Writer; The IN SEASON Lifestyle.com/Via Wordcastle Publications LLC.