simply homemaker

Dear readers,

I had a much harder time this week deciding what to write about. For the first time in so long, I had time to think and be. Not that I wasn’t doing anything important before, but I truly believe in the power of reflection in a quiet house over an extended time. “We don’t learn from experience, but reflecting on experience.” Reflection puts things in their right places, “captive under the obedience of Christ.”

I have written and deleted what I wrote, because I kept feeling like it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to communicate with you.

This has been such a healing exercise, writing every week it is. I have always had a lot of words to say, and my fast-paced lifestyle does not really allow for as much time as I would like to sit down with each friend and share about all the things that are going on in my heart. Part of me wonders if this is going to be my lifestyle forever. But that’s for another day.

So I find this place a refuge, a haven, a platform. A place to minister to my heart and to speak to yours.

Over the past year, things have felt like a constant storm. I’m on the boat, many people I know are on the boat, and we’re all calling out asking Jesus: “Don’t you care? Don’t you see that we are struggling?”

I’ve sent out so many prayers for myself and my friends on this boat. Sometimes, it does not seem like God hears at all.

I heard a quote over the weekend from Ruth Chou Simons: “Disappointment is usually the place where disbelief starts.” Things are hard, so we go into survival mode. We feel lack, so we look around trying to find sustenance, not realizing his Word is food and His heart our shelter.

What I gradually learned over the past year is that if there isn’t a storm and there isn’t a shaking boat, we never get to see Jesus says, “Peace, be still.”

If we are not weak, we will not realize only He is strong.

I thought about grace a lot and a lot recently. Why do I keep falling short? Why do the valleys always follow the hills in the spiritual reality?

Going to the Word and ancient literature has given me much answer. This week, I was staying with a dear friend, Betty. She’s about 90 and she still drives a tractor. She’s quite fantastic. Betty had a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress that belonged to her mother. I started turning the pages after dinner and could not really stop reading, so she gave me a copy and I spent the evening reading Pilgrim’s Progress.

Pilgrim’s Progress is a story of Christian, a man from the City of Destruction. He picked up a Book, and realized he had been carrying a burden on his back that he could not get rid of no matter how hard he tried. He met a man named Evangelist, who told him he must enter the gate to find the road to the Celestial City. When he entered the gate, the burden fell off his back. Throughout his journey, Christian encountered many people, detours, challenges, and also help. A fellow companion and friend of Christian, died on this journey in Vanity Fair because he was Faithful to God’s Word. After journeying on from this experience, Christian was also in grave danger at times, beaten, tortured, mocked. But in the end, he arrived.

Reading about Christian’s journey has been a balm to my anxious heart.

During my journey, I have met many people, detours, challenges, and also help. I was also in danger at times.

As one puts things into the right perspective and asks the Holy Spirit to show her the spiritual growth her circumstances are to bring, He willingly does so.

What the world sees as valley to valley, Christians see glory to glory.

What the world sees as unfortunate, Christians see blessed.

What the world sees as sacrifice and setback, Christians see sanctification and transformation.

What the world sees as poor and weak, Christians see abundant grace.

At the end, he arrived.

I’m learning to see abundant grace in the small details, and in all of them.

This week, I had my friend Ruthie over for dinner, and we talked for 4 hours. If I was not leaving for a morning flight the next day, we could have talked for a couple more. We talked about her past trip to Oxford, her upcoming trip to Oxford, my time traveling, and most of our time centered around what the Lord has for us next. It got me excited, hopeful, and confident that there is more.

I also attended a dear friend’s wedding in Pensacola, Florida. The wedding was hosted in her backyard, and it was easy, elegant, simple, and fun-filled. A “no-fuss” wedding, as I like to call it. And then my friend Blair and I enjoyed an afternoon on the beach and had some seafood for dinner. We enjoyed the simple time sitting on the beach and talking about Jesus and His will for our lives.

I celebrated my best friend’s birthday, the first time since I left Fort Worth in 2021. We spent a fun day by the pool and got dinner with a big group of girls. It was so fun!

I also got to spend Memorial Day’s weekend with Ronnie and Carol, all 4 days! We made recipes from a current favorite cookbook, went on a bike ride, had breakfast together, and I went out to coffee with both Ronnie and Carol. I also got to see their dog Nincy again. Overall, it was so so fun.

I helped my brother book his flight to California this summer for an internship (which he made) and also his AirBnB for his first month. It’s crazy when your brother is old enough to be an employee. I am having a stronger case of oldest sibling syndrome by the second.

Now I’m sitting in the airport, praying that I will get on this next flight to come back to Virginia to celebrate my friend Anna’s wedding. I sadly was bumped from my original flight this morning because it was too full, but hopefully, I’ll make the reception! This is where I’m thankful for online gift registries that include shipping as well 😊

As I’m investing in my friends and family, learning at my job, and preparing for my next chapter of life, I’m learning to see the grace of Jesus and lean on Him for strength, wisdom, and joy. “In His presence, there is fullness of joy.”

Yes, I did miss my flight this morning.

Yes, I have a car waiting for another round of inspection when I get home.

Yes, I have homework due this Thursday that I haven’t started and homework also on the Saturday after that.

And yes, everyday there are always things (at least in my case) that do not go my way, do not look the way I want, and sometimes simply flip my world like a sunny side-up.

But to fully rely on the Lord’s grace is to hear Him say,

“Be still, and know that I am God

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted among the earth.”

Hope you enjoy this update, friends! It’s been just little updates about everything great and small going on in my life, but I’ve really enjoyed sharing just these details in this season of transitioning and knowing you are reading.

Homemaking is done together. Homemaking is not happening just in the food and the activities, but with people, for people, and better with the people in it.

So thanks for being here!

Love,

Tram