Keeping the Home Fires burning

Nov. 2, 2006      Keeping the Home Fire Burning, LITERALLY, lol :) Good Evening from a chilly Kentucky! I must mention first of all that I saw something today that made me laugh.Someone has "prompt ideas" for bloggers. Random ideas for you to write about when you have NO idea what subject to write or anything to write about. Here I am with my ADD brain whirling around , thinking of a million different things at once and never having the time to get them all down here, I can not FATHOM that someone would be sitting out there without a clue as to what to write! Oh how I wish my brain were ever that clear of thoughts,lol. Just tonight I had to choose my topic, and its a hard, hard thing for me, so much to say, so much that I am worried about, praying about,thinking about, just plain pondering and such.... I will ask prayers in my child custody issues if you are reading this, more stress and worry has been added and I struggle to stay in the right frame of mind through it all.But this is what God put on my heart as I prayed before writing so this is what I shall write about. FIRE! We rent a neat older (built 1902) house here in Kentucky. It has two sources of heat, oil and a wood burning stove. The first year we tried using both sources, but when the oil ran out and winter was NOT over, we decided that we could not afford to fill that tank again and would just use the stove. Since every year the prices for oil have gone up, we never did go back to filling that tank. Other than needing a space heater in a couple kids rooms when the temperature dips VERY low, our wood stove has kept us pretty toasty, Praise God ! I worked on that fire tonight as the evening set in and it became a bit chilly. We have not needed it the last few days, its been very mild. But tonight was going to be different and if I wanted warmth later on, the fire needed to be tended to. I had the children gather me some more kindling and starter type wood and I was ready to go. Slowly, and with patience I built the fire. I put in a larger piece of semi-dry wood. I then rolled up some newspaper rolls and set them next to it, I added some small wood chips around and on top of the paper. Then I formed a sort of "lean-to" with the kindling pieces.Careful to leave room for the fire to breath through them. Finally I struck a match and got it started. Still, my job was not done. I had to add bigger pieces of wood, little by little and fan the flames. For awhile I just allowed the fire to catch and get rolling. At this point I have it "wide-open" so to speak, the dampers are open all the way as is the flue. But still, I can't just leave it like that, it would get going fast and be burnt out WAY before the night was over. We would wake to a freezing cold house! So a little bit later, I go back to tend it again. I add some more wood, bigger pieces now and I am careful to choose ones that are not as dry and brittle. Now that it is going good I can add the greener wood. This wood is harder to catch fire and will burn long and slow. I turn the dampers a little tighter closed and adjust the flue a bit more closed also. Now I am pretty well set, I will check it one more time before bed, maybe add a log or two and tighten it a tiny bit more.This way it will be burning slow and hot all night long. Its a pretty long and careful process isn't it? Especially as I write out the steps on here it looks even longer, lol But many thoughts came to me as I was working on this fire tonight.One is just how wild of a ride I have been on in this life! I was born in Philadelphia Pa, right in the city and lived there until twenty-something when I moved to NC. I would have NEVER imagined as a city girl who had a concrete backyard (no kidding!) that I would someday live in a house that required wood to keep it warm. You really never know what God has planned. I later on lived in the North Carolina mountains when my first husband cheated on me and ran off, leaving me alone in a small town with five kids and no family near by. The house we lived in then was heated by a wood/water stove, located in a small barn outside. You had to keep that thing burning hot to heat the big 'ol house we rented there. I remember my husband telling me I would "never have to mess with that thing", that was gonna be his job. Then he left in October, guess who got the job! Yup, city girl me! I remember using all dry wood because it burned so nice, only to have to keep filling it or re-lighting it. Then I tried too much green wood and smoked myself out of the barn! LOL But guess what, when you have five small children to keep warm, you learn REALLY fast how to make a good fire. :) Flash forward almost ten years and here I am lighting fires again. Only this time, I am re-married and get to share this responsibility with my hubby and now older kids too. I also am glad the the stove is in my living room, not the barn. Walking through snow late late at night to tend a fire is NOT fun. And the funny thing is, I am actually the best one at tending the fire now,lol,shhh don't tell hubby. But as I worked on my fire tonight I keep thinking of how much it is like tending to my children. Unlike the oil or gas heat, you can not just turn it on and off. The fire is much more like parenting, you can not just turn it on and off at will. Little by little you have to work at it, really WORK at it! But there is no rushing any of it. You can't just throw on logs and have it burn out too quick, you can't smother either.You have to build,slowly and patiently and keep a close eye. Now I really understand all the old expressions, like, "keeping the home fires burning". That is a really important job! If no one keeps it going you have to start that thing all over in a very cold house. Our jobs as Moms(and Dads) are important in that same way aren't they? That's one reason why I am a stay at home Mom for now and a homeschooler. I am home tending my children because its an important job, and I do not want to leave it to anyone else.So for as long as I am able, I will do my best.  As my fire caught on and built up tonight I was encouraged by God that it is the same for my family and all the things I am going through. I don't have quick answers, but that's okay because this is a work in progress. I am meant to go slowly and keep on working at it. If I go off quickly and run like crazy trying to do EVERYTHING, and be everything, I will BURN out as will the kids. If I try to just fix everything in one fell swoop, I may smother things, kill creativity, etc. So I continue on, little by little, working bit by bit and praying for strength and patience along the way.

A Christmas Challenge for Everyone, Thinking Outside the Shoebox

I actually wrote this last year, but thought it still applied!

Well, here we are once again, entering "that time of year" ! Where did the last year go to? I for one have no idea. There are some things that have been on my mind for awhile and I felt like it was time to get this written down. I am here to issue you all a challenge this year. It seems to me that over the years the act of giving to others has become less and less personal and more simple, streamlined and sanitized. With click of a button I can give to some wonderful cause, no dirty work required. And there is that wonderful shoebox ministry, some churches have made it so simple that all you need to do is donate money, they do all the shopping and packing and sending for us, no need to even put thought into it ! And getting others to help out with those type of things is usually pretty easy. Its exciting stuff, helping some child in a third world country, that makes us feel extra special somehow. Now, am I saying that these are bad things to do? NO, please do not read this in that way. I enjoy putting a shoebox together with my kids every year and they just love shopping for those gifts, thinking about each one carefully and thoughtfully. There are so many world-wide outreach type of charitys that are just wonderful. I am not here to put them down. I think that we should help those as we can. My problem is this, are we missing out on helping the family that lives right down the road from us? Are you missing out on taking a little risk and going outside your comfort zone ? Its not as fun to talk to someone in our own area who may seem very "different" but looks like their kids could use a little help this season. What if they are druggies that spend all their welfare money on cigarettes and booze? What if they like to keep to themselves like hermits and "wouldn't want us to bug them"??? But wait...what if they are not really welfare bums like "everyone" is saying? What if they are just normal folks who have been through some really bad times? What if that "hermit" type women has been abused in her past and just doesn't find it easy to trust others? What if that family who "keeps to themselves" is just embarrased to let anyone in ? And yes, there are those who really are using the system and whatnot, but should their children suffer for their bad choices? Depression rears its ugly head this time of year and magnifys the worst situations 100 fold. Just the darkness and cold is depressing on its own, especially when you do not have suffient heat and trying to keep your kids warm. Add to that the pressures to keep up that jolly attitude and providing something of a decent Christmas for your kids and you have a very, very stress-filled situation. This is the reality for many, many , MANY familys this year. When I hear people talking about how they have to shop early so their kids get all the stuff they just "have to have", I cringe a little. Or how some people just go out without any real budget in mind and just grab whatever they think their child will like. It makes me wonder, do they know that this is not the "norm" for so many others? In some ways it also seems that people tend to ease their guilt by doing the "easy-giving" type thing. Its like, "well yeah I did buy my 4 year old a iPhone this year, but look I also helped feed some poor person in another country by clicking the donate button on my fav website!" So, enough of my rambling, here is the challenge I issue you today, and I give it to myself as well. Would you be willing to think "outside the shoebox" this year??? Would you take just a little extra time this year to find someone that really could use some help, someone you could even make real human contact with, and do what you can to help??? Someone in YOUR part of the world, someone in your neighborhood even? It is not all about money either. I have not been in the position to do anything financially in a big way for many years now, however I find ways to give. (not tooting my own horn here, just giving an example) If you need ideas, feel free to ask me. If you honestly can not find someone who seems to need help, ask around. Local churches, locial food banks, Human Services ofices, etc. Trust me, you have someone around you! So, step away from the sanitizer for a minute and get some dirt under your nails. You may just surprise yourself by how little it really takes. Heck, you may even decide to try helping those same folks out when its not a holiday season ! I know, its shocking but poor people do not just live the whole year off of those dented can goods you gave them in November. May God Bless You All this entire Holiday Season, Please do be the hands and feet of Christ this year~Very Sincerely, Carole L. Monasmith DISCLAIMER PLEASE READ!- This note certainly is not directed at any individual, many of my dear friends know exactly what I am talking about and are doing their best to help others, No rude comments please, these are just my opinions.