Dearest Friend,
Even with the below zero degree days I would still pull myself out of bed in the wee small hours of the morning if it meant I could go for a walk with you my friend. I so dearly miss those mornings when no topic was off limits and we had the opportunity to just say what was on our minds. I guess it was a way to start our minds with a fresh and clean slate. The worries of days past left behind once they were able to leap from our tongue verbally and be heard by a trusted friend.
Life continues to go along at the normal Stephanie Sheffer pace- about 100 miles per hour- my hair whipping in the wind and yet I still have time to appreciate my surroundings and find joy and happiness in the littlest of life’s curiosities. The kids are growing so fast, Lauren just turned 7 on Monday- Groundhog’s day! She can read so well, almost as if she has been doing it for years. Riley has sharpened his artistic abilities, with pictures that depict stories and imaginative scenarios of adventures he embarks on as a super hero. They have not played in the snow very much since it has been sooo cold. I am hoping that as the weather warms we will get outside to create a snow creature of some sort. I have a picture of the kids with a snow man almost every winter of their lives so we will most definitely make this a priority on a sunny day.
Tod and I have been able to get back to “us” too. I suppose with my school load not bearing so hard on me this semester I have had more time to give and he has made an effort also to help accomplish some home tasks that have been on the back burner for a while. We just cleaned up the basement- I have taken 4 car loads of recycling and GoodWill items over the past month already and there is still more to go. Tod made me my very own crafting/office room. I am so excited to have a place to go to work on my projects and study for school. I can’t wait to show it to you sometime soon- maybe we can do a little scrapbooking or sewing together sometime when you are in TC for an extended period of time.
I have been cooking and practicing my culinary skills a lot too. I prepare every meal and snack for my family and have really sharpened my skills. We are eating such a variety of fresh, living food. Not to mention I just love my juicer, and keep trying new concoctions all the time. My newest discovery is how to make Biscotti- vegan. I have created my own recipes and so far I have to say they are extremely yummy. Tod says I need to be better about writing down my measurements so that I can recreate these recipes- especially since they are my very own. I made an orange cranberry biscotti this morning that was delicious! The more and more I learn about food and the choices that we have I feel confident that we are on the right track. The color, the rich green abundance of life that comes from the food we have been eating is almost surreal. It has made us all feel more energetic, and happier too. Family dinner time is what we all look forward to at least 4-5 nights a week. Listening to everyone say a prayer at the dinner table is always an answered prayer for me.
The biggest answered prayer of all though is that my Riley asked if he could have Jesus in his heart a few weeks ago. So we prayed together and Riley has now made a new commitment and is saved!!! He still has a thousand questions and I just pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me to say the right things, but his love for God and Jesus is so pure and real. It has definitely helped me recommit in areas of my own life, with the example my boy has set.
Well, I look forward to seeing you in just a few weeks now. Tod and I can’t wait to see your place and we so much appreciate your help with our travels. Until then I hope you are finding peace, happiness and joy in each new day and that you and Reilly continue to experience love-filled bliss! I love you my friend and I will be counting the days until we get to see each other soon!
Love and Hugs- Stephie xoxoxo
