Sunday, July 7, 2013

When Mother is a Shut-In

A Victorian English Family Kneel to Say their Prayers Together

Life has been very quiet here at the Estate. I have been cooking and baking and keeping house, at a slow, peaceful pace. I have not been able to leave the property. We have no car and no public transportation, in our rural area.  Mr. White is getting rides to and from work.  It has now been 2 weeks since I've been able to attend our beloved Church.  Our car is in the shop and we don't know if or when it will be repaired. 

I have loved staying here at home.  It has been a great blessing. It has also been an important lesson for me:  Staying home, for a wife and mother, as much as possible, is the greatest thing she can do. Why? Because she is creative at home.  She is not harried or under pressure from constant errands and outings.  She can cook from scratch more and monitor the economy of the kitchen inventory. Her sweet presence in the home is invaluable to the family for a great many reasons.

Staying at home, for a homemaker, is part of the job description.  The reward is incredible!

Yet, there are still the worries without a car, even if it were just for Mister.  We must have a running, dependable vehicle.  We must.  There are groceries to buy, banking to do, and a job for him to get to.  Today, I had a sort of childlike wonder about it all. I trust the Lord.  I know He is doing some great work.  So I willingly yield to this trial, making do and bringing as much light and joy into my home as possible, while we wait. 

My mother-in-law used to keep a running note on her fridge.  She rarely left home. So when she was almost out of laundry detergent, trash bags or milk, she would write on a note on the fridge.   I never heard her complain or panic about running out of milk (like I am sometimes tempted to!).   Papa, her husband, would pick those things up at the store on his way home from work, on a certain day of the week, or when he had time.   

My pantry is running low and I wonder when I will get to the market.    A few days ago, I made chocolate chip muffins.  I used apple juice instead of milk, because I knew I couldn't spare the milk.  Yesterday, I made my sons Macaroni and Cheese, but we had no milk to mix in with the powdered cheese. So I used a little spring water instead. It turned out just fine, and the boys enjoyed their lunch.  If I didn't know to do these kinds of things, I would not be able to calmly make it through this trial.

Something amazing is up ahead for us.  I believe it. . . We've had many rough financial times, and this year is no exception.  But we've been down this road before.  I have seen miracles and been greatly blessed by them.  Today, to keep a holy faith, I pulled out my favorite children's books:    "Uncle Arthur Bedtime Stories."  I will read these in my parlour chair during homemaking breaks.  I will read about sweet families who prayed and pleaded with God for their daily bread.  Tears will fall as I rejoice with them, as God works in mighty ways!  These are true stories written by Arthur Maxwell, and are gems!  Reading these today, will encourage me in my own prayers, and help me on my walk to victory.

Blessings
Mrs. White






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13 comments:

Karen said...

I have a vintage copy of that from when my dad was a child... I love reading those stories to my kids. :)

Anonymous said...

It can be unhandy not to be able to run to the store whenever you wish. I've often used powdered milk when I bake as it lasts longer than refrigerated milk. Prayers that your car issues are soon resolved.

Lowell Lane said...

Years and years ago, when my oldest was just two, I went through a similar situation.

Someone had given us the VHS tape Disney's Jungle Book. It was the animated version with all the delightful songs. One ministered to me, believe it or not. It was the one where Baloo, the big bear, sang to the man cub,

"Look for the bear necessities, the simple bear necessities, forget about your worry and your strife...."

It went on to talk about mother nature bringing the bear necessities of life.

It ministered to me, because I focused on the bare necessities that I needed to survive and care for my husband and toddler. I found that if I had milk, flour, oil, and salt, I could make biscuits, and we wouldn't starve.

God was so good. He'd send someone from the church to bring us a box or bag of food. He once had a church lady meet me in the grocery store and give me $20. It seemed like a hundred to me. I had only $10 for a week of groceries (in the 1990's).

God will provide for you dear one. I thank you for sharing your journey with us. It will encourage us as well, especially the young mommas.

"Father God, I bless your Name and I thank you for provision. I ask for you to bless the White family with dependable transportation and abundant provision. I ask you to help Mrs. White through each step of the journey. Thank you for her influence in my life. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen."

Bless you Mrs. White!

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Anonymous said...

your posts are such an encouragement to me.You are so calm and stay centered where you are supposed to be.Your words always make me "Dial down a Notch" :) Praying for you and your family
Becky

crystal said...

I am going through the exact same thing right now! Your posts are exactly the encouragement I need at this time. I know we will get another car eventually, and it has been good to tell people that I can't, I don't have a car now. I have more than enough to do at home so this forced slow down has not been all bad.

Mrs. B, a very peculiar person said...

Thank you for being so uplifting and positive during this trial. Continue to share your creative resourcefulness with us - it is priceless to the younger mothers who follow your blog.
Blessings,
Mrs.B

Debbie said...

Hello Mrs. White,
I see you have others who have testified to having been through the trial you are going through right now.

It reminds me of a similar season in my life as a young mom, when I had no car, for a short period.

At first I felt panicked, but then I felt liberated.

When given choices, we are constantly being pulled in various directions. But, when we have no choice but to stay home, somehow we view it through different eyes.

Not that those things don't still call out to us, but it's a little bit freeing to know that we can't go running here and there, like the burden of deciding has been lifted from our shoulders.

I pray that God will reward your steadfastness and give you the means to either repair or buy a new car. It is a necessity.

In the meantime, enjoy the freedom of being more organized and intentional when you do go out, because you will have had much time to prepare :)

Blessings to you today!

Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.com said...

May God bless you during this difficult time and give you wisdom to navigate this time that you are homebound.
Bless you.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mrs. White,
I pray that your needs will always be met. 2 years agoo after i had my twins prematurely, I received a miraculous demonstration of how God meets your needs when you cry out for help! That help will come along when you most need it, maybe from where you least expect it!

Love, Mrs. W (wife and mother of 2 blessings)

Unknown said...

Loved this post, a wise woman indeed

Anonymous said...

I don't have a blog yet so please excuse the anonymous.

If you or anybody else is ever running low on milk and want boxed macaroni and cheese, extra butter will work fine, and it goes the other way as well. I learned that when I was a little girl and my momma couldn't go get milk. Now I'm a momma and I know lots of tricks. :)

k.

Unknown said...

Years ago, when we had one car and 6 children, a friend asked me how I was able to stand being home all the time, and not able to go places. I didn't know how to answer.
1. It limits our choices of activities. (No library story hour, no extra classes, etc.)
2. I am plenty busy. It is not as if I am looking for something to do!
3. The children are busy as well.
4. I don't see it as a sacrifice. This is our life. We may have a 2nd car at some point, but for now, this is fine. God provides.

Now, after many years of having a 2nd car and having ten children, 5 of whom live at home--
1.We have (too) many activities from which to choose.
2.Actually getting schoolwork done is more difficult than ever if we are gone volunteering at the library, going to piano lessons, going to speech/debate class, going to chemistry class, mowing the lawn/shoveling snow at my mother's. (Note that these are all good activities, not frivolities.)
3.I am busy. Somehow I get the feeling the kids are not as busy. Hmm.
4.I am more independent from my husband.

It is not better; it is different. We have more freedom, but we also have more limitations. I will not explain that statement; it is food for thought.

Anonymous said...

I LOVED the Uncle Arthur books as a kid! Those were our read aloud together books. I would read all of my old favorites as a teenager. :> I wish I had a set now!