Ah, Blogging. I've Missed You. Sort of.

Certainly I am the only person who is still subscribed to this poor, piece-meal journal of life in this Johnson home, but I persevere under the gentle persuasion of my dear old blogging friend, Shani, who recently asked me to pleeeease start blogging with her again. I don't know if I can do it regularly, but I had this old draft here that I can update, or try to update. Not even sure I know how to do this anymore. Here goes:

The big event this year was the marriage of our daughter Amy to her friend and beau James. The two of them have known each other since they were little kids. James's dad prayed his son would marry Amy, and her dad prayed he'd have James as a son-in-law. Who can resist the power of prayer? These two were divinely destined to be married. 😊 They are a great match, but we are all having to get used to the quiet without Amy around, as she has become a traitor to Minnesota Kansan. But we do love James, and I love being able to say the words "my son-in-law."

Our beautiful Alison has been teaching private piano and violin lessons and has 30+ students in our tiny town. She's also serving up coffee, sandwiches, and conversation at a local cafe. She's busy and organized and dedicated and well-loved. She's serving the Lord with her musical skills, playing for congregational singing and conducting our children's choir. She runs and reads non-fiction and lightly keeps a finger on Israeli politics. I think she's eventually going to become an east coast person... she keeps making trips in that direction. In God's time, she's very ready to have her own home and family. Soon...I'll let you know in my next post, maybe in 2021!

 
Elisabeth is happily working at an assisted living facility while going to school for her AAS in  medical assisting. She is a dependable and valuable worker in a field that has a desperate need for compassionate and committed employees. Last spring Betz arranged her passage on a evangelistic medical missions trip to Ghana and had her horizons vastly broadened! She's my verbal one, a good critical thinker and analyzer and my conversation partner.

Emily has one or two years of high school left, which will most likely be accomplished via PSEO, or dual credit. (Maybe we should finish this year's math first? Emily?) Since I'm the principal, I get to decide. 😊 I'm not too worried. It seems all of us have learned more AFTER high school than we ever did while we were in school. Her current goal is a culinary diploma, but since the school is some distance from home, that will take the Lord's doing. Em's currently a fine sandwich artist at Subway and official landscape manager for our home and for Liberty Baptist Church, where we enjoy her regular piano and organ contributions. If she gets her way, there will be a dog living here someday...

After ignoring a lump in his neck for several years, Gary got to experience the doctor's office for the fourth time more than 32 years and had a quick surgery. No longer delivering sundries as a courier driver, he is now delivering children. Gary's working for the school district, driving children who, shall we say, are no longer allowed to ride the schoolbus. He gets to answer questions like, "Is God the same as Jesus?" and, "Have you ever been in a nuclear bomb?" 😂 There's always a story to tell! He's also faithfully pastoring our little church in the middle of Minnesota and keeping a record of God's many answers to his many prayers. I'm so very blessed to have him, for I reap the benefits of his faithfulness to the Lord.

Me, except for the fact that Walmart Grocery Pick-up has changed my life 😄, I just keep on doing the same old thing, helping to teach at our homeschool co-op, driving Emily to work, teaching Sunday school, trying to be intentional about friendships. After many years of avoiding CHANGE, I finally did it. I got a continual glucose monitor. There has been amazing progress in diabetes technology in recent years, with a major step towards a closed-loop system, almost an artificial pancreas, just last month. Now I'm in line for an upgrade to my insulin pump, which will soon either suspend insulin or deliver extra when my blood glucose is too low or too high. In the meantime I almost enjoy the challenge of keeping a straight line, which is really unrealistic, because even non-diabetics have spikes. I'm thanking the Lord for my good health and for his multiplied mercies on me.

We made many trips to the airport this year to drop off and pick up girls traveling to Kansas, California, Ghana, New Jersey, and other destinations. Went to family camp. Traveled to California to see my family. Saw Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and places in between, where we saw friends and more Johnsons. Every year my husband says THIS is the year we are NOT going anywhere! And every year, we go everywhere.

We have a busy house. Someone is always going to work or getting off work. I never know how many people will be home for supper, and it's always a nice surprise to find out there will be five of us. I'm learning just how precious these days are, for soon and very soon all of these girls will be up and gone.

But my home won't be empty; it will still be full of love.