Category: THE121

Everything you wanted to know about tiny house living

So much more than soup

25 years ago, this insecure pompous tiny house girl walked into a science class on a college campus. Not because she wanted to be in said science class, but because it was required.

So there I was. I was barely surviving the college scene, carrying my own baggage and now this…I DEFINITELY wasn’t going to survive this.

Truth be told, I scraped by. Not because of anything I did, but because of who was teaching.

Mrs. Wright didn’t talk down to us, she taught us to think up. She knew that we counseling students may not have been the best scientists but that didn’t stop her from expecting us to learn and grow.

It wasn’t what happened in the classroom that I remember however, (although I do have a pretty solid memory of my friend falling asleep over her pig in lab and Mrs. Wright snapping her out of her coma!) no, I remember the investment she made outside of the classroom.

The invites to her house to watch CSI, the coffee breaks, the stops to simply ask “how are you?”

Her lab door was always open and it didn’t matter if we were science majors or not.

In grad school, Mrs. Wright invested in us even more. As poor grad school students, she frequently made us meals and invited us over (I can neither confirm nor deny that my roommate and I downed an entire pan of stuffed shells in one sitting).

If Mrs. Wright were cooking, we knew we were in for a mouth savoring meal.

As I began working for the University, Mrs. Wright became so much more than my professor, she became my friend. Lunches shared in the cafeteria would center around our lives and what God was doing. In some of the hardest days, she would simply listen.

Life went on and our paths parted.

Every now and then she would check in and upon the Tiny House making her maiden voyage to PA, Mrs. Wright made the hour trek to welcome her home!

If I were to describe Mrs. Wright in two words, it would be:

Intentional & Brilliant

Her intentionality sprung into action when I received a message that she wanted to come see me post op.

It wasn’t even a hesitation for this tiny house introvert.

Yes. Of course. Come.

It was just as if no time had passed.

She brought some amazing home made soup and cookies which, I devoured.

But it was so much more than soup. It was about a professor who invested in her student, mentored her student and then become friends.

0

You can’t explain it…

I’m currently sitting in my favorite spot, my window seat at THE121. The sun is shining through the golden leaves of my towering oak while the sound of pine needles rain down on the gravel drive.

I hear Maggie Marie snarling at a pesky squirrel jumping on broken branches.

The end of the week hits different when my only job is to rest and heal. I sit and reflect on the week as though it were a thousand days. I try to savor the time and the moments because I know it will come to an end.

This week has held so many “God moments.”

Two stand out.

There has been no movement on the unnamed employer. I trust and ask God to provide. Typically I go to the mail far less often than the normal person, it’s just not exciting. However this week, I was led to the mailbox and inside was a very generous check. I stood and just thanked the Lord for his provisions.

ONLY. GOD.

The second may not seem like much, however God works in mysterious ways. Shortly after moving into THE121, I had a water break and I lost my entire water supply. Along with the water supply, I lost my water gauge that tells me how much water is in my supply tank.

For 3 years, I have lived on faith that there was enough water in my tank to supply my daily needs. For 3 years, I have never run out of supply!

This past week as much needed rain began to fall on teaberry acres, I noticed a strange movement in the broken gauge. I peered at the gauge briefly and the movement continued.

After 3 years, the gauge has “miraculously” started working again!

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the book next to my gauge is “Experiencing the Presence of God.”

God’s presence is clearly here at THE121.

When I feel weary, exhausted, confused or questioning, I simply have to stop. To stop and remember.

God is still in the business of the miraculous. He is still in the business of sanctification and faith stretching.

I pray daily that I would have:

Eyes to see

Hands to receive

And a heart to believe

I believe He is answering that prayer.

0

How’s it going?

I’m coming up on the 1 month mark and truthfully, it doesn’t feel that long!

So how’s it going?

Physically, I just can’t believe the difference! Physically, I feel great (just a little sore…healing ya know!).

Mentally, I’m still adjusting. I truthfully feel like I’m getting to know myself again. Not the tiny house girl from 14 years ago, but who am I now and how do I honor this broken body that God is making whole?

I have been finding a lot of Jesus on my beautiful new porch. These crisp (feel like fall) days, the perfect of perfectest weather.

When I saw the completed porch, I knew there was just one thing missing. A rocking chair.

The movement of rocking can help calm the nerves and relax our parasympathetic system. So before I get all therapeutic…look it up 🙂

Rocking chairs can be rather expensive and on a short term disability budget, I knew it was out of the question. I began to pray and ask God for a rocking chair.

Maggie Marie and I have begun to walk a few days a week to begin to rebuild my core and leg strength that has been desecrated.

On one of our lovely end of summer walks this past week, I noticed some rocking chairs in a neighbors yard.

What can it hurt to ask?

I asked.

“I will find you the best!”

He replied.

And that my friends is how God provided a free rocking chair for this anxiety prone tiny house girl.

This beautiful chair shows the weathered signs of days gone by and you know, I think I quite like her that way.

It will serve as a visual reminder that I too am a little weathered worn. And yet, God can still use me to help others soothe their anxiety ridden parasympathetic system.

So how’s it going?

Healing isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon and God continues to show me day in and day out that He is all about the healing.

0

Grandma B style please

My beloved sister came out to stay with me several days post op. One morning as she was graciously making my breakfast, she asked me how much butter I would like on my toast.

“Grandma B style please.”

We both laughed because she immediately knew how much butter I meant.

A lot.

And then some.

Grandma B was known for liking some toast with her butter and we have all since fallen in her footsteps, much to our cardiologists dismay.

This morning as I toasted my butter, a smile came across my face as I recall the abundance.

Life hasn’t been easy.

Life wasn’t easy for Grandma B either.

I wonder if butter was her one luxury?

In the ups, the downs and life in the middle, I recall the abundance of God’s faithfulness.

This morning as I study in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 11 popped off the page

He makes everything work out according to His plan.

For those who are suffering that can feel a little harsh.

The question of why God allows suffering, is one for the ages.

I can only share my personal experience.

I will tell you that I know God in ways I never would have known God before. I have changed in ways that I can only attribute to the long wrestling. I have had opportunities that have only opened because of my suffering.

Could God have done it other ways? Sure. Would I have been willing? Honestly, I don’t know.

And so, this morning I recount the abundance. Through lathers of butter, Grandma B still continues to point me to Jesus.

0

Learning a new way

As I approach the two week mark of this new broken body of mine there are so many highs, but I also want to acknowledge the lows.

The highs involve being nearly pain free for all but one or two days. For a girl who has lived in chronic pain, I can’t express what this means.

My beloved sister coming to care for me for several days and doing the dirtiest of dirty work (think Mike Roe would have loved to do an episode dirty work).

Being stronger mentally than I have been in months and the ability to lay on the couch with the sun streaming through my puppy kissed windows, does something deep for the soul.

Enjoying the company of friends and laughing until it hurts…more.

I, however, must continue to acknowledge that my body is broken.

With this broken body, it hates new things. In turn, it tries to reject that which is new. Namely in the form of hives.

I have a large outbreak that I have been battling for about the last five days. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am convinced that in hell, there will be eternal itching.

Unfortunately the hives are underneath my wafer which has to be worn, or else mount saint stoma spews…EVERYWHERE.

This is my current battle zone.

Speaking of Mt. saint stoma. She does spew, with no warning and no control. She also speaks…a lot! So if you’re coming to visit, get ready for the show!

Regardless of the highs and the lows, God is still faithful. I will never be whole this side of heaven. If God heals me or if He doesn’t. He is still good.

All in all, my heart is full of gratitude. I continue to heal. I continue to learn. I continue to lament. I continue to celebrate. Namely, I feel it all.

The highs. The lows. Everything in between.

0

Good gifts. What’s new at THE121?

If you have ever visited THE121, you would have had the pleasure harrowing experience of balancing trepidatiously on what use to be a head board turned into stairs, er blocks.

They may or may not have been a home owners insurance’s worst nightmare. However, I will say they served me semi-well for the last 3 years.

Until.

They didn’t.

I can neither confirm nor deny that my cockapoo puppy either did or did not fall through the top block.

And then life continued to happen.

And then the news.

Another surgery.

Many prayers prayed. We asked God to provide.

And did God ever.

A VERY gracious persons wanted to help aid in my recovery to allow a much safer option into THE121 for not just me but all who would be helping me.

But who’s going to do the work God?

Enter a VERY skilled carpenter from church.

A story only God could write.

Tonight as the sun sets over Teaberry Acres, I lay (would like to be sitting but…healing…) on my couch with a heart swollen with gratitude.

THE121 has a beautiful…not just stairs, BUT also a deck!

If you’re looking for me during the day in the next 3 weeks, I’ll be sitting on the deck with my coffee and cockapoo working on healing.

So what happened to the old stairs blocks?

They became risers for my generators! I owe that suggestion all to the skilled carpenter! If you’re in the area and looking for a carpenter, shoot me a message and I will gladly pass along his info!

0

He is good

Maggie Marie is snoring at the end of the couch. My sister is in the loft working remotely and I sit with coffee in hand overlooking the acres reflecting on the goodness of God.

If you would have asked me a week ago if I thought I would be sitting in my house drinking a coffee today, I would have emphatically answered not likely, and yet, here I am.

Perhaps it was a grace that I didn’t know what to expect this time around. A grace for the work that I needed to do in my own heart.

I believe we all go through levels of surrender, and if we are willing, the Father will take us deeper and deeper.

If I were still in the hospital. If I didn’t pull through like I thought, no matter the what if’s, it would never change the character of God.

I can celebrate the losses along with the wins.

I am still quite sore and VERY nauseous. I’m continuing to learn this new broken and blessed body. This broken and blessed body that is keeping me alive.

He is for us.

0

Trust Fall

I’m currently sitting in a sterile dr’s office that appears to be stuck in an era before I was born.

The dr’s voices outside, the crumbling of the strange tissue paper substance being pulled off of the exam table along with the rumbling of the hvac system is activating my nervous system.

BREATHE.

As I take time to reflect, be present and look ahead to what is to come, I can only describe my feelings with one word.

TRUST.

I had the great privilege last night of hosting my community group at Teaberry Acres. As I was processing what I am feeling, the visual that comes to my mind is that of a trust fall.

If you’ve ever been to camp or have participated in a “team building” exercise, you may already know the visual.

One participant stands on top of a table with their arms folded across their chest and their back facing a team standing on the ground. A few people stand on one side with their arms outstretched, while a few people stand on the other side the same. The object is that the person standing on the table falls backwards “trusting” that the people with the outstretched arms will “catch” their fall.

I did it once when I was in high school. Haven’t done it since for obvious reasons. NOTHING about the experience was enjoyable.

Somewhere, I hear the voice of my camp counselor in my head saying “but did you Die?”

I may or may not have said back “no you idiot, go buy glasses.”

I can neither confirm nor deny.

As I look ahead, I look back and remember.

God CAN be trusted.

He has ALWAYS held me.

He has ALWAYS caught me.

BREATHE.

I feel like I’m on the edge. Ready to fall while remembering it’s not the scrawny high school girls who are going to catch my fall, but the loving arms of my Father.

And just for funsies, enjoy some amazing pics that my friend Nicole took last night of God’s beautiful creation @ Teaberry Acres.

Dusk is one of my favorite times of the day at the acres.
The night sky through the woods
The heavens declare His majesty.
And of course the cutest dog who made herself a a home in the ferns to stay cool.

0

Cue the Confetti 🎉

I can remember the day as if it just happened. I barely slept a wink. I hopped in my truck and greeted my friends around 6am at Teaberry Acres.

The anticipation spread through my muscles like the weight of several sumo wrestlers.

THE121 was making her maiden voyage from Holmes County Ohio. She had left at midnight and would be making her arrival to PA at dawn.

Even now, as I recall the adventure, my muscles tighten and my lips form a smile.

I will still tell you, that to this day, her arrival to her landing, was still the most harrowing 2 hours of my entire life.

On August 12, 2022 at 6am, she arrived.

It’s hard to believe it has been 3 years of God’s unending faithfulness.

The prayer that was prayed over this house on that day 3 years ago was that this house would be a place of healing.

Driving to another sight this morning for work, I had time to reflect all the ways that God has answered that prayer.

The solace and quiet that teaberry acres provides, has allowed ample opportunity for healing in the following ways:

Physically: 4 surgeries and a 5th on the horizon, THE121 has held my physical body and provided shelter and space to heal this God given broken body. She has also helped to heal my wounded nervous system. I remember the day I came home to a house flooded with my complete water reserve. Friends showed up within minutes, helping me to reframe that I am not alone.

Spiritually: The peace filled acres with God’s creation at every single angle of the eye is a constant reminder that God is here. He has quieted my Spirit to help me begin to heal from countless years of Spiritual abuse and trauma. He is helping me to reframe that He is a loving and gracious creator, Father, friend, caretaker and guide.

Mentally: He has helped me to heal mentally by surrounding me with so much that thrills my soul. The woods, the animals, the birds, my new “Croft” He is helping me to know and learn that I am valuable. That I am worth investing in.

Emotionally: He has awakened my soul to the countless emotions He has created me to feel. My first year here at THE121 I spent the entire year studying emotions in Scripture. God has created us in His image, what amazing creatures we are with alllllll the emotions.

So cue the confetti! Happy 3rd Birthday to THE121 @ Teaberry Acres. May this house continue to be a house of healing for not just this tiny house girl, but all who enter therein.

1

The day God spared our lives.

On a typical morning right before I leave the house, I pause. I pray. I thank God for the provisions He has provided and I ask Him to protect those provisions.

Most days I go about whatever my calling is for the day without second thought of God’s protection.

The cycle repeats.

For 1,093 days.

Until today.

Today marks the last Saturday I have free, until surgery.

Even though I am still fighting a head cold, I knew there were some items that needed to be crossed off my list to help prepare.

Burn the boxes.

Clean the bathroom.

Clean the toilet.

Do the laundry.

I carried the toilet outside and let it rest, started the generator for the laundry and lit mount saint Amazon on fire (in the fire pit of course).

After the quarterly toilet clean, I knew I needed to top off the generator, and that’s when I saw it.

How it happened?

No idea.

But it was in that moment, on this day, that I knew. I knew God spared us.

This could have been an explosion that would have taken out THE121, me and of course Maggie Marie.

AND. YET.

God spared us.

I’ve spent some time reflecting this afternoon on the goodness of God.

Is He good because He spared us?

Of course.

Would He still be good if He took us?

Yes.

I believe God still has healing in His heart for this girl at THE121.

I cannot not thank the Lord, that on this Saturday, in the summer, He chose to save our lives.

2

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑