Comfortable in my own skin

I like to think that I'm growing more comfortable in my own skin, and that I'm slowly learning that my house does not need to be - nor should it be - perfect to practice hospitality.  So the title of this blog post caught my eye, and the post itself resonated with my heart.

May I "feel at home in my house and my skin." May I always love and always open the door.

No Heat, No Hot Water, but Thankful

I was just about to sit down and write this post when I heard the rumbling of a large engine outside (chalk up my ability to identify various engines by sound only to my farm girl childhood:). With a bit of hope and a "Please Lord!..." I went to the window to check. And sure enough, there in the driveway is an oil truck! Thank You, Lord! PTL!

Now, let me back up and write what I had originally planned to, so that you understand why this is SUCH a good thing. :)

Yesterday afternoon, our landlord (who lives downstairs) knocked on our door. He explained that we (as in the whole house = 3 apartments) are out of fuel oil. The tank is empty. Normally, when the tank gets down to about 30% full, they (the landlord & lady) call the oil/fuel company to order more. Normally, the company delivers the oil about a week later.

Not so this time. The landlord called the oil company for the first time about 2 weeks ago, and has made several calls since then. As you might have seen in the news, we had record low temperatures here in Europe a few weeks ago. This increased the demand for heat and therefore oil, which means more people needs their tanks refilled. In addition, the landlord explained, Russia is not sending enough oil here for political reasons. (I'll admit - I don't know exactly what he meant by that or what is going on - I'm merely quoting.) He was hoping for an oil delivery today, but obviously he could not make any promises. (I believe they also made another call to the oil company this morning.)

What does this mean for us? No heat and no hot water. The landlord asked us to turn our heat off yesterday in hopes of preserving what hot water there was. An inconvenience, yes. But I know that it could be so much worse. We still have water, after all, and electricity. Water for dishes can be heated using the electric kettle. We have blankets, layers of clothing, candles, and an electric heating pad. German washing machines heat the water themselves, so I can continue to catch up on laundry. I feel a bit "grungy" without a shower today, but I can survive. I was beginning to wonder what I/we would do if this continued into tomorrow when I heard that glorious rumble of the oil truck's engine!! :) ...

Thank you, Lord, for how You take care of us and for everything you've blessed us with!