{"id":93,"date":"2026-01-23T15:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/?p=93"},"modified":"2026-01-23T15:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:05:04","slug":"a-two-week-reminder-of-home-and-my-word-for-2026-steadfast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/2026\/01\/23\/a-two-week-reminder-of-home-and-my-word-for-2026-steadfast\/","title":{"rendered":"A Two-Week Reminder of Home (and My Word for 2026: Steadfast)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2 Weeks at Home…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I had a two-week break from my job during the Christmas holidays\u2026 and it was such a sweet reminder of the days when I was home full-time with my children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is always so much to do. As usual, I thought I would be able to get the entire house organized, clean, and ready for Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one thing after another came up\u2014as it often does with a family of this size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two weeks went flying by, but I did<\/em> manage a nap on a couple of days, and honestly\u2026 that alone felt like a gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During those weeks, we lingered longer and read \u201cjust a few more pages\u201d<\/em> in our read-alouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in the end, I had children tearful over the days and how quickly they had passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It feels like an eternity since I\u2019ve had that kind of time in my home. I\u2019ve missed it so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always been busy, but I truly adore being in this house with my people\u2014working on projects for those I love dearly. I love afternoon naps curled up with a little person, and time spent standing in the sun making small changes in my yard and garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And maybe you know exactly what I mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you love your home too\u2026 but you\u2019ve felt pulled away by responsibility, work, or life circumstances you didn\u2019t choose. Maybe you\u2019ve missed your days being at home more than you can even put into words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because that\u2019s where I\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see reminders of what my life was before I started working last summer\u2014daffodils peeking through the soil, and the arches lit up at night in my garden that I can see from my bedroom window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I miss them so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It feels like I\u2019m grieving a life I used to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This Season Is Growing Something In Me<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m realizing the Lord is using this season to grow my faith in Him, my perseverance, and my steadfastness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think I was surprised by how uncomfortable I felt being in the workplace (even at my church), how much I missed home, and how clearly I see that what I do in my home is true and good work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I know many women carry work both inside and outside the home\u2014this is simply the work God assigned to me<\/em>, and I\u2019ve missed it deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I enjoyed cooking for my family while I was home. I have been in such a rush during my days of working outside of my home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More often than not, the children are starting dinner and we are just getting bellies fed\u2014instead of the kind of time I\u2019m used to investing in the meals we love to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also missing my older children stopping by on their way to and from their own homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know it\u2019s just a season\u2026 but I\u2019m looking forward to the shift back, whenever the Lord allows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A Season I Didn\u2019t Choose<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Going back to work was not what I had wanted or searched for\u2026 but I know the Lord had a plan, even in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, it\u2019s been stressful\u2014and mostly sad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found myself dragging to work for days. It\u2019s been a constant effort to not complain and to continue to move forward. (Even if I didn\u2019t voice it\u2026 I thought it most of the time. I did<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been frustrated with the things I knew needed to be done in my own kitchen and home, but not having the time to make that happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet\u2026 I do know I\u2019m doing these things for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extra income has been a definite benefit while my husband has been out of work. More than that, the relationships I have developed with my co-workers, employees, and the families I serve is something I will never be able to measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Word God Gave Me for 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But these two weeks\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My children were happier and stayed right by my side while I was home. I could tell it was a relief and comforting to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul also seemed lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We enjoyed a little more time together than we have had in a while, and all of it has been really nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months back, I started praying over 2026. And I believe the Lord has led me to my theme word for this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEADFAST.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to learn to stand strong and trust the Lord through every season of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between a job loss and a job I was never intending to have (that is a story for another time), this has been a season of needing to be steadfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cYou will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.\u201d<\/strong>
Isaiah 26:3<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2 Weeks at Home… I had a two-week break from my job during the Christmas holidays\u2026 and it was such a sweet reminder of the days when I was home full-time with my children. There is always so much to do. As usual, I thought I would be able to get the entire house organized, clean, and ready for Christmas. But one thing after another came up\u2014as it often does with a family of this size. The two weeks went flying by, but I did manage a nap on a couple of days, and honestly\u2026 that alone felt like a gift. During those weeks, we lingered longer and read \u201cjust a few more pages\u201d in our read-alouds. And in the end, I had children tearful over the days and how quickly they had passed. It feels like an eternity since I\u2019ve had that kind of time in my home. I\u2019ve missed it so much. I\u2019ve always been busy, but I truly adore being in this house with my people\u2014working on projects for those I love dearly. I love afternoon naps curled up with a little person, and time spent standing in the sun making small changes in my yard and garden. And maybe you know exactly what I mean. Maybe you love your home too\u2026 but you\u2019ve felt pulled away by responsibility, work, or life circumstances you didn\u2019t choose. Maybe you\u2019ve missed your days being at home more than you can even put into words. Because that\u2019s where I\u2019ve been. I see reminders of what my life was before I started working last summer\u2014daffodils peeking through the soil, and the arches lit up at night in my garden that I can see from my bedroom window. I miss them so much. It feels like I\u2019m grieving a life I used to have. This Season Is Growing Something In Me I\u2019m realizing the Lord is using this season to grow my faith in Him, my perseverance, and my steadfastness. I think I was surprised by how uncomfortable I felt being in the workplace (even at my church), how much I missed home, and how clearly I see that what I do in my home is true and good work. And I know many women carry work both inside and outside the home\u2014this is simply the work God assigned to me, and I\u2019ve missed it deeply. I enjoyed cooking for my family while I was home. I have been in such a rush during my days of working outside of my home. More often than not, the children are starting dinner and we are just getting bellies fed\u2014instead of the kind of time I\u2019m used to investing in the meals we love to serve. I\u2019m also missing my older children stopping by on their way to and from their own homes. I know it\u2019s just a season\u2026 but I\u2019m looking forward to the shift back, whenever the Lord allows. A Season I Didn\u2019t Choose Going back to work was not what I had wanted or searched for\u2026 but I know the Lord had a plan, even in this. For me, it\u2019s been stressful\u2014and mostly sad. I found myself dragging to work for days. It\u2019s been a constant effort to not complain and to continue to move forward. (Even if I didn\u2019t voice it\u2026 I thought it most of the time. I did.) I\u2019ve been frustrated with the things I knew needed to be done in my own kitchen and home, but not having the time to make that happen. And yet\u2026 I do know I\u2019m doing these things for a reason. The extra income has been a definite benefit while my husband has been out of work. More than that, the relationships I have developed with my co-workers, employees, and the families I serve is something I will never be able to measure. The Word God Gave Me for 2026 But these two weeks\u2026 My children were happier and stayed right by my side while I was home. I could tell it was a relief and comforting to them. Paul also seemed lighter. We enjoyed a little more time together than we have had in a while, and all of it has been really nice. A few months back, I started praying over 2026. And I believe the Lord has led me to my theme word for this year: STEADFAST. I want to learn to stand strong and trust the Lord through every season of my life. Between a job loss and a job I was never intending to have (that is a story for another time), this has been a season of needing to be steadfast. \u201cYou will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.\u201dIsaiah 26:3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-about-me"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93\/revisions\/97"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}