timing

The older I get, the more I realize the road of life dishes out some crazy twists and turns; a few wicked switchbacks and some seriously bumpy patches.  But as I approach the end of the road my determination to stay on the smooth path grows stronger and stronger.  I pick my battles more carefully and make an effort to pick them wisely.  

me

I’m itching to tell you everything about our trip.  

Thanks for asking!

I’d love to share about the church we visited; about the people we met and the place we stayed…just everything. But it’s not time yet.

I’m notorious for ‘counting my chickens before they hatch’– putting the cart before the horse’ and so on – in other words, running out ahead of God.  In this situation, miraculously, I have been given the self-control to simply ‘wait and see.’ This month I have been blessed with  peace and contentment allowing me to stay on the smooth path. But I have to confess, the excitement is still strong, and will remain so until we know one way or the other what God has planned for our future.

All in His time!

What I can share now are some of the blessings that accompanied us on this trip.

Like I told you earlier, we have been very excited about this interview and preaching opportunity, and since we live in California, practically every opportunity lies east of here.  So…on Thursday July 12 we headed east via the southern route. We made a similar trip east with a different destination back in 2009, so we had a pretty good idea where we were headed, at least as far as Blythe, CA. That’s why I made reservations for the first night at the Motel 6 there, confident we would be comfortable, have a fridge, microwave and other necessities for the three of us. Kai Li made the earlier trip with us, too.

It’s about a six hour drive.  The temperatures had been running in triple digits, both in the Central Valley and across the Mojave Desert. Not something I was looking forward to…headed east, into the morning sun. It promised to be HOT and probably pretty uncomfortable for all of us. Kai Li travels reasonably well after she settles herself in, but the first hundred miles can be rough and she doesn’t like being in the sun, but refuses to stay in the back seat.  Oh well! Off we go.

First blessing. Day One: we drove under a thick cloud cover all the way across the desert to Blythe. And while it was not exactly cool when we stopped for gas or at a rest stop it was SO doable.

All day I was reminded of  Exodus 13:21

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.

Second Blessing. Day One: We pulled into the Motel 6 in Blythe, California at about 3:30. D looked around and said, “This is not where we stayed before!”

He was so right.  We had previously stayed at the Super 8 Motel that was right next door.  My mistake. Two. Four. Six. Eight. Three years ago! I blew it. Oh well! They will allow pets and… . D checked us in and we entered the room. This was in a word…WRONG! Wrong place, wrong room. Ugh! Where is the fridge? Where is the microwave? How can I fix supper? We can’t go out to eat and we can’t leave Kai in the room alone! Now what?  So…I begged D, “Go next door to the Super 8 and get us a room for the night if they have one.”  

While he was gone, the desk clerk called to ask if the room was satisfactory. I told her, “Yes. But we will be checking out within a few minutes.” I explained why and thanked her. I figured we would have to pay for this room and the other one, too. I was perfectly willing to do so, all things considered. She was very understanding and graciously refunded the entire amount – reservation or not!

We ate our supper (kinda like camping out) watched some TV and prayed for a restful night. Day one down…a blessed day and a safe trip. Thank you Lord.

More to come – One day at a time.