In my last post I mentioned that I would share some of the ways God provided for me (and, I should say, looked out for my best) this summer ~ showing me over and over that HE is available and in control.
Two days before our annual trip to Hilton Head, SC, my contract was approved to begin working part-time as an independently contracted Occupational Therapist with a local Parent-Infant program. The beauty of this is that God provided this opportunity/lead the day after I discovered I needed to start working again, and might have to give up homeschooling. This job supports my need for income while allowing flexibility for me to continue to homeschool my daughters. He provided the window of opportunity for this in May, and I followed - despite having to work double time within my then current busy schedule, taking five state regulated classes for agency requirements, and three national regulated classes for my license renewal, as well as renewing my CPR and First Aid certification....With HIS help, I was able to complete all of the classes and process the stacks of paper requirements (license, knowledge, request for proposal, liability insurance, etc.) by the mid-June deadline to submit it to the County for approval. Because the approval came two days before our trip, and I had one child "waiting in the wings" - despite there not being an official contract, the company allowed me to see that one child and then plan for the rest when I returned from the beach (my contract would be mailed by that time). This process could have been very daunting (needed money, had to pay out a lot to get the job, uncertain about how the job would work out with my schedule and needs, etc.) but I trusted the LORD and followed...and it has worked out beyond my best expectations at this point in all areas ~ even the delayed contracting worked out best because I was just TOO BUSY in July with family needs to be running for work and it would have had a negative effect on my kids...HE knew this and provided funds for that month, and the time I needed with family :-)
Forward on to my visit with the one child I was approved for (kind of getting my feet wet) the morning before we left for Hilton Head. After the visit was completed, I got in my car, mind flipping through all of the "to do" things on my list for firm up prior to departure...and my van would not start. I was at a relative "stranger's" house, my children were at a temporary sitter (who had very little time available), and I was stranded...as I looked at this and wanted to cry from stress, I decided instead to thank the LORD for HIS provision ~ as I knew He had a purpose and this was an opportunity I had not yet recognized. A few phone calls later, and I was on my way to a friend's auto-body shop, my car was awaiting a tow, and my kids were being picked up by a neighbor from the sitter and brought to another home...which was amazing in itself since the timing of my call to my neighbor was right when she had left for work (her husband works from home, they share a car) so she was able to turn around, return home, and have him drive her to work (on time) so he could go pick up my kids.
As I sat in the auto body shop for several hours, kids safe and no major obligations, I was able to read Max Lucado's book John 3:16 and visit some with my girlfriend from homeschool who ran the inside of the shop her husband owned. It was a lovely visit, and when noontime came he fed me one of the best homemade burgers I had ever had...I almost cried then in gratitude for all the help and love I had recieved that morning. God is so very good! The best part of the day was recognizing that HE allowed this to happen when I was able to get the help I needed, from people who loved Him and would care for me well, BEFORE I was driving ten hours down the road with four young girls in the car. Imagining how it would have been if the battery had gone (which is what ended up being the case) when I had come out of a McDonald's "somewhere" on the interstate the next day was all I needed to praise Him again for His faithful care.
So, when I arrive home that day my oldest daughter tells me that her ear hurts...badly. I was able to get her in to see her doctor (amazing), to discover she had swimmer's ear AND an inner ear infection...again, praises that this was taken care of before our departure as she was heading straight from Hilton Head to Nags Head with her dad. We were able to get her medicine, get packed, and get the animals squared away before her swim team end of year party that evening as well ~ and all I could do was sit in amazement at God's faithfulness to pay attention to even the little things that are important to us...
Next day, we are about 1 1/2 hours into our trip when my youngest daughter suddenly feels ill and within seconds throws up ~ as I dump my bag of "snacks" on the seat next to me and reach back to hand her the grocery bag to use for her "second" heave, she misses and gets sick again...BUT this is not a terrible thing as I had just been looking for a place to stop for breakfast and found one that was only 1 mile away. Also, because she had a blanket over her, still somewhat sleepy, I was able to fold the blanket up from the bottom and trap the fluids versus having them continue to spread in the car. We went in to McDonald's and while the girls were eating I washed out the blanket in the bathroom, wiped down her seat and seat belt, and was able to pretty much clear the car of all traces of the incident...WHAT A BLESSING~ we still had eight hours of driving to go. :-) Rose was able to rest through the remainder of the day without feeling sick again; eating bland foods and sprite ~ I thought then, and still believe, it was related to her taking her liquid antibiotic on a fairly empty stomach that morning (for her ear infection, that was almost healed) so wasn't concerned that it was going to happen all day, and was very grateful that it did not :-)
Finally, when we arrived in Hilton Head, as we were driving the last 10 miles, I noticed that I had lost one of the crosses from my necklace. I have a necklace that is pretty special to me, which I have been wearing for about a year. I consisted of three crosses I had been given at various times in my life ~ one was larger and fairly ornate/filigree (gold), the next was slightly smaller and simple, the third was very small and had a tiny diamond chip in it (I had recieved it from my aunt at my college graduation). This was the one that had disappeared...I was so very sad ~ but I trusted that God knew even about this and what it meant to me, so I believe that there is purpose even in this...not sure if it is because HE has expanded so much in my life since that time that the tiny sparkle did not reflect the power of His light and Spirit as much as He deserved, or if it was time to move on with the necklace, or if I was going to recieve another cross that was perfect for the trio...either way, I know it is okay. I still have my "Father and Son" crosses, and may leave the necklace as it is, return to single crosses, or find the "perfect" representation for the Holy Spirit as He is at this point on my journey to add back to the necklace. Either way, I know HE has me covered, and that is all I need to know. :-)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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