Talk about testing a kid's discontentment level..... we had planned to go to my sister's yesterday for a swim. The weather was definitely dreary, but warm, so we figured we would pack our suits anyway and hope for the best. I had the kids all loaded up in the van and had asked my husband to look at one of the tires as it seemed a little low. He was super busy, but said he would try to fill it up for me. When he went to the tire, lo and behold, he could actually see where the leak was. Now there was no way we would be going anywhere. How would they handle this??? How would I handle this???? All I could say was, "Ok, guys, I'm very sorry, but you need to get in the house. The tire has a leak and we won't make it if we drive on the highway, too dangerous." The disappointment was awful, but they all came in and took it ok. We ended up doing a massive grocery shop instead with the other vehicle with the younger ones. On the drive to the store, it was yet again, a chance to talk about how God can change things in a split second and will we "go with the flow" or will we fight Him and respond badly.
I said that once to one of our children when my daughter was just learning to talk. "Just go with the flow!" She jumped in, "I want to go with the flow, too! Where is it?" She was sure going with the flow had to be a great place as I always told the other kids to go there. But it is a great place! The "flow" is where God does awesome things for those who choose to go there. This is the place where He takes what appears to be a disappointment and can actually turn it all around and make it a place of blessing. The rest of the day is a case in point....
Once I was done the grocery shop, I headed out the door with 4 kids and 2 carts. One lady in the store saw how much I had and asked if I was prepared for the bill ahead of me. I told her I was willing to take donations! By this point it was pouring so the entire load of groceries was getting soaked as it was in the back of the truck. At least it wasn't a cold rain, it was warm outside still, so I actually didn't mind. We managed to get everything home and dumped it all on the kitchen floor. Because everything was so wet, my floor ended up getting very clean! My fridge was quite empty and it revealed how badly it needed a clean, so on a very bizarre whim, I cleaned it top to bottom, even under drawers, inside drawers, shelves, walls, everything. It was a huge task! It took a very long time, but everyone noticed how great it looked and it felt good to do.
When plans change like that unexpectedly it feels good to redeem the time. I certainly never would have planned on cleaning a fridge or doing a massive shop like that. I was just looking forward to hanging out with my sister, drinking a coffee and watching the kids swim, but I love how God can change our plans and it can still be a great day. Perhaps cleaning a fridge doesn't seem like a blessing, but trust me, it is! Having a clean floor may also not seem like a particular blessing, but you have to know, it is a real effort to keep things clean over here, so being forced to do it is great!
More blessings occurred as the day went on. The weather cleared up beautifully in the afternoon. Somehow my children found out that in our little vineyard there are wild strawberries, so I suggested we go berrypicking! Now that the kids are a little older, I'll let them go down on their bikes along the side of the road. I followed pushing the toddler in a stroller. It was so fun finding these wild strawberries! They were everywhere! It was the perfect snack and another amazing blessing from the Lord as I could never have planned that. I took the time to pick up some of the pruned vines and am slowly bringing them back to the house where I'm attempting to do crafty things with them even though I'm not crafty in the slightest. It is a another neat side benefit to all that pruning the kids did in the early spring. I love that God can take all those clippings that seem like garbage or something to throw in the firepit and have them turned into something beautiful. Who would have foreseen that?
Back to the house for dinner. When I went to the grocery store, it seemed as if God had planned my grocery shop as so many things were 40% off. This might not sound yummy, but it has to be one of my children's favourite meals, "Pork Hock Stew" and the pork hocks were on a major sale. The only reason I make it is because I had to learn to use all the parts of the pigs we had slaughtered! I had so many "hocks" and had no idea what to make with them, so I found out they make an amazing stew. It is one of the cheaper cuts of meat, so now when I grocery shop that is a cut of meat I actually look for. My son loves breadsticks and made some to go along with the stew, so it was an awesome meal!
Another blessing was my husband came home to find out his course will be published soon making him an official "author", so that was good news and it means payment will follow shortly. All in all, an awesome day. It could have been miserable. The kids could have revolted on me and picketed outside the house until their Dad fixed the tire, but they responded really well and I'm convinced that God blessed them for "going with the flow". I felt like God allowed me to accomplish a lot with the rainy day that was given to me and I feel we all were able to make the most of a disappointing situation.
"The Flow" is my new favourite place. I never know what will happen if I go there, but it is better than staying is "Disappointment Land". Blessings usually appear out of nowhere when I go there, too. Lessons get learned. My daughter was right to want to go there.
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