Last summer was the first attempt at a garden and I think we were super successful. We ate produce from it for a long time. This summer we had so much rain our garden was completely drowned, puddles everywhere. I grew frogs, not vegetables! We ate some food, but mostly beans, cucumbers, a few tomatoes, a little lettuce and peas, but that's about it. All the herbs died, none of the carrots or beets made it (that was also partly due to an escaping bunny that we always found in our garden!). So, a little disappointing, but I also learned I can't make it as big next year. I lost my garden crew to jobs and school this summer. The younger ones helped, but not nearly as much as my older ones did last summer. I may just have to cut back a bit next year.
Yesterday, I shared my "water into wine" story with my friend who is staying with us until today. One thing she and I have in common is the large number of children we both have. She has 7 and I have 8. However, we both have only 6 left under 18 years old. I found that particularly interesting in light of the story from John 2. In the story, Jesus tells the servants to fill 6 large jars with water. These were no small jars. They held 20-30 gallons of water each. How did they do that? Did they move the jars? They would have been so heavy! Or perhaps they went back and forth to the well to fill them up with smaller jars. That would have taken so long and would have been so tedious! Either way they were filled and the miracle of turning the water into wine happened.
Hmmmmm.....I started to see a parallel in my life and my friend's life. We both have 6 jars, too - our 6 kids each. They seem impossible to fill with godliness sometimes. It is soooo much work! I can hardly lift them! I can't seem to get any "water" in them! I told her this amazing thought that came to my mind, yet, God can take our feeble attempts at filling them and turn them into wine. How I pray this for my remaining kids under my care.
In all the dreariness of this past year where my friend has struggled financially, emotionally, physically, we, too, have struggled alongside her. What a long road it has been and though there is light at the end of the tunnel, we really have no idea when we will see resolve in her situation. I sat in church this past Sunday and completely related to Paul in all the many storms he went through. Yet God saw him through again and again.
As the pastor spoke from Acts 27, I started to see more parallels to my life and hers yet again, this time with our "storms" not just our "jars". Paul set sail for Rome, not knowing a storm was ahead for him. Soon into his voyage, it says he "put in Sidon...And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for..." (Acts 27:3) Though there was a storm about to rage around him, there was respite before the wind began. He was treated "kindly". This has been our experience in all the storms this past year. Even yesterday, my friend woke up with bad news. She found out she had a surprise raise in one of her bills meaning more financial strain. Talk about a storm in your head and heart. But we sat there and continued to talk and I explained, "This is just a small setback. You'll find a way to pay the extra money."
Then, later on that day, she couldn't find her keys. Her kids had taken to playing with them and lost them in the process. Gone for good. Still can't find them. We turned the house upside down. She called the person she had bought the car from asking her for a certain code she needed in order to get a new key made and to her shock and amazement, this friend said, "I'll pay for a new key to be made whatever it costs." Sure enough, she showed up a few hours later with cash in hand and it was no small amount. I looked at my friend and said, "Water into wine! Don't you see?" She was treated kindly in the middle of her storm.
As Paul went on in his journey, it says, "We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens..." (Acts:27:7,8) The pastor pointed out that even though there was difficult sailing and that the wind was fighting them the whole time, there was again, a break in the storm and they were able to get more respite at Fair Havens. I know of a camp called Fair Havens and now I know why it is named that...to give respite to the weary families that come there. That same camp is exactly what my friend's camp is like. Though she is still in her storm, she has been able to live in a type of "Fair Havens" all summer, surrounded by God's beauty in nature, on a lake, with birds, green grass, tall trees, blue sky....a little oasis in her storm. It was even able to be enjoyed by all of us when we went up, so we, too, got a bit of a trip to "Fair Havens". Did God know our kids would need a little respite, too?
My personal respite is coming.....! Every year we go away on our anniversary. Even in our cracking down on our finances, this was one area we didn't cut back on. One night, all out, close by. I look forward to it all year.
Even this week, we had a new friend of the kids come by for a few days. It was a completely unplanned visit, but I looked at his stay with us as respite for our kids - A new face, tons of personality, lots of laughs, spiritually refreshing as he comes from an amazing family with a really cool story....I loved having him here and thanked God for bringing him to us. Respite doesn't mean sitting around doing nothing all the time....it could mean just a refreshing break in the form of friendship! He was respite to us! But, it takes eyes to see it. And I'm always trying to see what God is doing. Always trying to see how He's working.
This Fall will be a new challenge for us as RM is taking on full-time work as well as part-time work. In the olden days, full-time hours meant many more than they do now. Nowadays, full-time work is seen as 35 hours a week. He'll be putting in 50 hours a week, but entrepreneurs know 50 hours a week is child's play, so he probably won't even bat at eye. However, it will still be a challenge, so I'm praying there will be respite in the storm of all the new things he's taking on.
Finally, Paul reached shore, but not before being shipwrecked. This has to be my favourite part of the story. He had been told by an angel that he would make it to shore and that no one would die. And then, a shipwreck? To me, it is a perfect ending....God tells us, "You''ll make it! I'm with you!" But then, we see shipwrecks in our lives! We get shipwrecked all the time! How can this be God working?! But it is. It was like the pastor said, "He'll get you where He intends you to go, but it won't always be how you think. You might be shipwrecked in the process." But that is actually a part of the plan sometimes. Seeing Paul get shipwrecked was actually a real encouragement to me. Here we are on our debt-free plan and it just isn't going how I hoped! I really thought we would make it to shore and all the crew would live. But, we are often finding ourselves in storms and nearly shipwrecked and yes, we're all still alive, but it just isn't going how I planned! It tells me that God is still helping us get to shore, but that sometimes a shipwreck or two is part of the plan. Ok, fine. I'll try to be happier in my ship, wrecked or not.
Wow. The word of God is so alive. Today, I'm finishing off schedule-making and school planning. Trying to get my head around the fact I have to dive in to the books in a few days. I'm so glad snow isn't right around the corner! Although I should watch what I say and write....maybe there's a snowstorm coming!
Thursday 24 August 2017
Wednesday 23 August 2017
Living Outside the Brackets
Ok, so, we went away for what ended up being more than a week. I really wasn't sure what to expect as, like I said, it was going to be more of a working vacation for me and there were going to be 12 of us crammed into a trailer during what turned out to be quite the warm week. But, it was.......wait for it.....AWESOME! I had some prayer warriors on my side and it was obvious they were praying.
I've tried to figure out why it was so great and through two sermons, I've figured it out. It was plain and simply a miracle. So many things could have gone wrong, kids could have got hurt, moms could have been frustrated with each other, kids could have been miserable, but truly, none of that happened. My friend and I have tried to figure out why we don't get at each other's throats. When two women spend that much time together, there are bound to be things that upset you, but with us, we are so incredibly opposite to one another that we compliment each other. I think we are also really good at reading one another and sensing where the other person needs space or is starting to feel upset and then the space is given or whatever they need is observed.
The camp offered programs each morning for the kids and a chapel service for the adults. In the past, when I've attended camps like these, the chapel services have changed my life. I went 7 years ago with 7 kids to another camp (also without my husband and with a friend) and we were in the middle of purchasing the farm and building the house. I had never experienced fear like that. I was certain we were in over our heads and that we were going to lose the farm. But I went to the chapel and the pastor was preaching on, you guessed it, fear, and the giants in our life. I somehow met the pastor's wife, completely serendipitously, and she ended up hearing my whole story, all my fears, saw my tears, and prayed for me. I came back infused with hope and that was the beginning of learning how to battle my fears. All this to say, I knew I had to go and hear the preaching that was going on at least once that week. I was so glad I did.
The guest pastor for that week was preaching on Jesus turning the water into wine. He opened that passage in John 2 in a whole new way. Mary says to Jesus, "They have no wine", when the wine ran out at the wedding. Jesus says, "Woman, what does this have to do with me?" The pastor took those two phrases and elaborated on them in such an amazing way. Mary was pointing out to Jesus an inconvenience...no wine...Jesus pointed out that inconveniences don't bother him! The pastor asked us, "What is an inconvenience for you right now, because whatever it is, it doesn't bother God. If He has called you to do something, don't let any inconveniences get in the way. He can handle them, all of them." I thought of so many things.....I have to admit, sometimes watching all these kids, between the two families, gets a little inconvenient! My house has definitely taken a beating this year. Also, homeschooling is a little inconvenient! Who has time to plan, buy the curriculum, organize their lives, plan for their futures...I need a live-in guidance counsellor, academic advisor, janitor, cook, principal......I'm not sure that I knew what I was getting into when I first decided on this! Then, there's the Bible quizzing.....I knew this was something I wanted to do, but really? Now, I'm forced to organize a club that I am just not that qualified to organize! That's a little inconvenient! And, I'm on the board of the homeschooling group....yikes.....it is a lot of work! I HAVE NO WINE! Ha ha....that came out funny! But truly, I'm calling out to Jesus, like Mary, telling him, "Life is inconvenient! What are you going to do about it?!" "Woman, why are you telling me this? I know!" Jesus replies to me.
Then, the miracle. He tells the servants to "fill the jars with water". They obeyed, no questions asked and served the master of the feast, which would have been risky because as far as they knew, it was still just water! But, no, it had become wine. Verse nine says, the master of the feast "did not know where it had come from", but then it includes in brackets "though the servants who had drawn the water knew". The pastor said, "Those servants would never be the same." They had seen a miracle and would no longer "live in brackets". I loved that phrase, live in brackets. See, before, they were a little uncertain if the wine miracle would actually happen! They probably served it to their master with a little fear because they thought they were serving water! But, after the miracle, "greater things than these" were going to happen in their lives because I'm sure their faith grew bigtime after that. We already live outside the brackets. We've seen, I've seen, many miracles in my own life. I've got the Bible. I've read the stories. There is no need for me to live inside brackets. John 1:50 talks about "greater things than these"....these are the things that God will continue to show those people who dip into the jars of water and trust Him for wine, whose faith is developing with all the signs He does in their lives.
It all ties into the inconveniences of our lives. It means we have to take more risks of faith. More risks=more faith=more opportunities for more faith=more signs=life of adventure! It becomes an amazing journey with God, absolutely amazing.
The week I went up to camp with my friend I went and bought all the groceries for the week. I planned all the meals to be "trailer-y", easy to fix, kid-friendly, etc. It was a full cart load. I dipped into the jars of water, never knowing if wine would be there. While I was away, a friend mailed me a cheque because she knew I was going away to help out this mutual friend of ours. Her cheque covered the whole cost of the groceries that week....wine was made! And, while I was at the camp, we used basically every last morsel I had brought up. When we started to run out of things, a nice older couple came and dropped tons of snack-type food off that came from the food bank where they volunteer. She gets regular deliveries from these kind people. I witnessed it! Why do we doubt God and His goodness? He supplied what we needed and He gave the best. "This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed Him."
I've tried to figure out why it was so great and through two sermons, I've figured it out. It was plain and simply a miracle. So many things could have gone wrong, kids could have got hurt, moms could have been frustrated with each other, kids could have been miserable, but truly, none of that happened. My friend and I have tried to figure out why we don't get at each other's throats. When two women spend that much time together, there are bound to be things that upset you, but with us, we are so incredibly opposite to one another that we compliment each other. I think we are also really good at reading one another and sensing where the other person needs space or is starting to feel upset and then the space is given or whatever they need is observed.
The camp offered programs each morning for the kids and a chapel service for the adults. In the past, when I've attended camps like these, the chapel services have changed my life. I went 7 years ago with 7 kids to another camp (also without my husband and with a friend) and we were in the middle of purchasing the farm and building the house. I had never experienced fear like that. I was certain we were in over our heads and that we were going to lose the farm. But I went to the chapel and the pastor was preaching on, you guessed it, fear, and the giants in our life. I somehow met the pastor's wife, completely serendipitously, and she ended up hearing my whole story, all my fears, saw my tears, and prayed for me. I came back infused with hope and that was the beginning of learning how to battle my fears. All this to say, I knew I had to go and hear the preaching that was going on at least once that week. I was so glad I did.
The guest pastor for that week was preaching on Jesus turning the water into wine. He opened that passage in John 2 in a whole new way. Mary says to Jesus, "They have no wine", when the wine ran out at the wedding. Jesus says, "Woman, what does this have to do with me?" The pastor took those two phrases and elaborated on them in such an amazing way. Mary was pointing out to Jesus an inconvenience...no wine...Jesus pointed out that inconveniences don't bother him! The pastor asked us, "What is an inconvenience for you right now, because whatever it is, it doesn't bother God. If He has called you to do something, don't let any inconveniences get in the way. He can handle them, all of them." I thought of so many things.....I have to admit, sometimes watching all these kids, between the two families, gets a little inconvenient! My house has definitely taken a beating this year. Also, homeschooling is a little inconvenient! Who has time to plan, buy the curriculum, organize their lives, plan for their futures...I need a live-in guidance counsellor, academic advisor, janitor, cook, principal......I'm not sure that I knew what I was getting into when I first decided on this! Then, there's the Bible quizzing.....I knew this was something I wanted to do, but really? Now, I'm forced to organize a club that I am just not that qualified to organize! That's a little inconvenient! And, I'm on the board of the homeschooling group....yikes.....it is a lot of work! I HAVE NO WINE! Ha ha....that came out funny! But truly, I'm calling out to Jesus, like Mary, telling him, "Life is inconvenient! What are you going to do about it?!" "Woman, why are you telling me this? I know!" Jesus replies to me.
Then, the miracle. He tells the servants to "fill the jars with water". They obeyed, no questions asked and served the master of the feast, which would have been risky because as far as they knew, it was still just water! But, no, it had become wine. Verse nine says, the master of the feast "did not know where it had come from", but then it includes in brackets "though the servants who had drawn the water knew". The pastor said, "Those servants would never be the same." They had seen a miracle and would no longer "live in brackets". I loved that phrase, live in brackets. See, before, they were a little uncertain if the wine miracle would actually happen! They probably served it to their master with a little fear because they thought they were serving water! But, after the miracle, "greater things than these" were going to happen in their lives because I'm sure their faith grew bigtime after that. We already live outside the brackets. We've seen, I've seen, many miracles in my own life. I've got the Bible. I've read the stories. There is no need for me to live inside brackets. John 1:50 talks about "greater things than these"....these are the things that God will continue to show those people who dip into the jars of water and trust Him for wine, whose faith is developing with all the signs He does in their lives.
It all ties into the inconveniences of our lives. It means we have to take more risks of faith. More risks=more faith=more opportunities for more faith=more signs=life of adventure! It becomes an amazing journey with God, absolutely amazing.
The week I went up to camp with my friend I went and bought all the groceries for the week. I planned all the meals to be "trailer-y", easy to fix, kid-friendly, etc. It was a full cart load. I dipped into the jars of water, never knowing if wine would be there. While I was away, a friend mailed me a cheque because she knew I was going away to help out this mutual friend of ours. Her cheque covered the whole cost of the groceries that week....wine was made! And, while I was at the camp, we used basically every last morsel I had brought up. When we started to run out of things, a nice older couple came and dropped tons of snack-type food off that came from the food bank where they volunteer. She gets regular deliveries from these kind people. I witnessed it! Why do we doubt God and His goodness? He supplied what we needed and He gave the best. "This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed Him."
Vacation Request Confirmed and Booked
Here's a post I started nearly 3 weeks ago: I never finished it, probably got interrupted in the middle of it and then only now was able to come back to it. I'm going to post it as is and then write a follow-up to it right away to explain how things turned out....here goes (starts next paragraph!)
I'll just have to call it "The Summer of Not Blogging"......ah well, come Fall it'll be easier.....
So I'm sitting here in my family room listening to the sounds of ten, that's right, TEN, newborn puppies yippin' and yappin' in the little plastic pool where their mommy dog gave birth. Actually she started giving birth outside, literally delivered one right on the driveway, before we grabbed her and the new pup and brought her inside to finish off. It was the most umcomplicated delivery I've ever seen and makes me wish I was a dog, not a human. They seem to have it pretty easy!
I hate to describe puppies as collateral, or as a just some "object", as opposed to a cute, cuddly little pet, but truly, these are my son's ticket to school this year! After two ultrasounds and an x-ray, we were told she might have as many as 8, but the x-ray showed only 6. We never guessed 10! In order to make his investment back from the initial purchase of the dog, as well as cover all his costs for food, vet visits, etc., she had to have at least 3. Then, we hoped for at least 3 more. Anything above 6 was pure bonus and actually was considered profit. When the tenth pup popped out, we started clapping!
This has been such a great veterinary experience for our son as well, who longs to get into vet school one day. He had to help with the delivery, get the puppies on the mom (I guess it isn't as natural as cats), make sure they were breathing, resuscitate more than one, feed one of the pups all through the night for two nights in a row now, get the mother on an iv drip because she was dehydrated.....oh my goodness, it has been so draining for him! But, through the whole experience he has been a pro and it just continues to confirm his desire to go into animal care in some form one day. Now we just have to pray that we'll be able to sell these pups or we'll be stuck with a whole bunch of doggies!
She was bred with a gorgeous rough collie, named Dragon (great name), who was a blue merle. That simply describes the colour pattern of his fur which is silver and blue in colour. The pups are half sable coloured (like Lassie) and half blue merle with one black and white one (who knows where that came from, but also beautiful!) The kids all sit in the birthing pool with the puppies around the clock (hey, I just thought about that...I had a kid in a pool, too! Not that different from a dog!). We are heading away for a week to our friends' trailer and they will be sad to go and miss being around them.
Speaking of trailer, I did write about getting away for a "vacation" this summer. I knew going up to my friend's trailer was an option, but I just couldn't figure out how it would work. Last year we went up to her camp and we stayed in their second "extra" trailer. This year the extra trailer was moldy and nothing was working electrically so it wouldn't work. We looked into renting another trailer or staying in what they call "apartments" or "motels", even tenting, but it was all so expensive, we couldn't get our heads around it. My friend and I committed it to prayer, but I was quite certain it wasn't going to work out. Even though my kids were so determined to go and had a 45 minute session one morning on why they love going so much, I still told my friend who owns the trailer, "Sorry, I don't think we can come up." She was shocked! Why wouldn't I go? What could she do to make sure we got up there? I said, "I need a place to stay....for free!" She immediately said, "Stay in our trailer, with us!" Uh, no. I explained to her there was NO WAY I would be doing that. This friend is truly the best. There is nothing I can ever do or say to offend her, so I knew she wasn't going to take that the wrong way! I simply explained that I need to have a somewhat decent sleep and that sleeping with 12 people, 10 of whom are kids, in bunk beds, on floors, surrounded by noise and mosquitoes, was just not fun for me. I guaranteed I would be miserable and grumpy and that it was not going to work. I just needed a little space to myself IF POSSIBLE. She immediately offered her "master bedroom" in the back of the trailer. I could sleep there with my two younger ones if necessary. There was no way I was going to take her room. I'm not that mean. But she insisted saying that she can sleep anywhere. She isn't quite as selfish as I am, I suppose. In the last year of going from house to house, she and her kids have learned to sleep on floors, couches, tables, whatever. I have never been able to do that well and I suffer from sleeplessness all night if I get woken up or have to sleep like that. Maybe one day I'll be able to, but for now...no way. She convinced me to take her offer, so suddenly I found myself committed. My kids were thrilled! They were really going on "vacation"!
For me, it will be more of a working vacation. My friend won't even be around much. I'm actually going as her mother's helper. She'll be working while I watch her kids. Normally her teenage daughters watch their siblings while she works, but that has been hard on them, so I'm giving them a bit of a break by coming up, cooking, cleaning, etc. It will be a nice change of pace though for everyone. I still feel in a strange way that it is an answer to prayer. We get to getaway (though I'm only taking 5 kids and no husband). It is for "free". I didn't have to rent a cabin. It's a bit of a surprise to me that we were able to make it work. Will I feel rested once I come back? I doubt it...12 people, most of whom are kids under 16 years old, in one small trailer? That will hardly be restful, but who needs rest when there's coffee?! But for my kids, it is an all-out miracle. They never expected it to work. They started packing immediately. My one son has been carrying his backpack around for days and days. They are so excited. So I do thank the Lord for His goodness to my kids and how He is blessing them this summer in this way.
It is a strange blessing to my husband as well. He has to prep for the Fall at the college and having us away will help him focus on that. The older kids will be able to help with puppies and just have a nice quiet week without crazy kids everywhere. Our house has had 17 people in it for over a week so they'll enjoy the break.
I had written that God is our vacation planner. He really is. I never expected this to work. I had tried and tried, but knew it was really impossible. I had looked at every possible angle, never once considering staying in her trailer with them. But it all worked out and off we go.....! Vacation request confirmed and booked!
I'll just have to call it "The Summer of Not Blogging"......ah well, come Fall it'll be easier.....
So I'm sitting here in my family room listening to the sounds of ten, that's right, TEN, newborn puppies yippin' and yappin' in the little plastic pool where their mommy dog gave birth. Actually she started giving birth outside, literally delivered one right on the driveway, before we grabbed her and the new pup and brought her inside to finish off. It was the most umcomplicated delivery I've ever seen and makes me wish I was a dog, not a human. They seem to have it pretty easy!
I hate to describe puppies as collateral, or as a just some "object", as opposed to a cute, cuddly little pet, but truly, these are my son's ticket to school this year! After two ultrasounds and an x-ray, we were told she might have as many as 8, but the x-ray showed only 6. We never guessed 10! In order to make his investment back from the initial purchase of the dog, as well as cover all his costs for food, vet visits, etc., she had to have at least 3. Then, we hoped for at least 3 more. Anything above 6 was pure bonus and actually was considered profit. When the tenth pup popped out, we started clapping!
This has been such a great veterinary experience for our son as well, who longs to get into vet school one day. He had to help with the delivery, get the puppies on the mom (I guess it isn't as natural as cats), make sure they were breathing, resuscitate more than one, feed one of the pups all through the night for two nights in a row now, get the mother on an iv drip because she was dehydrated.....oh my goodness, it has been so draining for him! But, through the whole experience he has been a pro and it just continues to confirm his desire to go into animal care in some form one day. Now we just have to pray that we'll be able to sell these pups or we'll be stuck with a whole bunch of doggies!
She was bred with a gorgeous rough collie, named Dragon (great name), who was a blue merle. That simply describes the colour pattern of his fur which is silver and blue in colour. The pups are half sable coloured (like Lassie) and half blue merle with one black and white one (who knows where that came from, but also beautiful!) The kids all sit in the birthing pool with the puppies around the clock (hey, I just thought about that...I had a kid in a pool, too! Not that different from a dog!). We are heading away for a week to our friends' trailer and they will be sad to go and miss being around them.
Speaking of trailer, I did write about getting away for a "vacation" this summer. I knew going up to my friend's trailer was an option, but I just couldn't figure out how it would work. Last year we went up to her camp and we stayed in their second "extra" trailer. This year the extra trailer was moldy and nothing was working electrically so it wouldn't work. We looked into renting another trailer or staying in what they call "apartments" or "motels", even tenting, but it was all so expensive, we couldn't get our heads around it. My friend and I committed it to prayer, but I was quite certain it wasn't going to work out. Even though my kids were so determined to go and had a 45 minute session one morning on why they love going so much, I still told my friend who owns the trailer, "Sorry, I don't think we can come up." She was shocked! Why wouldn't I go? What could she do to make sure we got up there? I said, "I need a place to stay....for free!" She immediately said, "Stay in our trailer, with us!" Uh, no. I explained to her there was NO WAY I would be doing that. This friend is truly the best. There is nothing I can ever do or say to offend her, so I knew she wasn't going to take that the wrong way! I simply explained that I need to have a somewhat decent sleep and that sleeping with 12 people, 10 of whom are kids, in bunk beds, on floors, surrounded by noise and mosquitoes, was just not fun for me. I guaranteed I would be miserable and grumpy and that it was not going to work. I just needed a little space to myself IF POSSIBLE. She immediately offered her "master bedroom" in the back of the trailer. I could sleep there with my two younger ones if necessary. There was no way I was going to take her room. I'm not that mean. But she insisted saying that she can sleep anywhere. She isn't quite as selfish as I am, I suppose. In the last year of going from house to house, she and her kids have learned to sleep on floors, couches, tables, whatever. I have never been able to do that well and I suffer from sleeplessness all night if I get woken up or have to sleep like that. Maybe one day I'll be able to, but for now...no way. She convinced me to take her offer, so suddenly I found myself committed. My kids were thrilled! They were really going on "vacation"!
For me, it will be more of a working vacation. My friend won't even be around much. I'm actually going as her mother's helper. She'll be working while I watch her kids. Normally her teenage daughters watch their siblings while she works, but that has been hard on them, so I'm giving them a bit of a break by coming up, cooking, cleaning, etc. It will be a nice change of pace though for everyone. I still feel in a strange way that it is an answer to prayer. We get to getaway (though I'm only taking 5 kids and no husband). It is for "free". I didn't have to rent a cabin. It's a bit of a surprise to me that we were able to make it work. Will I feel rested once I come back? I doubt it...12 people, most of whom are kids under 16 years old, in one small trailer? That will hardly be restful, but who needs rest when there's coffee?! But for my kids, it is an all-out miracle. They never expected it to work. They started packing immediately. My one son has been carrying his backpack around for days and days. They are so excited. So I do thank the Lord for His goodness to my kids and how He is blessing them this summer in this way.
It is a strange blessing to my husband as well. He has to prep for the Fall at the college and having us away will help him focus on that. The older kids will be able to help with puppies and just have a nice quiet week without crazy kids everywhere. Our house has had 17 people in it for over a week so they'll enjoy the break.
I had written that God is our vacation planner. He really is. I never expected this to work. I had tried and tried, but knew it was really impossible. I had looked at every possible angle, never once considering staying in her trailer with them. But it all worked out and off we go.....! Vacation request confirmed and booked!
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