Against All Odds, It's A Go

Anyone who has spent maybe 15 minutes with me knows how much I love to go on vacation to new places and see things never captured with these greenies. I actually believe I NEED to do this. Intellectually I can tell myself that's not true but I can't seem to make myself believe it.

Our last vacation was March 2008 when we took "the girl" (also known as our beautiful niece Erica) to New York City for her 18th birthday / graduation gift. We do seriously call her "the girl"--well, mostly Steve because I call her Reeks. Anyway, I knew after that trip nothing would be in sight for quite some time and as this year rolled on, I began to despair at the thought of never having another vacation in my lifetime. Yes, I am also overly dramatic, just ask Steve.

We are making it every month and God is blessing us huge even though we make 50% of what we made in 2007. There just isn't a vacation fund anymore. A few weeks ago we were invited to go with some friends on a cruise for a remarkable price of $299 each. My heart began to pound, my palms got sweaty (at least I think so but we were in a pool so I can't be certain). I knew we had our final frequent flier miles available and I was giddy thinking about it. I proved to Steve in black and white that we could come up with the $800 for the cruise / hotel and we could use his plasma money for excursions. Of course that would mean he would have to start donating again. He said he wanted to think about it and pray about it to see if we should really be doing something else with that money. He also told me not to bug him while he did so. It was 3 days of agony as I waited. Finally, the day came and he said "I think it'd be alright if we went."

I made a beeline for the computer to check it out. I'm pretty sure I moved so fast the flames shot out from the bottom of my shoes. I soon discovered there were no available dates for award travel within 3 weeks of the bon voyage. Shoot. Not to be deterred, I looked at airfare just to see....$500 each to fly. Steve said no, it was too much. I was seriously shattered and yes, I know it was just a vacation but the idea of time off and away was too alluring. I texted my friend and said "thanks for the invite but airfare is a deal breaker for Steve so you two go and have fun. Maybe next time." She messaged back and said she'd keep watching airfare but I knew it was done. I was dejected.

Then came Pastor Appreciation month and a most generous gift. Inside the card it said "we'd like you to do something fun and relaxing with this." We didn't want to accept it. We tried not to but they stood their ground and said it wasn't from them but from the generous God we serve. We didn't want to insult them but it's hard to be a gracious receiver of such generosity. So we humbly accepted and are honoring their request to do something fun and relaxing.

Against all human odds, the cruise is on again. It has nothing to do with human will, desire or provision. It's all about the supernatural workings of the God who is concerned with every detail of my life and wants to give me not only what I need from day to day but also many of my desires. And I'm humbled at this as well as the gift that made it possible by people who were willing to listen and be obedient when God told them to do something. Oh, their blessings are coming. Of that I am certain.

My Poor Neglected Blog

I'm not sure how a person goes from doing nearly a post a day (at least 5 a week) early on and then all of a sudden POOF! it's like 5 a month.

It's certainly not lack of material. My life is a virtual goldmine for spiritual implications, lessons and the like. I also don't think it's lack of desire. To ponder and muse about things helps me process and occasionally helps a weary sojourner or two along the way. I love that.

I think it's just life. Never have I worked so little yet been so busy. When I think of working I'm referring to paid hours. I don't have too many of those. But work is so much more than that for me these days. 90% of my work time is unpaid, aka ministry opportunities. This is why it was so essential for me to quit my second job.

I've not mastered the balance yet I know I will have to weed some things out. Initially I quit my second job for a few reasons--to serve alongside Steve by supporting HIS ministry and to stay more on top of my home to name just two. There are more not worth the read (as if those were).

This is an interesting season. I'm learning so much which I know is preparing me for the next season, whatever that turns out to be. So while my blog is kind of neglected these days, my mind and body are anything but still and lazy.

One day, one day......

Opportunities for Relationship

This last week I had my second teeth cleaning and check up for the year. I do not like going to the dentist. I have no reason not to like it other than a fear based on absolutely nothing but what might be in the future. My dentist is nice guy, every hygienist I've had there has been nice and I've never had a cavity in my entire life. That's likely my problem. I am terrified that one day Dr. P will say "Julie, you have a cavity." I think it might kill me. Okay, okay...over dramatization but it will definitely bum me out and cause me great anxiety.

One of the things that has greatly annoyed me over the years is when the person cleaning my teeth continually tries to engage me in a conversation. Seriously, I cannot respond to a question when their hands are in my mouth! You think they would know this. It's one of those times when silence is really, truly alright. Oh, but no, they just chatter, chatter, chatter.

This time though I ended up with a totally different perspective on the entire thing.

So, "R" did the standard cleaning and x-rays, all the while talking to me. I responded as best I could with the usual annoyance settling in. I know a few things about R because he's cleaned my teeth for 2 years now (I always get the new people, probably because I'm fairly low maintenance). He's a super nice guy but I feel like an Amazon woman around him. He's 4 or 5 inches shorter than I am and I just tower over him. We discovered we went to the same high school about the same time. He's a few years older than me. I have also learned he's Roman Catholic. There are a few other tidbits I've learned about him over the years.

But then it happened. I finished the fluoride treatment and while we waited for the doctor to come do the 2 minute check up, R asked me if I came from a big family. I said yes because I think a family with 5 kids is big these days. So I told him I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters and then asked if he had a big family. He said "yeah, I have 9 sisters and 10 brothers." Real casual like too. I think my jaw dropped open and then I asked what I thought was the next logical question..."from the same parents?" He said "yes. My parents were married until the day my dad died." WOW. I was so flabbergasted. Who has 20 kids?

I asked him the age range and he thought for a second. With that many of course he would have to! He said the youngest is 40, the oldest 60. HOLY COW! Not only 20 kids but in 20 years? Yep, one a year for 20 years. His mother was essentially pregnant from 18 to 38. He then told me his mom is 78 and she does pretty well but does have osteoporosis. The doctors have told her it's because she had so many kids close together that it took too much calcium from her bones. Well, don't you imagine it did?

Then he shared how the previous weekend he'd helped her can tomatoes and they all have a love of gardening they got from their dad. They always had a huge garden because it helped feed the family. Of course it did. How else could a person afford that?

Then I asked the next logical question..."how many bathrooms were in your house?" He said, "oh, just one." ONE?!?! YIKES! Then he said, "well, we weren't all in the house at the same time. The most living there at one time was 14 plus my parents." Oh, you're right, that is so much better. Apparently they staggered their wake time to help with this. Can. Not. Imagine.

He further told me how his childhood home had burned to the ground and he has plans to buy the lot from his mom because it's been empty for years and he's going to put a house on it. And his mom makes the best homemade tortillas you've ever tasted. At least he thinks so. He's probably right too. Since Steve and I absolutely LOVE Mexican food, we talked about great Mexican restaurants in the area and not so great too. He's an expert of sorts, because he grew up on the authentic stuff made from Mexican parents.

It was at this point I realized that rather than be annoyed by the chatter while having my teeth cleaned, I should be delighted at the opportunity to develop a relationship with this man. Not a weird relationship mind you, just an avenue to get to know him and "give an answer to him who asks me to give the reason for the hope that I have" (1 Peter 3:15).

Opportunities all around me with people I interact with regularly and up to now I've largely missed it. "No more" is my prayer.