Life has changed drastically! The Lord does that fairly often. At least in my life. While there are some with a higher level of uncertainty in their lives, I’ve had more than my share of “We’re moving in x-weeks” experiences.

          This time I had 13 days to pack and prepare for a trans-Atlantic move! Talk about stress inducers and the potential for a lot of bad, or at least not-so-good. I could have spent so much time dwelling on the negatives of this trip. The hurrying to pack and forgetting things I wanted to take; leaving my children, grown though they may be, to go live on the other side of the world for who knows how long; missing my deployed son returning to the States by 1 day (!); long travel times and waits in airports and train stations surrounded by a strange culture with no knowledge of the language; forced to find and outfit an apartment in said strange culture with limited money; thrown into a full-time teaching job with little knowledge of what to expect; etc, etc, etc. I could have dwelt on any or all of those negatives and been miserable.

          Had I done that, though, I would have missed out on so much my Lord did and is still doing. Instead, I trusted that this was His plan and I went forward in faith. After decades of living as His child, I know

“. . .that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

          Instead of focusing on the negatives, I intentionally made note of the positives.

          Fortunately, I did not have to pack up a house. Those staying in our house while we are overseas will benefit from my household supplies, furniture, books and whatnot. I did have to pack up all of my clothes and personal effects. Some (very little) came with me, some went into storage, but much was given away. No reason to hoard what I won’t be using and won’t need when I return. (Which could be years from now.)

          Both my husband and myself have full-time jobs in a time when many don’t. A true blessing after two years of odd-jobs and depleted savings accounts. (Although those two years were a true trust experience in their own right, with the Lord providing so much more in many miraculous and “coincidental” ways.) We are teaching English as a Foreign Language in a training center in China. In a country whose schools have 50-100 students in each class, teaching in a center which limits class size to 10 is a joy. As is being surrounded by students who want to learn instead of those forced to attend.

          Another, more relevant to this blog, bad that could become a good is my unreliable Internet service. Upon arrival here, I learned that many sites, like Facebook and YouTube, are permanently blocked. Others, like Wikipedia, are periodically blocked and even when not blocked, service is often unreliable. I’m rarely able to access this site. Which is why I haven’t updated it in so long. (And here you thought it was just because of my usual procrastination issues. )

          While on the surface, this seems to be a bad thing, there is potential to transform it into good. I just may be propelled out of my typical procrastination and into efficiency. Since I never know when, or for how long, I will be able to access this site, I’ll have to plan my uploads efficiently. That means writing blog posts and having them ready to upload. And that is just what I will do.

          I’m writing posts as often as possible (my new environment is giving me a lot of material to talk about!). When I am able, I will upload as many posts into the scheduler as possible before service is disrupted. It may occasionally sound as if something was written months before it is posted. It probably will be. But this inconvenience is, in fact, a golden opportunity to make this blog more consistent. I plan to live in the opportunity.

          How has the Lord changed bad into good in your life? How are you participating in that?

          My daughter is in college on the other side of the country. She’s coming home for Thanksgiving. I’m not sure who is more excited, me or her. We are a silly pair, squealing over im messages about the number of days left til she comes, planning what we will do together when she gets here, generally giving those around us cause to roll their eyes. I’m loving all the anticipation. It makes me realize just how blessed I am.

          I love every one of my children and I would love them no matter what they did or how they turned out. But I am especially glad that I like them, too. They are turning into such interesting adults. What is even better is that they like me!

          She says she wants to do the things we’ve done together for years. Like watching romantic comedies late at night cos the guys in the house aren’t interested. (Or at least some of the guys; my youngest son likes them almost as much as we do. He’s going to make some lucky woman a great husband. LOL) Or going shopping at the mall. Or just hanging out together. Yes, she has plans to hang with friends. I don’t for a minute think I’m going to get all her time while she’s here. I will get some, though. She’s made it clear that she’s as excited about the time she’ll spend with me as with any of her other friends.

          When I look around me and hear things like, “I’ll be glad when she’s out of the house,” or “I can’t be in the same room with my mother for more than an hour,” I am reminded just how blessed I am. All three of my children go out of their way to spend time with me. Of course, they are building their own lives, lives I only experience incidentally. That is as it should be. It is time for them to leave mother and father, experience life as an adult. But I am so grateful they value me and my company enough to pull me into their worlds occasionally. Or come back to visit mine.

          So I today I am thankful my children want me as their friend!

          My oldest son has to make some choices that may cost him some freedom, options or money. These issues are things he has been thinking and praying about for many weeks. As he nears his final decisions, the practical consequences of the choice he feels he must make are looming dark and threatening. At the very least, some of his options for the future will be limited. He most assuredly will be dismissed, perhaps suffer a damaged reputation and fines. Yet he is resolved to do what he has discerned is right.

          The mom in me hates to see him suffer. I want his trek through this life to be easy and smooth and devoid of problems. Deep down, though, on a level that really matters I am thrilled. He is studying the Word, he is growing in knowledge and wisdom, and he is seeking the Lord with all his heart. The discussions we’ve had, the soul-searching he has done and these final decisions reveal that his relationship with the Lord is a vital part of who he is. That has always been my heart’s prayer. And so I rejoice.

          All the years of his childhood he accepted our values. Of course, we had some typical teenage struggles, but no wild or immoral behavior, no wholesale rejection of our values. I’ve never had any indication that he would reject them. I just know that it is normal for young adults to jettison some of the teachings and opinions of their parents. This is normal. It is right that they find their own way, that they determine what they really believe, that they lay their own foundation and live their own life. But it can be a scary time for a parent. It is a comfort to see evidence that his faith is his own, not merely a reflection of mine or his dad’s.

          So I today I am especially thankful for adult children who share my faith.

          This past July some of my extended family moved in with us. Well sort of. We actually have a house with separate living areas so it’s more like living next door in an apartment complex rather than in the same house. This is a new experience for me after years of living in various places far from family.

          My cousin and I grew up together. She lived with us a few times and I lived with her family once. Our moms (both deceased) were close. In fact, when my aunt moved four states away, my mom convinced my dad he really did want to live there, too. Our families we spent lots of holidays, vacations and regular days together. One winter when a blizzard was expected, we went to visit them just in time to be stranded there for several days. So while technically we’re cousins, we think of ourselves as sisters.

          Having her so close now, after years of living as much as a half a world away, is great. We have our own spaces and sometimes a couple of days can actually go by and we not even see each other, but most days we at least have a brief visit on the porch. (I’ve never sat out on my front porch as much as I have this year.) And when one of us needs a cup of milk or an onion or anything else, we have a neighbor to ask.

          So I today I am thankful for family living nearby.