Because I thought it's about time for an update.....

Life is breezing by at an unbelievable rate. I was just reminded that I haven't posted anything in almost two whole months. Then, I looked at the last post and realized how much has happened in the last two months. I'll try my best to keep this brief and catch you up on all the excitement. I should probably warn you ahead of time that the last couple of months' activities will probably make this post a little more serious than my norm.

First, thank you for praying for my administrator. He and his wife are doing well. They lost their little dog, and the house is not livable, but they are in the process of rebuilding. Thankfully, they have a furnished place to live in the meantime. A missionary family in their church was looking for renters, and the insurance company pays rent, so it works out beautifully for everyone. The way the timing and plan of all of this came together is a beautiful reminder of God' sovereignty.

The afternoon of the last post was drama-filled for me. I was on my way home when I saw the dreaded flashing police lights in my rear-view mirror. I pulled over to get out of the way, because I hadn't been speeding, but I was shocked to discover he was pulling me over. It turns out that my tags were expired. Those of you who live in states that require inspections should be thankful that you have a sticker in your windshield to constantly remind you of when your registration is due. For eight years, I drove in states that had that. My current state of residence has no such convenient reminder. They also don't have front license plates. So, unless you regularly check the stickers on the back plate of your car, you will mis the renewal time, your car will be impounded, and you will owe a late fee on the registration as well as impounding and towing fees, and a hefty fine for the citation. Two months later, it is all settled and paid, but I am not yet able to laugh about it. Give me another month or two on that. I had to remind myself several times that it was only a car. I knew people who had just lost their house!!!!

School has been busy, too. We had a visiting team here to critique us for accreditation renewal. That was busy and nerve-wracking, but it went well. Then, my students finished their spring concert. The original date had to be postponed due to sickness. Before this year of school, I never had to postpone any concerts. This year, I had to postpone two. Next week is the performance week for our sixth grade musical. I enjoy musical season, but it definitely will take over my life for the next week.

I made a short trip to western NY state last weekend. My grandfather's wife of 19 years passed away. She was 87 and had struggled for years with heart issues. Still, it was hard. My grandfather is unsaved and took a bad fall about a week after she died. The fall has made it impossible for him to put weight on his leg. In fact, if he didn't already have two artificial hips, he probably would have a broken one. So, he was in a wheelchair at the memorial service. His 90th birthday is coming up in September, so being in a wheelchair isn't that uncommon, but he's been an active care-taker his whole life. Now, he can't even take care of himself without help. All 5 of his children (my mom and her siblings) were able to get to the memorial service, and they haven't all been together in about 15 years. Only my mom and one other sibling are saved, so the visits tend to be a little draining. I'm very thankful, again, though, for God's amazing timing. The way this all fell in between craziness at school allowed me to spend some time with the extended family. I'm very thankful for that--especially with my grandfather. He was doing poorly enough that I don't feel very confident that I'll ever see him alive again.

In short, my life over the last two months has had a little more than usual of the ups and downs. Still, I'm constantly being reminded of God' sovereignty. In every instance, even the case of my expired tags, I've seen how lovingly God arranged the timing to make it more manageable. One of the most precious reminders came from a dear friend the other day. She knew I had gone to the memorial service, and she asked me how my grandfather was doing. I told her the update, and she reminded me that during a time like this my grandfather will be looking for a purpose to keep living. She said, "God keeps giving him more time to accept salvation." It was a beautiful shift in perspective. I'm so thankful for that friend and the reminder. I'm so blessed to serve such a loving God--a God who cares about all the details.