Well my car is fixed but it’s getting 30 mpg which is pretty good, I think…

However, now Sprint has informed me that they are canceling ALL customer’s plans with unlimited data minutes for their modem. There is NO high speed internet service in my area… and should I find one, we are currently not in a position to do a contract…  So that means I have to turn Internet off manually whenever not in use, limit all access, and hope I don’t go over the allotted amount in order to do my work (not very likely…)

This was a phone plan that Rich always used to say, “Whatever we do, we have to keep this plan because it is the only one that we can get that will let you work from home.” And now….. Rich was the one that used to do all the research on this stuff… Came home from doing errands and found a note in the back door that read, “Rich, give me a call…” from a friend of his who didn’t know he had died. They

I know God is in control… so please just pray that the Lord shows me what to do in the meantime.

I’m going to visit friends in the Chicago area for the weekend. Looking forward to new sites and driving for a while… should be nice.

I won’t bore you with all the details… but my goodness, things seem to be taking on their own momentum.

Today, while I was driving, the engine suddenly just stopped for no seeming reason at all. It seems that the overheating light was supposed to light up and tell me that I had a problem. It didn’t. There was plenty of coolant, but it wasn’t getting into the radiator. Car overheated – blew a head gasket, new water pump, and radiator… oh and to add insult to injury….

I got a letter from the mortgage company that reads: “We regret to inform you that this loan is not eligible for an assumption due to the terms of this loan.” So I asked them what they meant. They said, if you want to stay there, keep paying. And I asked, “Why would I pay on a mortgage that is not mine on a house that is not in my name.” They said, “well, you won’t have to pay, but then we’d foreclose.” So I asked them why I would want to pay a mortgage at 10.6% for the next 30 years – so they said, “well you could refinance.” I said, if the mortgage is not in my name can I refinance?” And they said, “Oh, right – no you can’t do that.”

Oh, and that is only the tip of the iceberg of the frustrating things that happened today… However, God has given me good work to do, if I can just get my head focused and work instead of letting myself get distracted with things like houses, mortgage companies, cars, relationships, and life -

I had a nice chat with my daughter-in-law tonight, and we actually started to laugh together, as we realized, hey, as bad as all this feels right now… God really IS in charge and His word is true, and part of that is ALL things work for good to those who love the Lord.

I am reminded yet again of Job, and his refusal to deny God despite what happened. And Job never did find out why. Another friend encouraged me with something similar a few days ago… I can keep asking why, or be thankful for the three years I had with Rich.

And I am thankful for those three years – very thankful. My brother-in-law actually was the one to remind me that he found comfort at times in the book of Job, back when Rich was in hospital… and you know what? He is right…How much more so now? Someone else reminded me, “Don’t question in the darkness what you knew for certain in the light.”

And then there is my favorite verse from the time I was a child, from Proverbs: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.

I may not know where this path is leading, but I know HE is leading… thank you God, that You are sovereign.

Amen and Amen

Torrential downpour
too fast
too soon
too…

A gentle push
door sealed shut
safety in the
ark.

Now, days spent
waiting for a dove
and an
olive branch.

Well, there are some things I’ve been really hesitant about writing, such as my mood the past few weeks, and my inability to focus on work. 2-4 hours of work a week will not pay the bills. But it has seemed like no matter what I did, or how much I slept, I was not able to focus…

Had a doctor’s appointment today for my annual checkup, and lo and behold… its not my mood – its my thyroid. After being well controlled for several years on the same dosage of thyroxin, suddenly, it was not… and so, yes, I was feeling foggy brained and not thinking clearly, and more anxious than I wanted to be… the doctor is not sure why, perhaps the stress of everything has physically thrown the gland off… no matter, I’m on a higher dosage now, and should be feeling back to normal (what is normal anymore) in a few days…

So I came home, and did some cooking. Roy came over this evening for dinner. It was nice having him over. We watched a movie (March of the Penguins), and then I gave him some of his dad’s stuff that he wanted, and returned some things that we’d borrowed. An altogether nice evening.

Tomorrow I”m going to a seminar sponsored by the Widowed Persons Support group in Grand Rapids. Rich had been in this group after his first wife died, somehow, I think he would have wanted me to go as well. So that is my news for today. Thankful for family, good doctors, and a lovely early Autumn day.

For those of you who are interested, I’ve enabled a new subscribe option on my blog. Click the Subscribe page (top of left menu item), enter your email address and subscribe. That way, you can receive an email notification when I post a new entry. I hope this makes communication simpler, and removes the need for you to check regularly.

Of course, if you don’t subscribe, you have to check back regularly! <duh>

Oh, and Happy New Year – Rosh HaShanna – May we all hear the last trump soon!