Sometimes.....

.... you just need a break.

I'm not really sure what triggered my blog break, but I think it was much needed. I love to write and "scrapbook" of sorts, but this is a busy season of our life. And is something has to fall by the wayside, better the blog than the kids, no? The housework has fallen by the wayside a bit too along with other things that I'm trying to put on track, but God has been good. I am learning and have learned and, by grace alone, will continue to learn as He models His love for me in this amazing thing called a "family".

We are more settled here than we were a month ago. We have people, and that's a good thing. We haven't made any heart friends, as you may call them, but we have people. People that we can call and people that care and give us a sense of belonging to the Body here.

This week, I got in the van, the swagger wagon, with the kids, cranked it up and it was bad. Noises and rattles and a really bad smell. After a trip to the shop we were told that the engine needed to be replaced... the engine... the whole flippin engine. Really? After the initial shock of that news, we came to the conclusion that it's God's money, not ours. If He wants to buy an engine, who are we to argue?

The next question to be answered was how I was going to get the kids back and forth to school without a car. With a family of 7, we won't fit in Ken's truck and most people don't have room to haul 3 extra kids for carpool.

How could we not have known or ever doubted that God would provide, bountifully as always. I sent an SOS email to a few other moms in the school. Within hours, people had divided up our kids and arranged rides for everyone for the rest of the week. On top of that, one mom from church referred us to a mechanic in our church whom we didn't yet know. She said he's a believer and he's an awesome mechanic. He came and got our car and fixed it. Without a new engine. And we got it back the same day.

All of these things were really minor in the big scheme of things. But they made a big impression on my heart. For the first time in a long time, we had people. God showed us His love and provision through His people. The church acted like the church and we were a Body and it was awesome... the way it's supposed to be. It was also a lesson in humility for someone (me) who likes to go at it alone most of the time. All I had to do was ask. How many blessings and provisions have I missed because I didn't ask? Because I didn't trust?

That's only one example of the things I feel that God has been teaching us lately. So thankful for His patience, as I am a very slow learner. And thankful that I can write these things down so that I don't forget. Or when I do forget, I can go back and remember.

I just remembered that I really do like blogging.