GOD! It's Storming!

Good morning son! How are you? It's been a very interesting week here...as always and more to come. We're in the beginning stages of Sandy! Hurricane Sandy that is. We'll begin to feel the effects this afternoon and by tomorrow night we should be in for some heavy rains. Your Aunt Julie and your sister are probably going to get snow. The girls will be in hog heaven. Snow! They use to love the snow. Remember the year they came to Oregon for Christmas? What a fun time we had. They spent hours playing with the Christmas village and train set on the coffee table. It was so much fun.

Last night we were at Jon and Corey's and celebrated dad and Sierra's birthdays since they're only a day apart. It was a rip-roaring time....just like always; pasta and pesto and/or red sauce, garlic bread and yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting for dessert. Yum! 

Dad, Jamison and I are as prepared as we can get for the hurricane. We picked up some supplies yesterday. If it gets too bad we can head to Jon and Corey's. We should be just fine. Eric and Scott will probably be in worse weather in New Jersey than we are here. We're further North. The news this morning is saying thought that we could get 70-80 mph winds. It's a good thing we just got a new porch. Maybe it will hold. The other one would have disappeared out into the neighborhood.

As the storm approaches I've been thinking about other storms in life. It seems life is never free of storms of one kind or the other. Some are minor, some devastating. I wonder what it would be like to not have life's storms? Are there storms in heaven? If so, what do they look like? I can't imagine that you would. After all, heaven is perfect. But, since I don't know what perfect really looks like, I wouldn't recognize it. Storms here in my life, because I'm the only one I can speak for, can be troublesome in so many different ways and at so many different levels. I do know that when I get so wrapped up in my own storms I tend to miss what others are going through or needing. Last night I was reminded of something very important, “I was crying because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” –Anonymous. I try really hard not to focus on my own storms but keep in mind something I re-heard again yesterday. I never want to lose sight of the fact that somewhere, out there in the world someone is worse off than me. And yet, is so very easy to do. The storms in life hit us all differently. What could be disastrous for one, a hurricane, is simply a rain shower for another. It's all about our perspective on life and from where we draw our strength.  At least that's my perspective. Just about the time I think the storm is going to overtake me and there's no solution in site. Boom, the sun comes out and God provides relief from the most unlikely source.

I was feeling a tiny storm in my head over the last few weeks trying to keep our budget intact.  I said to the Lord, very casually last week that it would be so great if I could find something that would bring in an additional $200-300/mo WITHOUT me having to go to work every day; something that's legitimate, where I can make a difference and something that I can do from home. Then I said, I know that doesn't really exist, but thanks for listening. Geez, you'd think your mother would know better by now wouldn't you? I have always known and believed the Lord can and does take care of our needs but sometimes those needs become something in my head, rumbling around in that storm, too small for the Lord to have any interest in. I mean, He has quite a few things to keep track of and I guess because I'm just this one person in a universe I put human standards and limits on God. He's God for crying out loud. But as a human with limits my brain had difficulty getting around the fact that He is all seeing, all knowing. "All" is a mighty big word. Anyway, back to my conversation with God. Last Thursday and Friday dad and I were covering for Diane while she took a couple of days off so it was a day or so before I got in and checked my email. What do you think I found? You're right, an opportunity to do a job from home that would bring in, you guessed it, $200-300/a month. Something I can do that will make a different, something I love and something that I can do no matter where I am in the world. Yea God! While He's preparing thousand for Hurricane Sandy He's also listening to my storm of the day and answering in a perfect way. Thank you Lord and I thank those who offered the opportunity.

As life's storms continue to roll God continues to provide opportunities to get in out of the rain if we but ask and trust. God's like that you know.

In our lives together dad and I have been through many, many storms. Some have been wind and rain. Some hurricanes and tornadoes. Some have ravaged our lives and we will never be the same again. But, in the end, God has brought the answer. That's not to say we don't usually try to do it on our own. Human nature tells us that "me can do it". Most of the time I believe the answer would come much quicker if we'd just talk to the Lord sooner and not try to do it ourselves, but truth be told, and speaking just for me, I tend to learn the hard way. Guess my dad was right, "Jan has a mind of her own". God made me. He knows me, He waits patiently for me as I finally get around to saying, "Help me Lord, I'm in a storm".

 Until next week, be Aaron, love mom