I'm A Child of THE King!

Good morning son! Rainy and wet here. I just imagine the sunshine, or is it sunshine? Hmm. I'd rather think things are so bright because of God's glory that you don't need light. It's funny how we always picture life in heaven as it is here on earth. I know it isn't. God is very plain about that. Maybe it just give us comfort to think of it that way because we understand it better that way. Anyway, I know it's a glorious morning and that smiles are abound and the praising and singing is like we have never heard here on earth. And you can actually understand the words without closed captioning! 

We're packing for our trip. Doing a great deal of sorting and limiting what we are taking.We're using pods this time so we can just store them rather than, load a truck, unload a truck into storage, then load a truck out of storage and unload a truck into a house. We pack up the pods and they're stored until we call for them.The Lord is providing the way, through very unexpected sources, for us to return to California. We are so very thankful to all those, and we don't know all who are involved, but we're so thankful for all they are doing and allowing God to do through them. We've loved our time here in Troy, getting to know the Troy 9, but we're just not east coast people. We're spend our entire life on the west coast, building our lives, making friends. At our ages, it's just too difficult to make this type of transition. 

We finally were able to locate some boxes yesterday and I sorted out the studio yesterday. I'm

Free craft supplies...went like a flash

about down to half of what I have. I piled everything in a pile that I want to share and posted a picture on Craigslist in FREE STUFF last night. Within about 20 minutes I had 11 requests. The posting said whoever wanted it had to take it all. The second one hit the jackpot. She'll be here this morning to pick it up. That was easy. Today I'll finish with the studio. I've laid out a schedule for packing by room and how many days it will take to pack that room(s). I didn't think I'd be able to get started until Monday because I didn't have boxes. But, if I finish up today, I'm three days ahead. That's how long I scheduled for the studio. Plus, Dad and I sorted through all of the memory boxes, two tubs and six albums of photos. We removed duplicates and sorted out one box and eight or nine envelopes of pictures that are going to other family members. Next, we'll hit dad's den. I just organized and cleaned in there so that should be easy.(She says with a laugh.) 

What is that saying, "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform." He continues to amaze us. Why are we amazed? I don't know. It's not like we haven't seen God at work in our lives before. We see it everyday. Maybe it's because we don't think God cares about the desires of our hearts, just our needs. And yest He shows us every day that He cares for both. Maybe it's because we don't think we deserve to have the desires of our hearts because our needs are so great. You know how sometimes you see God working but you just know it can't be for you because there are so many of His children with needs and desires and yours are just so "low on the totem pole". I mean they're important to you, but why would God care. He has children who are in danger, who are sick; children with REAL troubles. Why would He take time with the desires of your heart when He has a world of children to tend to. I'm so thankful He's God and not me. God doesn't have to make a choice, He can do it all.

I often have thought over the years what it would have been like to have a houseful of kids. That's what dad and I wanted but God didn't see it in our lives for us. We poured every ounce of

love and care we had into you. We were able to do that because we had one child. How does a parent with many children know what each child needs in order of importance? Is it instinct? Is there an order? Families only have so much income? How does a parent decide what or who comes first? What seems like a need to a child seems like a desire to a parent. I may have told you this story before, but it bears repeating here I think. It is still just as vivid in my memory today as it was when it happened. Maybe not all the details, but the love of my parents to fulfill what I just knew what a "need" in my life. To them I'm sure it was fulfilling a desire.

Every year our church sponsored a Sunday School picnic. It was a huge event and everyone loved it. We had the usual fare: BBQ hamburgers & hot dogs, families brought potluck to go with them and my dad would take a flatbed truck to the ice company and the would "blow" crushed iced in a huge pile on the flatbed and the men of the church would load it with every kind of pop known to man at the time and ice cream cups. Everything was a nickle, if you didn't have a nickle you usually got the item anyway, and kids could eat ice cream and drink pop all day long and no one said, "haven't you had enough". There were games for the kids and adults and an annual softball game that lasted the entire afternoon. At the fair grounds when we had the picnic there, was a slope where we use to bring pieces of flat card board and slide down the slope. Most of the time you couldn't see the slope for the kids and the cardboard; either sliding down or dragging the cardboard back up the hill for another thrill down.



One year, a few days before the picnic we stopped in at a store downtown. All the family went in. I don't remember why we needed to be there but that's neither here nor there. All I remember was I spotted a pair of "peddle pushers". Oh my. They were stripes of muted pinks, yellows and greens. My eyes must have lit up like the father's in the "Christmas Story" when I saw them. I HAD to have them. I can't remember exactly how much they were. All I remember was that my life would end if I couldn't have them. I screwed up my courage and asked. There was sadness in my mom's eyes when she told me they just couldn't afford to buy them right now. Mom told me later they cost a little over a dollar if I remember right. All I knew was that my life was ending and no one cared. I must have been about 10 or 12. Just at that age. It probably broke my dad and mom's hearts to have to tell me know. Now, having been a parent, I can appreciate how painful that must have been for them. I don't remember what I said, but I do remember not being very happy and letting the world know about it for several days. To this day I don't know how they did it, but the morning of the picnic, those "peddle pushers" were laying on the end of my bed. I know they had to give something up in order to do it. Nothing was ever said. I don't know who was happier, me because I got the peddle pushers or my mom and dad because they were able to provide one of their children with the desire of her heart. I know now, because I've been a parent.

We, as parents, do everything in our power to provide for our children.Sometimes, it's letting them make mistakes, even when you know it's not in their best interest, but because they need to learn. Sometimes it's because you just want to see the joy in their eyes. Sometimes it's simply because they are your child and you love them. This is also true of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we don't understand what God has given us until we loose it . God, in His mercy, makes all things right.

Until next week, be Aaron, love mom