happily random

Simple Pleasures: Butterfly Invasion

Wow, did school starting throw me for a loop or what? Here I thought I would be getting all this free time to write since all four of the kids would be in school all day. Boy was I wrong! Every day since the first day of school has had a meeting of some kind: PTO, Back-to-School Night, Parent's Night, Room Parent, etc, etc. As I peruse my calendar for the coming week it seems as if all that craziness is over, or at least will be more spread out for the rest of the year.

Although these pictures are from Labor Day weekend over two weeks ago, I just had to share. That weekend we once again when camping, returning to the same site we had stayed two weeks previously. This time we had a delightful surprise waiting for us: butterflies! We have been plagued with flies, wasps and mosquitoes while camping, but this is the first time where those pests were replaced with much more delightful butterflies instead. I have never seen this many butterflies in one place before -- literally hundreds of them -- except for the butterfly exhibit at The San Diego Wild Animal Park. These little guys were not only flying everywhere, but would happily land upon the kids if they held still. This made for a great camping game that I know all parents would gladly endorse: see who could stay still the longest and host the most butterflies at once. Our little guests certainly made for a memorable camping trip.

***I circled the butterflies below because they are hard to see with the brown on the outsides of their wings.

Feeling Like Charlie Brown

I'm feeling a little like Charlie Brown today. You know how Lucy would hold the football for him to kick and then pull the ball at the last second so Charlie would kick at nothing but air and end up flat on his back? Yes, that describes it exactly.

These last couple of years have been rough financially. Being a self-employed general contractor when no one is building is a tough road. God has been faithful throughout it all, providing enough work that we are still hanging in there. It is most definitely a faith-building experience though, let me tell you. We have learned to keep to a tight budget, watch every penny, and constantly remind ourselves that God's got our back.

After two years of this, I am growing a bit battle-weary.

Today we got word that a very big job -- a job that would have brought us through the winter and then some -- that was supposed to be a "done deal" was not as done as we thought. There goes the ball and here we are laying flat on our backs like Charlie Brown.

The weary part of me wants to throw a two-year-old, kicking-and-screaming, it's-not-fair tantrum. I must admit, I did a little of that.

*deep breath* The still small voice of God whispers -- if I will just stop flailing my arms and complaining long enough -- I AM still in control.

I don't know what God is going to do here and I hate not knowing. I do know this though: His Word promises over and over and over and over and over again that he will be faithful to His children. I am His child, as is my hard-working husband.

"And my God will supply all your needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

And these are just the ones off the top of my head. They tell me that God is in control and He's got my back. My life may not work out in the way that I have planned or in a way I even understand, but I trust that God can see the big picture and is ultimately working for my good.

So in faith I will get up off the ground, dust myself off and trust that the next time that we kick for that ball -- even if I still end up flat on my back -- God is still in control.