Responsibility and Rejoicing

I am back after a time away to be with my out-of-state family. Oh, what a time we had!

First, I want to urge you to vote today if you haven't already voted. This is such a special privilege - the freedom to vote. And I urge you to pray. No matter the outcome of the elections across our nation we need God's intervention in the affairs of our land.

My heart is full of things to share with you. Most of all, my heart is filled with gratitude and praise for the way I have seen God work over the last week. My dear cousin and her husband arrived just about ten days ago. We have not seen each other for a few years but have been in almost constant contact by email, phone and letters. They have walked through the most difficult places and gone through many heartbreaking situations. One after another. At times they wondered if they would make it. Their story is almost unreal but they have continued to be confident that God had not abandoned them. Their relationship with Him and with each other has grown closer and deeper through the process. Their lives have been completely changed - you might say turned upside down - by a serious, life-threatening medical situation. Yet they go on praising God and seeking His face. Over the past months they have felt that God might be leading them to make a major move. Perhaps a new beginning. Maybe to a place where the needed medical treatment and procedure would bring relief and restore normalcy to their life. In order for a move to happen there were many - MANY - details to be worked out. Details that none of us could arrange. And we all knew if God directed them to move to another location He would put all the plans in place. He is a God of order and He knew what order to work it out and reveal it to them.

Over the past week and a half we have kept long hours each day. Hours spent on the phone, driving, looking, checking into many things and at the end of the day time to sit together to reflect and to get a sense of what we had seen and heard. Slowly we began to see a pattern - God was putting the needed things in place. We watched as He directed them to places and people who were part of His plan. The medical needs fell into place first - extremely good news along the way, people with caring hearts with more information and facilities that seemed to call out my dear one's names. They found such caring, loving medical people who wanted them to come, people who wanted to be part of their lives and care for them. Both of them. The patient and the caregiver. So many details were in place but the last one - the important one for a move to happen - was still not ready. They prepared to go home and plans were made that I would continue to look and find for housing for them. Saturday morning I woke early with the thought that I should check Craigslist for housing. I found several possibilities but nothing that just jumped out and said 'this one meets all their needs'. A short time later I checked for new listings and there it was - the one that seemed perfect for them. The right price, the right location and even more than that. It had some things that they had hoped for. Extras that were not on their 'needs' list but on their 'wish' list in their hearts. Arrangements were made to see the little home and Sunday afternoon, in just a short amount time, God worked out the most incredible details and the darling, little place was rented to them right on the spot! We are so excited to know that soon they will live here in a neighboring community, just minutes away from our home.

This is my cousin but she is so much more - she is my dearest friend, my soulmate, a kindred spirit. We grew up nearly as sisters together. We've walked through life together - nearly always in separate states although there have been very short times when our families lived in the same community. We were in each other's weddings. I was her Maid of Honor, she was my Matron of Honor. We have shared the births and the lives of our children together - our dear husbands became good friends and they love to spend time together. When I was young my family drove many long hours every year to spend Christmas together with her family. It has been many years since we've had Christmas together - before either of us were married. Every year we have talked about how we wished we could be together again for Christmas. Now - this year - they will be here! Moved just in time to spend Christmas together.

Yesterday afternoon as I hugged them goodbye at the airport I was able to say words I never dreamed possible. I didn't have to just say goodbye. This time I could add - 'I'll see you back here real soon!'

Our hearts are filled with awe. We know we serve a big and mighty God but over the past few days we have seen Him work in what seemed an impossible situation. The part that amazes me the most? He is the God of the universe, the Creator, the Almighty God - yet He loves us more than we can imagine. And He cares about all the details, the biggest and the smallest. And He does it with such gentle love and care. Because He loves us - His children. How can we miss that?