God's Perfect Timing

God's Perfect Timing, Tires, and help from our neighbor. This weekend was an eventful, or should I say, uneventful one.
All we wanted to do was plant our garden, but that happened later than expected. First, we had to go shopping Friday night and come home to the sound of SHHHHHHH! It was quite loud. It was the sound of a nail piercing our tire and taking the air right out of it.
So Saturday looked not so fun to deal with. We knew we would need to get a replacement tire and didn't want to drive around too long on the spare. So, we tried to take the tire off. Well, one of the nuts was a locking one. So, Ralph believes he was trying all the wrong ones to remove the tire. Everything else seemed okay. Next, we called the neighbor and he came over and seemed to know which nuts to loosen first.
Finally, we had to call Peruzzi. The tire still wasn't coming off, and we had a limited amount of time to get the tire on a get our tire repaired. So, we tried kicking the tire and found that the rubber mallet was the right tool we needed. Finally!
God worked it all out. The aggravation was the worst part. The tire repair cost was the best part. Only a little over $10.00. Wow! That was an inexpensive bill.
As we told the repairman at Peruzzi, the tire went flat at just the right moment. We were home, safe and in our driveway. We were ready to unload our groceries from Wal-Mart and were not stuck on the road somewhere. God took care of us and protected us from harm.
What an Awesome God we serve!

Rainy Days, Dentists, and Indoor Activities

Today was one of those days. It was a day off from school. I looked forward to getting outside and mowing the lawn, but instead, I stayed inside due to the rain.
Also, it was my dentist visit, which ended up costing me more money due to some fillings I will need this week and next. They are on opposite sides of the mouth. Yippee! Not!
Then, Chantel really wanted to go outside and play today too. So, she entertained herself and annoyed the dog, at times. She blew up balloons with a pump to bat around the house and she tossed her ball up and down the stairs.
The good news, she's getting good at cleaning up her room by herself, when she's done making a mess in it. She loves to play in it.
Well, the day went well, inspite of all the not so fun activities, phone calls on my part. Things seem to be in order.
Just like the Christian life, not every day is a bed of roses. There are times that are hard to deal with like today. Then, there are days filled with sunshine and joy. Considering the year we've had, I can't wait for the sunshine and joy. Summer's coming; I can't wait!

Another Reflection about Motherhood

This month of May, our church hosts families who are in need of housing and food. Well, we have been making meals for these families for the past 10 years. Some years recently were difficult to watch young mom's with a baby, when that's where our desire was. This year seemed different.

I spoke with one of the mom's who is a mother of one child. She seemed somewhat defensive, I know the feeling, about having only one child. She is older than me and is happy with the child she has, a beautiful daughter, a few years older than Chantel. So, Chantel enjoyed playing with her.

I was able to speak with this mom and let her know that I could understand her feelings. I was raised as an only child and my dad was an only child. That seemed to help her relax and know that I could understand her and wasn't going to ask her a lot of hard questions about children, like some people do.

Also, I felt after we returned home that my experience was one that many people in our congregation could not relate to. Currently, having one child, may have given me a unique opportunity to reach out to this hurting mother and her child. Most families in our congregation have at least 3 or 4 children. Two is unusual and one is very uncommon.

I kind of thanked God and relished the moment for having that unique opportunity of using my only child status to relate to someone in need. I hope that I will never forget the unique opportunity that God has given me. We look forward to going back to stay overnight and to connect with these people again.

Don't miss my devotional excerpt and Mother's Day entry below!

A Reflection on Mother's Day!

This year I have mixed emotions about Mother's Day. One for losing our second child, Blessing Schultz this time of year, April 20th, 2005, 3 years ago. My mom deals with the loss of her mom on Mother's Day, May 8th, in 1994, the year I met Ralph. And I am also very thankful to still have my mom around, after the events of January 21st, when I thought we had lost her to Heaven. This segment below of a devotions from Today's Turning Point, by Dr. David Jeremiah, explains some emotions I can relate to this year.

"You may be surprised to learn that some pastors have mixed
feelings about celebrating Mother's Day. The reason: Many
women sitting in the pews long to be mothers but can't -- those
who are singles and celibate, those who struggle with infertility,
or those who have suffered a miscarriage or lost a child-- and for
them the day is painful."

Hope that may help some understand or relate to how they feel this time of year. I know for me on Sunday, I will teach Sunday School and Hand out Cookbooks to the Mom's of the children we teach. I will not be attending either service where several baby dedications will take place. That's just too hard for me to deal with. We have at least fifteen dedications a year, I would say. Since most our Sunday School classes have 15 in each one, if not more. Thanks for your prayers for us as we continue to wait on God for His work in our lives!