Spring Break #4

I successfully deposited the kids with my parents today after church in Durant, Oklahoma. Braden was beside himself in anticipation of this coming week. He was up early this morning ready to go! This is the fourth Spring Break that I have had to myself since Brian's death. It's a win/win situation because my kids love spending time with the grandparents and I need a break every once in a while. All of us are better off for weeks like this.

I've got some school work to get done this week and a list of personal projects I hope to accomplish. Nothing too exhausting, just a lot of little things.

I find myself in a very good spot in anticipation of this week. Life seems to be moving along at a pretty even pace right now. I've had some good days lately and I am very grateful for the lack of drama in my life right now.

Two phone calls happened last week that reminded me of how far I have come. The first call came from the attorney who helped me settle everything after Brian's death. When the phone rang and I saw that it was him I immediately wondered what was up. Why was he calling me? What's gone wrong? My mind kicked into high gear as I reached to answer the phone. Turns out he was just calling to check on me and the kids. He said he thought of us often and wondered how we were doing. We had a nice conversation and I hung up feeling like I had won the lottery. MY attorney called ME just to check on me...not to give me bad news or to set up a meeting to decide how to approach our latest challenge. It was a nice call. Thank you God for nice phone calls from attorneys.

The second call came on Wednesday afternoon from my tenant in the commercial building. I was waiting for her to call all day because we had gotten a signficant amount of rain and that usually means a drainage problem. Again, when I saw who it was that was calling my brain kicked into overdrive..."here we go again....no, no, I don't want to deal with this anymore". Surprise. She called to give me "good news". The new drainage and seal we put around the building apparently did the trick. No water in the building. She said "I just thought it might make your day to hear that it worked...just wanted to pass on some good news". In order to appreciate the significance of this call you have to understand the sordid history of our relationship. To keep it short....she never, in the history of our tenant/landlord relationship, has called to give me good news of any shape, sort or fashion. It has ALWAYS been bad news. Thank you God for a nice call from my friend in Granbury. It may NEVER happen again, but it did on Wednesday.

So, what's the big deal? Well, it's just nice to be past some of the many difficult issues I have had to deal with. I have recognized this week just how many miles I have traveled on this journey to rebuild my life. I am not where I was 1, 2, 3 or even almost 4 years ago. We have laid to rest MANY, MANY challenges....and for that, I am so grateful.

Now, I am not so foolish as to think there are no more challenges on the horizon. I wish. The economy (or lack thereof) could create some signifcant headwinds for my tenants and the drama in my life could go way up. However, there's not a darn thing I can do about that right now.

So, I will choose to enjoy the calm....and remember the God who got me through the storms...and when those storms come again, I will remind myself of His trustworthiness....