When Time Stops

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." Proverbs 27:1

In a month this year will be half over. Wow. My mind really has trouble wrapping itself around the fact that I can barely remember these last 151 days. Wasn't I just on a boat....sailing around the Caribbean..planning with my sweetheart on the coming months of travel, grandchildren, and ministry?

My first clue about the absurdity of planning out our days was the fact that, after 3 days at sea (that included me immobilized by a bout with seasickness), I could only gaze at the island in the distance because a storm had blown up which kept us from getting off the boat. After a few hours waiting to see if the weather would change (it didn't) we turned to head back to Texas, leaving me with the distinct impression that there was a lesson in this somewhere.

A few days after returning home I found myself on a plane to California where, along with my two siblings, we fought to overcome an incorrect diagnosis which almost took our mother from us. In those days sitting in a tiny hospital room watching machines share every move my mothers fragile body made, God took our family to a place of healing that involved more than my mother's health.

Then, as rapidly as I left, I was back home to take care of a family member diagnosed with issues that stretched sweetheart and I to the very limits of our relationship. Being a caregiver to someone with mental health issues can make even the most patient person want to volunteer for the one way trip to another planet.

Most recently we said goodbye to a grandchild who was placed for adoption. God's mercy and grace was involved in every step of that process. While for some this would have been a gut wrenching, grieving process, we were blessed with adding to our family in an open adoption that even involved our church becoming the body of Christ when the baby ended up in NICU. (He is fine now and growing like a weed.)

In between I tore my Achilles tendon, took care of 3 of our grandchildren for two weeks when their mom had back surgery, attended my son's wedding in Atlanta, moved to a new house, helped sweetheart recover from gout, unloaded 5 truckloads of mulch/dirt to landscape our yard, sodded part of said yard, took a two month discipleship class, put over two thousand miles on the truck going to a bazillion doctor appointments for everyone but me, and sent our marriage therapist to Hawaii with what we paid in co-pays.

Now that God has shown me that I do not get to plan out anything other than what I am having for dinner (and even then Papa John's has been on speed dial), He has graciously allowed me to begin to write again. I look forward to the coming days but, in keeping with all my other attempts to plan, I am going to let Him run the show. So I have no idea what I am going to be writing about...how's that for lack of planning!!!!! But He has told me to trust Him and He will "Direct my footsteps" (Psalm 119:133).

I am looking forward to the journey. I just hope it doesn't involve any more truckloads of dirt!

Blessings to you all!


©2014MichelleWelch
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Photography by Michelle Welch, all rights reserved