I think I’m back. I’ve not perfected the art of managing absences on my blog. Next time I’ll try to give some kind of warning when I go on vacation. Someday I’ll even be so organized that I’ll have work done in advance.
We had a lovely visit with Lee’s parents in Wisconsin. We got to spend a lot of time with Lee’s mom, who has had some health issues in the last few years. It was good being able to be at their house in Wisconsin to see how she’s doing. We spent one fun evening looking at slides from Vietnam– pictures neither Lee nor I had seen. The kids and Lee spent a day gathering fallen branches from the winter, and then we all had a much anticipated bonfire (what is it with Brocks and fire?). I discovered that it is indeed possible for marshmallows to be too large to roast, but it was fun to try.
Then we left our children at my brother’s house in Michigan and flew home. Lee’s schedule has been full and hectic (and this is Lee’s “easy” month!), and we needed some time to ourselves. When we considered that Tom and Martha were only three hours from the airport, and that we could easily change our children’s plane tickets, we saw God’s Providential timing and asked if they’d consider expanding their family for a week or so. Our children were thrilled to spent a week with cousins, whom they haven’t seen in over a year. That gave Lee and I a full week to spend time together and Lee to prepare for some research presentations he had last week. I flew up and retrieved the children at the end of the week. Now we’re all home.
God always gives us the resources we need. A friend commented that she really wished she had family that she could trust with her children (and I’m blessed because I’d feel comfortable leaving our children with any of our siblings). Her thought was, “I need this, but it’s not possible.” God promises that he will not give us trials and temptations beyond our ability to deal with them. Sometimes the help comes from our local church. Sometimes it comes from our family. Whatever help God provides, it seems that most often, solutions to our difficulties require a bit of purposeful thinking about them.
For my friend, if she needs help, the lack of family nearby that she trusts doesn’t mean God has forgotten her. There’s a solution to be found, and although we might need to search for it, God is not hiding a solution from spite. We need wisdom, and wisdom takes work.
I feel satisfied that God gave wisdom in the last few weeks, and I’m looking forward to seeing how God leads next. In the meantime, I still need to be seeking Him.
Maya says
glad you had a good vacation!
Laura says
Thanks for that. I’m going to keep looking too!