SURPRISE! ... and everything changes...
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We've had a lot of surprises lately. The most joyous one recently came on October 4th. In the wee hours of the morning, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. Praying for our youngest daughter, pregnant with her first child, I saw the word SURPRISE and a picture of a jack in the box popping out of the box. Other words came and I wrote them down, getting excited for the new addition expected in December. A shower was planned for October 8th and we were asked to write down words for the baby on tags to be shared and given at the shower. Little did I know the surprise that was about to happen. Our grand baby girl had an emergency birth that night, 10 weeks early. Our son-in-law called and we rushed north for 3 1/2 hours to be with our daughter and son-in-law, and welcome our dear little granddaughter into the world. She is so precious, an amazing miracle of life. So small in stature and strong in spirit. Even at under 3 pounds, her feisty yet calming spirit is compelling. We are so thankful for the great medical care she is getting from the NICU nurses, and the provision given. Watching my daughter mother so sweetly is a beautiful privilege. Needless to say, the past three weeks have been full of experiencing amazing love and hope in the midst of uncertainty, weariness, and longing. There is one health issue we are praying for healing and still quite a road ahead.... but it is so worth it - a beautiful new life to celebrate!That is the good news! Currently, I'm spending about half my weeks with them in Seattle, fixing home cooked meals etc. It is clear I have grace to do this now and am thoroughly enjoying the time spent with our dear family.To be honest, the other surprises don't have the blessed result of a new, beautiful life:
In addition to our youngest daughter having an unexpected and unexplained emergency birth, last month our older daughter also had an unexpected and unexplained health event, causing limitations for at least the next year. It is challenging, and clear that we will be more closely focusing on the needs of our family.
Since July I have had technology challenges which have caused the new website function to be delayed, and have kept me from working on the new online class. It looks like the website problems are resolved and functioning well now. I am grateful.
To be honest, there have been numerous things that have gone sideways since July with my art vocation. I haven't had that many things not go as planned or hoped for in seven years. Seven years ago marked the change of one season into another, a shift in focus and purpose. It preceded one of the most impactful and exciting years of my life. Now it makes me pause and wonder. It also has caused me to rearrange my priorities, and let go of expectations of outcomes.I planned to open registration for my new online class A Word Well Lived™ in November 2016, but because of all that has gone on recently, I am not able to launch at the planned time. I am, however, considering teaching A Word Well Lived™ as an in person class and exploring hosting options for the online class. Even with these new ideas for the class, I need to be open and flexible. I am asking God for wisdom and revelation. I don't understand why all this has been happening right now, and only seem to know the very next thing to do, not seeing even two steps ahead. After struggling with it, I am now accepting this as a time for me to trust God and rest in the grace given for the day.