Things will get better!

I'm so glad God makes us that promise. He has plans that are to bless us and give us a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11.

Rat update: Frisky the rat is alive and well and as frisky as ever. This was a major miracle. If you haven't read the story, it's just two entries down on this page.

Book Contest: ONLY ONE DAY LEFT! Actually, the contest for a new Karen Kingsbury novel was supposed to end today, however, I am going to extend the contest another 24 hours. To win: email me at carol_vanatta@yahoo.com and tell me your favorite book. Easy! The chances of winning are VERY high as I only have a few entries. Don't people like free stuff anymore?

Alright, let's move on to a very exciting, disturbing, and rather amusing story.

Boring part first... I have been suffering this past week with severe leg and knee pains. The kind where you actually yell "Ow! Ow! Ow!" when you step wrong. So I took today off to get some relief and go to the doctor. Well, my son, bless his heart, won't quit harrassing me about getting his Driver's Learner Permit. His secret -- He failed the test the first time he took it. Considering the fact that I was having great mobility issues I thought it might be okay for him to accompany me. Of course, his price was that he would again retake his permit test at the local DMV.

Well, great news (for him) he passed. Yeah! God, what have I gotten myself into?

He asked if he could drive part way home. Pleeeeeaaaaaasssssseeee Mom!

Big softie me said, "Okay, son."

He did great on the main roads and we made it into our neighborhood unscathed. However, just as we arrived at our cul-de-sac, he got the bright idea to circle around the neighboring side streets "just one more time" Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Mom! You know my answer. "Okay, son, but be careful." I just felt the need to add a warning.

We drove to the upper street and I had him turn around in a driveway. This driveway was empty, nice and spacious, with no hill. As he began to back out something (the driving demon?) gave him the bright idea to crank the wheel to the left and he plowed down a nice mailbox. I mean knocked the whole thing right out of the ground.

Wide eyed, with our mouths open, we stared at his handiwork. "Should we just drive off?" he asked, hopefully. Although by the look on his face, I knew that he knew that wasn't an option.

Up to the door we went. Thankfully, the older couple was very understanding and friendly. All they asked was that he re-cement their mailbox over the weekend. He took care of it this evening with the help of a snickering friend. For teenagers, what others think is a HUGE deal. Now my son is preparing for the onslaught of jokes and comments about his driving debacle. I gave him a few choice comments myself.

As I think about the whole scene, I can't help but chuckle. In all honesty, it was rather humorous in a strange kind of way. Get your permit then rundown a mailbox. We have a lot of practicing to do. Amen!

In addition, I can't help but see a major spiritual message in this untimely event.

So often, we want to race ahead in life. We can see something God is calling us to do. There is a specific goal we can see in our future. However, rather than taking the time to prepare and practice we rush ahead and get ahead of where we are suppossed to be. As so often happens, we are so eager to reach our destination that we fail to plan, prepare, and maybe even pray.

After all, we know what we know and we know that this is what we are suppossed to be doing, so let's do it. Right? Then we end up making a mess and missing the glorious sights along the way. There's always so much to learn on the journey.

My son now admits he wasn't quite ready to drive that far quite yet. Had we practiced backing in and out in our own driveway, we might have avoided the mailbox "incident."

Sadly, sometimes, the things we rush into are a lot more deadly than a mailbox. We have to remember to trust God, take our time, and travel at the right pace. It's great to envision the goal but we can't skip steps along the way.

I hope this note reminds you (it has sure reminded me) to plan, prepare, and pray before taking on more than you can handle at the moment. Rushing into things (like major life decisions) can cause accidents that might have otherwise been avoided. Make sure you're on the right path before charging ahead. However, if you, like me, like my son, and like so many others, find yourself staring at "fallen mailbox" make sure to awknowledge your error and do all you can to repair any damage. With God THINGS WILL GET BETTER. Trust in Him.

Goodnight! God bless you.