getting down to brass tacks

Here comes a serious post, but I feel as though I need the internet to know my seriousness and excitement. Ready, internet? Here goes!

I find summers away from civilization, and some of the people I love most (Mom, I said some, not all!), are times of moderate to extreme loneliness, but also the best learning experiences ever. I'm definitely not complaining about my situation because I absolutely love living up here for two months. It feels like a vacation from real life, which is kind of nice. Being alone forces me to sit and think and just...be. With God.

Something I've learned this summer is about plans and timing. Five months ago, I basically had my life planned out and it was all neat and tidy and great. Then God threw someone into my life that completely changed all those plans (for the better...way better). So then, I planned a new little future. This one is slightly less neat and tidy, and I didn't know what to expect, exactly. But then God decided to stray from my line of thinking and throw in some long distance stuff. I didn't want to have to deal with someone far away in North Bay, but I had no choice. So...again, my plans changed. I didn't think they were better, but I figured it was only for a year, so I could deal with it. THEN, God decided to change my plans AGAIN! and totally made things extremely exciting and stressful for a few days. In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "how rude!" A transfer from North Bay to Brantford while the main character is overseas...means calls and emails and more calls and more emails scrambling to find a new place to live, and work out new arrangements. I'm happy to report that the place we found is beyond amazing, and involved way too many coincidences for them to be merely coincidences.

It's amazing to be able to clearly and unmistakably see God working in my life. It's kind of funny, when I really think about it, because I know that God is always moving, but sometimes He likes to throw things right at us and bonk us in the head with his Grace. It's like he's saying, "Helloooo! Remember me?" While I don't think it's a bad idea to plan, it's always good to be reminded that our plans may not necessarily happen the way we think they should. But let me tell you, it sure is exciting and comforting and exhilarating and terrifying and amazing to know that my plans absolutely SUCK compared to what God has lined up for me...