It's Getting Awfully Quiet in Here

We took son #2 back up to school yesterday. He's an R.A. so he heads up a few weeks early. Son#1 is living in upstate New York now. Son#3 has gone camping for a week with his friends. Son#4 is working or golfing most of the time in the summer, my wonderful husband is enjoying his new position, and it looks like this week it will be mostly be #1 (and only)daughter and I home together. It's also the first week I've had my car to myself all summer because son#2 was using my van for his painting business. The inside of my van looks a little like exterior housepaint camouflage. Don't knock it until you've seen this lovely new look.

All of these things are reminders of answered prayer. Son#1 desperately needed to be experiencing real life apart from mom & dad. He loves where he is, it's close to where we used to live, and he's being responsible financially as far as we can tell. We miss him.....but we're glad he's enjoying life as an adult.

Son #2 and the paint van...My!, how God has provided here. We really didn't want to take out school loans for any of the guys. The Lord provided this one with an opportunity to run an exterior painting business for the last two summers. He gained more real business insight from that experience than he probably will his entire time in college. He had to hire, fire, advertise, estimate, cold call, motivate, train, problem-solve, etc. --and did an incredible job of it. Another evidence of God's goodness in answered prayer is that van. We don't owe any money on the thing and it is a big old full-size van probably close to auto-death. Don't you know....that van was PERFECT for his business. All the ladders fit on top perfectly on the rack we used to use for camping. The power washer fit in the back perfectly. The van is so old that a little (okay , a LOT) of spilled paint isn't going to kill me. The thing started having a few goofy mechanical problems early in the summer and we just had to have it going for painting and it LASTED the entire summer. Thanks, Lord! I half expect that when we pick up ladders from the last job that his crew is finishing, that the van will cough, sputter, and surrender to the junk heap when we pull it back into the driveway. I'm hoping not....I will miss it. My son is now back at school and will be rooming with someone from his Life group (a group of other believers up at his school). The RA gig is paying for his room and board, and he's got enough money to cover the other stuff because of his painting.

Son#3 is having a ball camping and doing great having worked for son#2 all summer. A little less than a year ago he was struggling so much and prayers have been answered. He's making good choices and is becoming more confident. He's enjoying the musical gift that God has given him. I love to hear my kids making music.

Son#4 is still in high school and learning to make good decisions. He's made excellent choices when it comes to who his friends are and I'm proud of him.

Our daughter is doing great and I'm thankful that we've got the schooling decision made. I'll be teaching her at home like I did with the boys. I'm excited. She's excited. This should be interesting with the remodeling going on around us (that's another post).

This year will be an interesting one, all around. I can't wait until the fall so our Thursday morning prayer group is in full swing again. I miss that, BIG time. God is still working and things that we prayed all last year about are coming to pass in His timing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's suddenly getting quiet in here.....but evidence of God's care is all around.