BEDS TO COUCHES: AN INDIANA INTERLUDE (May 12 - June 21, 2018)

We left the peaceful beaches of Edisto Island and headed north to our cabin in southern Indiana.  We had just finished the last of eleven weeks of timeshare travel for the spring with stops in Lake Lure, North Carolina (Wyndham Mountains), Hilton Head, South Carolina, (Island Links), Sevierville, Tennessee (Wyndham Smokey Mountains), and Edisto Island, South Carolina (Wyndham Ocean Ridge).

Now we were about to spend some time in Indiana and take a "friends tour" through Ohio.  It was going to be a time of preparing for our adventure in Alaska and a time of renewing old friendships.  However, once again, we were reminded that things don't always go as planned.

Ten days into our Indiana stay Sherry damaged her back trying to change the futon from a bed into a couch by herself!  The "friends Tour" trip to Ohio had to be canceled, and much of our remaining time was spent just trying to be sure we would be physically able to travel to Alaska.  The good news is; she is able, and we leave tomorrow.

Even with the change of plans we were still able to have an enjoyable time.  We shared the cabin for several days with our two youngest grandsons from Missouri, I played golf twice, we spent Memorial Day with members of Autumn's and Aaron's families, we enjoyed extended time with Sherry's brother and sister-in-law, had two dinners with close friends, and watched from our deck as the critters came out of the woods to visit us.  Pair-A-Dice Point @ Camp Clifford is a special place.

Now, it's back to Alaska for our fifth time.  This time we will serve as Interim Pastor at the Eagle River Church of the Nazarene.  We will be there until the middle of September or until the church can find a new pastor.

REFLECTIONS

I was working outside the cabin when I heard my wife's painful scream from inside.  As I hurried through the door, I saw her stumbling to keep her balance while groaning and crying loudly.  After steadying her and helping her into a close by chair, I learned that she undertook the task of changing the futon from bed to couch by herself.  It had always been a two person job, and not an easy one at that.

I would have been happy to help, but my independent "I can do it myself" wife, chose not to ask for help.  The result.....pain and the inability to do anything physical for a month.  She is just now beginning to tackle easy tasks and her pain levels continue to be elevated.

How many times during our lives do we insist on pushing ahead by ourselves when there is Someone standing close by, just waiting to help, but in our stubborn pride we refuse to reach out.  The Someone standing close by is the one who has promised to give us life abundantly!  It is the one who reached down and lifted us up when we could not help ourselves.  It is the one who said; "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Never forget that He is "a very present help in your time of struggle."

You don't have to be crushed by the changes you must undertake in life.  Remember, in your push to be self-sufficient, that it is always the better option to seek His help. No matter how mundane or simple the task seems, it is always best to "wait upon the Lord" so that he can "renew your strength".  Too many times we find ourselves struggling to "take care of it ourselves" when we would be so much better off seeking His assistance.  We end up suffering so many times because we fail to include Him in the process.  Oh, he'll hear our cry and come rushing to our aide, but if we'd have included Him in the first place we could have avoided the pain and suffering.