How can we understand the road we travel? It is the LORD who directs our steps. -Proverbs 20:24

We look at each other from across the table. He has a pained expression across his brow. I am defensive. My mouth is drawn in a firm line, and getting fermer. We haven't said a word, but after all these years of marriage, we know this conversation isn't going to go well. We dread it. Both of us. It's past time for a conversation we need to have. Again.

The conversation?

We've got to knuckle down and seriously plan out our "holiday" in the USA. I mean, afterall, we're already 2 weeks into it and the time left is ticking away. We've arranged a few things. The outline. Neither of us are gifted at administration. We have given up verbally wishing for a "Miranda Girl" (the personal assisstants in The Devil Wears Prada) to come rescue us. We feel hopelessly inept but know we have to start organizing our time.

When we're at home in Singapore, we have our gear for productivity ensconced around us, within arms reach or a click away. We do pretty well at keeping the gears between our personal planners going smoothly. BUT, Back in the USA, we're in a foreign land. Oh, sure, we can email and use the internet if we drive slowly down the street looking for a neighbor without encrypted wireless access. In a week or so we'll figure out where we can order a cup of coffee and do it for free, but for now, we're feeling a little out of synch and unproductive.

Who should we call using this new phone cell chip with a (714) number? Who really would like to see us? Who among our old friends would agree to a lunch as a "courtesy visit?" We feel insecure. If we get together with a financial supporter who 9 years ago was just a friend, what do we talk about? Do they want to know how their "investment" is going, or are they interested in us personally? If I do arrange to meet them, or take up the offer to sing in our home church for the Sunday services, what will we do with the kids? Where did I put those phone numbers? What were the dates for that neighborhood VBS? Did they have a deadline? Did I pay ahead of time for that on their website? While horrible things are going on around the world, or we learn of friends and family here who are suffering tremendous personal loss, I feel guilty for not being stronger in the face of these present inconveniences.

I cry out to the Lord for the world and my friends while Jim and I "suffer" through trying to coordinate our calendars; adding a prayer for us. "Lord, you've made us this way, with certain gifts that don't included organizing time with our supporters. Would you providentially orchestrate our time here? We'll do our best, but we need your help."

And that's what he seems to be doing. Day after disorganized day!


For today, I'd organized a sweet day with Andrea Ketcham and Karen Schmidt visiting Mia Moore. She has a booth for her lovely art at the Laguna Beach Arts Festival and this year I get a chance to see it and meet her colleagues there. On top of that, since I wasn't eager to face the traffic back, I got a ticket for the sold out Pageant of the Masters performance tonight. I'd tried to buy the tickets ahead of time in Singapore, but if I had I would have gone with the family in tow. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to make this such a leisurely afternoon getting to know 3 other women artists connected to CRM. If while still in Singapore I'd have known that I was going down there without the family, and bought just one ticket on-line, I would not have bought it in the cheap seats. God knew i would need to leave at intermission to beat the traffic and because I'd be dog tired. If I'd bought a good ticket months ago, I'd have stuck it out to get my money's worth!

That's just one of today's examples of my living out the Proverb: How can we understand the road we travel. It is the LORD who directs our steps.

I wonder what he has in store for us tomorrow.

(check the flickr link on the side for photos of other ways God's been arranging our plans.)