The Journal of Plymouth Rock Ranch

James 4:15

Instead you ought to say,

“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

June 2010 was the month of  “If the Lord wills.”  We had so many changes brought upon us that our heads started spinning and we’d say to one another, “If the Lord wills, this is what we will be doing!”

• Rick would be coming home at the beginning of June.  Nix that……he would be coming home at the end of June for 30 days.  If the Lord wills…….
• Rick interviewed for a job in the San Antonio 787 program that he really prayed he would get.  Nix that………..  If the Lord wills………… We’re praying for the Lord to put Rick right where He wants him.
• I would fly out on June 15th to help Rick pack up his apartment and drive home.  Nix that……Harrison woke up at 4 am on June 15th crying with a hurting “cheek” and swollen-beyond-belief lymph nodes.  My neck in his headlock convinced me that I couldn’t get up in 45 minutes to fly to WA. After a doctor’s visit & diagnosis of a flaming ear infection and administration of the first round of antibiotics, Harrison was content to let me fly out the next day with his sisters filling is as mommy & nurse in my absence.  And mommy felt MUCH better about leaving then too ; ) If the Lord wills………….
• When leaving for said Drs. appointment, we discovered a flat tire on the Honda.  Tires had been ordered on Monday for a Thursday or Friday arrival.  Apparently, that wasn’t soon enough.  Delaney and I aired up the tire and took Roo to the doctor’s appointment.  After his appointment, we drove on a flat tire to get to the gas station, which was 3 businesses down the street.  Drove half way to San Antonio…..aired it up again…..and finally got to Costco where they put the silly looking donut spare tire on for me until the real tires arrived.  Left the Honda at a friend’s house in town as the donut tire would not like our limestone road and hitched a ride home with the other children who were in town.  Funny things was that the boys were going to drive the Honda that morning, but due to Roo’s illness and my need for a vehicle, they switched plans and made the ailing batteries in the truck work so I could drive the Honda and have a dependable vehicle…..or so they thought.  If the Lord wills………
• I arrived in WA a day late and a dollar short, but I got there!  Rick and I went and picked up our new rescued 1 yo female English Shepherd on our way home from the airport.  Ruby was going to drive home with us from WA to TX and join Copper, our new male 1 yo English Shepherd, and Darby, our sweet Plymouth Rock Ranch Hound.  She and Rick had become good friends before I arrived, even though it was apparent that she much preferred the ladies.  As the lady that we got her from said, Ruby “threw Rick off like an old shoe” when I came into the picture.  *I* was her person, not his.  *I* was the one she must guard from him and those we met on our multiple daily walks.  *I* was hers!  She was fine with Rick by himself.  She was fine with me by myself.  But when Rick and I were together, she was only content when she was in between us!  If she couldn’t be in between us, she would pace.  She became my velcro dog that didn’t leave my side.  If I got up, she got up.  If I went to another room, she followed me.  Her eyes, whether open or closed, were always on me.  She would bark and growl every time Rick would come home until I assured her that it was ok for him to come in.  Needless to say, Rick was very hurt.  If the Lord wills………
• We would pack and vacate the apartment by June 25th and get home by July 1st.  Nix that……….. at the last minute Boeing decided they needed Rick to stay on in WA for a few more months!  His apartment was already rented to someone else so instead of packing the truck, we packed and moved into their only other 1 bedroom apartment available.  If the Lord wills……..
• As stated above, Ruby was supposed to drive from WA to TX with us.  Nix that………….Now, both of us needed tickets home……sigh…………This was NOT what we had planned!  Not to mention an expense that we didn’t plan or want to incur.  If the Lord wills………….
• Rick set to work finding Ruby and I a flight on Continental to get home.  We generally fly Southwest but Continental’s pet transportation care is supposed to be the best, so Continental it was.  But, due to the last minute nature of the deal, and the 4th of July holiday weekend, there were no flights available for me on Continental.  Ruby could go, but not me.  Being as she had bonded with me so strongly, I didn’t want her to reach TX and be thrown into the multiple loving arms of those she would come to love, but had not yet met, without me to introduce her and make her comfortable in her new home.  She’d already made several moves in her short little life and didn’t need another move of uncertainty foisted upon her.  Nix that……..so we changed my travel plans to fly home after the July 4th weekend, which meant that we changed the week of vacation that Rick was planning since he wasn’t coming home for the month of July, to the following week.  That was settled………or was it?  Remember If the Lord wills?????? We received an email from Boeing Travel saying that a seat had opened up on June 30th on the best Continental flight for Ruby.  Nix the 5th of July travel, now we were back to traveling the week we had first thought I would travel home!  I secured Ruby’s ticket.  Rick and Boeing travel secured mine.  We got Ruby’s health certificate.  We were set!  Then on Tuesday morning, Ruby came into heat.  Would that effect our travels the next day?  Would they take a dog in heat?  Thankfully, she was the only animal on both of our flights and we arrived home on June 30th and were welcomed to days of thunder storms since.  If the Lord wills………..
• One of the reasons I really wanted to get home before the July 4th weekend was because Delaney was celebrating her 14th birthday that week.  I sadly told her that I just couldn’t get home for her birthday.  There were no flights.  I prepared Roo that I wouldn’t be home that week, as he kept wanting me to get home (and bring Ruby with me ; )  Then I called and told them I DID have a flight home and we could all celebrate Delaney’s birthday together (minus dad, of course).  The first phone call after my landing was one that informed me that Delaney was sick.  She remained sick through her birthday, so our birthday celebration was rather subdued and quiet.  But I was home!  If the Lord wills…………..

The month of June with all of its If the Lord wills………. is over.  But the If the Lord wills……… will forever be a part of life.

Proverbs 16:9

A man’s heart plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.

We (and others)  made lots of plans in June, but the Lord saw fit to direct our steps in many different directions than we had originally thought.  At times I felt like a yo-yo!  I am so thankful for the doctrine and truth of the sovereignty of God, that I can take comfort in it and rest in it when God leads our steps in a different direction than I had thought or planned.  Yes, my human flesh wants to fight against it at times.  I can get anxious.  But God tells me not to do that.

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known to God;

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

When I accept God’s direction for  my steps and pray about and yield my plans to His, God gives me His peace and comfort that guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.  What a comfort it is to place and rest our plans in the hands of our Creator God! Praise the Lord for His many undeserved kindnesses to us.

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