Thanks, Chick

It's funny how God provides for us. He always provides for our needs. We have never been even close to being with out food, shelter, clothing or transportation. And we often remember to thank him for his goodness in this matter. However, we usually forget to thank him for the times he gives us things that go way beyond the "needs" category.

Back in January another youth pastor in the area (Chick - isnt that quite a name!?) and his family moved out of town. Brad helped him load his moving van and in the process Chick offered everything that he didn't want to Brad. He said, "it's either going with you or going to the dump." It's amazing to me how some people so easily thow stuff away...I should learn to do that a little better.

Among this "garbage" was a child-sized picnic table, a child's play house, a little toddler scooter, a set of patio furniture and an above-ground 16' diameter pool - all of which was in good condition with no problems! It kind felt like we were stealing but we spared the landfill and took it all to our house. So our modest, dull little patio and yard turned into a playground for Cora and I! Cora loves her little playhouse. For now it thrills her just to open and close the door and the windows and go in and out. She doesn't understand the concept of the picnic table yet - she thinks it's fun to climb on, though. And she LOVES the scooter. It doesn't have pedals so she can just sit on it and use her feet to scoot around. Mostly she sits on it and rings the little bell or reads a book. It's the perfect size for her.

The patio furniture is a small set - a round table and four chairs. That's perfect for us though, our patio is too small for anything bigger. And the pool ended up having a few holes in it (from being left up all winter, I think) so we bought a patch kit and went to town. Hopefully everything else will come together for the pool. Our summers here stay in the 90's or above much of the time and water is always a welcome refreshment. Cora loves the water, too, so I think we will really enjoy it during the hot days.

Last summer Brad and I often felt frustrated because after Cora would go to bed at 7 we felt like the rest of the summer evening was lost since we couldn't go anywhere and it was really still too warm to just sit outside. So I think we'll really enjoy going for a swim in the evenings after she is in bed.

So, thank you, Chick, for not wanting to move all this stuff. God provides for our needs, but he blesses us abundantly beyond our needs, too.

We've had some awesome spring weather this week. Brad has been on a lake with the kayak and we've been spending lots of time outside walking or at the park. It's amazing how warm 50 degrees and sunshine feels in the spring!