"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly"

Photo taken after Easter Sunrise

The road was wet from the heavy rainfall.  I was probably driving faster than I should have been, but I had just delivered our beloved family dog of 14 years to the vet to be put down due to cancer which had ravaged her body.  All I remember is one moment I was driving along and then the next the truck was being lifted up and then started spinning, and spinning, and spinning.  I put my arms up over my head and braced for the impact sure to come.  An orange tree is what finally brought the truck to a stop, I later learned the truck had literally severed the tree from its trunk.  The thing I remember the most was the thundering silence that followed after the crash.  I sat there.  Was I dead?  No.  Anything broken?  No.  Blood?  No.  And then as fast as I could I opened the door and ran to get away from the truck, after all as an 18 year old girl, for all I knew the truck could blow up at any minute. Isn't that what always happens in the movies?  

I describe this experience of mine, to help you understand how Howard and I are feeling upon our return to California.  Literally, our lives have been picked up and feel as if we have been spinning with all the changes that have occurred.  We had a moment last week, where we had arrived to an appointment early, Howard shut off the car and we sat there for a while and let the quiet fall over us.  After a few minutes, we started talking and assessing about how our transition was going.  "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"  I'll spare you most of the details but suffice it to say it has not looked anything like we thought it would. We also hadn't quite realized how well we had learned in Ecuador the lesson of adaptation.  If Plan A doesn't work out, fine let's go with Plan B  and sometimes we get all the way to Plan Z!  "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" moments, they have been balanced with the sweet realization we know we are exactly where God wants us to be, but most of all we see His perfect timing in all our lives.  

Mary's Dad 

Planting flowers with the kids and grandkids

Easter Sunrise Service on the Kimbler Ranch
(Nicole's husband's family)