Random Ramblings...

It's Wednesday and it's HOT outside... Inside... Everywhere... Not hot for Maine, but h.o.t....hot. It was cool for weeks but summer is having it's final (I hope) hurrah here and we are melting... Hurricane Earl is supposed to whisk his way up the coast and be here (offshore... no threat at this point.) this Friday night and Saturday... He is supposed to blow all this nasty, sticky heat and poor air quality away... But like all the Earl's I've had in my life he is wreaking havoc elsewhere and taking his sweet time getting here... (Inside family joke there... sorry...)

Sparky had her first full day of school yesterday. She loves her classes and didn't have to eat lunch alone. (Her #1 fear.) By today she was meeting people before school. Due to the heat and nerves she hasn't eaten much more then a few granola bars and a lot of diet coke and ice tea... I made one of her favorite dinners last night and got her to eat a few bites, but not much more...  With this heat and my lack of desire to cook her (more complicated) favorite foods I may be forced to pull out the big guns... All you can eat Chinese buffet... She forced my hand... Not she will suffer the sweet siren song of her favorite sweet and sour chicken...

Paul is currently at his third day of school... He is enjoying the kids even though he doesn't understand how they can "hate algebra" only two days into the subject... He loves math and is really good at it, so of course he enjoys it... The other night at Sparky's open house her new math teacher had a "challenge" problem on the board... He glanced at it and whispered "eight" to me... Nobody else got it...Students or parents... I didn't even know where to start... His poor students don't have a chance...

A lot of you have asked about Cate... How and what she is doing... Well, she did ask me awhile ago not to blog about her so much... She has her reasons for desiring privacy, but not for the reason you think. There were people (families) in our lives at one time she cared a lot about. (We all did.) For numerous reasons... none that I care to re-hash here they are no longer a part of our lives. It doesn't bug me that some of them read my blog, in fact on some level I feel like even if they only read this blog to further criticize me (not that I know for a fact that is what they are doing...) I am ok with who I am and what is going on in my life and don't need to hide my joys or pain from them or anyone. But to her she feels the pain of the loss of these people more acutely and even second hand, vicarious contact feels like too much to her. I have tried to respect that and ok anything I post about her, with her before hand. Below is what she wanted me to share...

Cate is struggling right now. She is definitely going through a time of trial and growth. She knows the Lord wants her in the mission field but every time a path she is interested in comes up the door is firmly slammed shut. She is currently trying to figure out his will and direction. She has asked an older woman we go to church with that she has developed great respect for, to mentor/disciple her. She is working for at the church as the assistant youth leader to the Jr. High youth group, and they love her. She is most alive, happy and herself these days when she is with them. She is also seeking out part time employment to help her save up for some of her future goals. It has been a long summer of hard transition for her both from Tennessee to Maine and from childhood to adult, but she is starting to feel more hopeful about the future the Lord has for her. She asked me to ask for prayers for direction and the wisdom to know it when she receives it. She would also like to get to know more young adults and would like it if people prayed for doors to open in that area

Well that's it for my neck of the woods... I am off to do a whole lot of nothing on this way too hot day...

Thanks for listening,