Ahead of Schedule - Yippee!

Howdy and thanks for stopping by my blog to Randy and Pam , Ralph and Donna , and Karen .  So glad to meet you!  Also "Hi"  Tim and John.

First I wanted to thank everyone for their positive comments on my post yesterday.  The post was from my heart and I appreciated your feed-back...and so did my son!  I hope you get a chance to drop by his blog from time to time.

So, as for us old folks, we are AHEAD of schedule.  Can you imagine that.  When we checked on getting a rental car for our trip to California, we found out it was less expensive to rent for an entire week than to rent by the day.  That being the case, we opted for the weekly rental and picked up the car today.  I also had plenty rewards points left so got another free hotel night.  Why not?  We're retired and don't have a schedule...isn't this the way it is supposed to be?  The doggies of course begged us not to go but hopefully, this will be the last trip that they cannot go with us.  We told them all about the motor home and they are as excited as we are!!  The cat couldn't care less.

We won't get to pick up the motor home any earlier but maybe we can sneak in a side trip to Knotts Berry Farm or just a drive to the beach.  I'm sure we'll figure out something. 

Now I have another one of those "from the heart" posts to make.  It's kinda '"sermony" so it's okay if you want to tune out if you don't like that kind of thing.  I just need to document this for myself, so I don't forget.
I truly understand the angst Al (Bayfield Bunch) is going through regarding his ranch decision. I have agonized over this decision to purchase a motor home.  I start to feel good about it and then I am hit with doubts again.  Am I doing the right thing?  Will my kids need me when I'm traveling?  Should I really spend all this money on just US?  What if we get sick?  What about the price of gas?  What do we do with the house?  And the biggie, Do I really deserve this kind of dream?

A few days ago I was pouring my heart out to Russ.  I think I can recall every time I yelled at the kids, every time I disciplined them too harshly, every wrong decision we made.  I can remember all the wrong things I have done in my life and all the hurts and slights I have visited on others.  Surely God is waiting somewhere with a big hammer ready to bop me on the head when I least expect it.  Surely I should stay home, help my kids, save for my old age, and on and on.  Surely I don't deserve to do something just because I want to!

Usually I talk to my sisters when I get like this, but this time I only talked to Russ.  And so I was surprised at the email I found in my inbox the next morning.  It was from my sister, Sharon, but I really think she was just the messenger.  She said she had a scripture for me:  Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 (NLT).  I took that scripture and made a print and framed it.  It is going in the motor home.  Here is what it said:

I think I need to read "The Shack" again and be reminded that God is not sitting "up there" waiting to hit me with a hammer for all my mistakes of the past.  That's all taken care of.  We are not "wealthy" in any monetary sense of the word.  But we are richly blessed that we have been able to work and save and put this deal together.  I don't know what my future holds.  I don't know what is around the next bend in the road or what adventure awaits.  But I know that I am thankful that, for whatever reason, I have been freed to experience this journey.  Where it will lead is a big unknown, but I know there is a Plan.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version, ©2010)

 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."