Well, I did leave you all wondering what happened to my cliff jumping partner...Ethel.
Just like Sundance and Butch Cassidy...Redford and Newman, it is better to have someone jump with you.
The line from the movie clip(
Lucy and Ethel Jump Off Cliff) was when Redford confessed that he didn't know how to swim. Newman answered back, "well heck, the rocks will kill us!"
That is exactly how Lucy and Ethel have felt as we screamed and kicked our way to the rapid waters below.
Well let's talk about the rapid waters below. May we both say we had "no clue" where the waters would lead, nor did we expect all the rapids to beat us up along the way. We naively knew that
we had to jump or die with the course our lives were taking.
I am here to report...we neither one have drowned.
Again, a partner in the rapid waters helps.
One goes under the water and the other pulls them back up to the surface.
So the last few months have been
bobbling up and down, knocks against every type of rock you can imagine and the
on going yell, "what were we thinking?"
Well Ethel is graciously on her inner tube now, coasting along smoother waters.
After almost 40 years away from academia, she is making all A's in her subjects.
She is sporting a great co-ed attitude as she received a part-time job to be your next
"I want a chia-tea latte or coffee-latte", woman.
Which allows more study time.
She is a woman of excellence, who hasn't ever put her hand to something that isn't done with superior skill.
She leans her hands, her support, her prayers and her finances to anyone in need.
She is taking care of her mother, who has entered the first stages of Alzheimer, while
also continuing to be a great mother to three adult children and seven grandchildren.
I haven't even mentioned friend!
She teaches through her life what is it means to be a follower of Christ...allowing Him to guide her through
whatever waters she finds He has led her. She shines His glory for all of us to see.
As for Lucy...well you all know a little bit about her rapid journey.
The falling over the vacuum cleaners, the joints she didn't know she had that ache at the end of a cleaning day and almost drowning financially and yet, seeing God met her in the wilderness with His manna.
Lucy will show you soon what you get when you cross a teacher, interior decorator and cleaning lady all into one person. It is a sight to behold. Only one that God could have orchestrated.
Lucy now see her inner tube. She is hesitating as she reluctantly climbs on. Still not sure the rapids won't dump her back into the swirls of the water, she can't totally calm down yet.
As of today Ricki got a job!
Unemployment has left her so breathless that she doesn't know how to breath in the air.
Seven months out of the last ten has been spent in this wilderness.
Manna from heaven...literally supernatural provision has kept us from drowning.
To see the Body of Christ come to our aid has left us speechless.
One year ago, I posted on my weekend with my Ethel aka Diane (
Time to Hand Me Another Piece) and how we sat talking through the puzzle pieces of our lives.
We had no clue what piece the Lord would change out over the
following year. It truly has been an adventure. One that isn't finished, nor do we still have any
idea what the finish puzzle will be...but we both allow Him to place the next piece.
Thanks for your prayers, encouraging words and support through this time. We are still walking it out, but now maybe we aren't crawling anymore.