Finely Choreographed Chaos

I was telling my aunt the other day that I believe that my life is defined as "finely choreographed chaos". :) Certainly not choreographed by me, but by my gracious Lord. In August, we spent a week on a mini-vacation, then ten days at my youngest aunt's house learning how to make pickles the way my MeMaw used to. Even using my great-great-grandmother's pickling crocks! (no, not the shoes). On the day before we were to start school, we got a call that my oldest aunt was sick. It turns out that she had a seizure caused by a tumor in her brain. So the children and I have spent most of the last six weeks up in East Texas with her. So instead of doing Greek and Latin and Algebra, we are learning things like ministry, compassion, and flexibility (not my strongest quality). God has been teaching me that even though I spent most of the summer writing out beautiful lesson plans (thankfully in pencil) and working on science experiments and history field trips, He had already written out His lesson plan for me which includes none of those things! I am learning things like how to pack quickly, how to do school in a hospital waiting room or a strange public library, and how to spend my 15th wedding anniversary without the one with whom I have spent those 15 years! Instead of reading classic Greek literature or even plowing through my Summer reading list, I have been doing massive amounts of reading about herbal healing, nutrition, and cancer. My children are not happy with lowering their intake of white sugar. My husband has missed us. My aunt is not happy that I took away her beloved Oreos and replaced them with lots of supplements, green tea and spinach. It sounds like I am complaining, but I'm not. I am grateful that we are able to help in such a way. My Aunt Mo is very special to me. I am really just being thankful that I am not in control and laughing that I am enjoying just taking each day as it comes and as Elisabeth Elliot says, "doing the next thing". So, while I may not have choreographed this particular dance, I sure am happy knowing that my partner in all of this, God, knows each dance step that we need to take.
When I was talking to my Dad last week, telling him all about what we are doing, he said something to me that really helped me put it all in perspective. He said that he heard a quote that pertained to my life. "It's not as important to teach your kids to count, as it is to teach them what counts".