Making God Laugh

There is a line that says "If you want to see God laugh, just tell him your plans."

I believe it's true. I can document some of the chuckles I have given God over the years.

In my early years I followed what came naturally. I graduated from school, went to college, met the love of my life, got married, had kids....I followed the pattern. Then Larry decided he wanted to change jobs. He got a new job. He wanted to move south. I wanted to move north. I thought New England was the perfect place to be. (Of course, the only time I had ever spent in New England had been in the summer. It was beautiful. It was friendly. It was fun. Let's go there!!) Or Colorado. (It has mountains. It is beautiful. Let's go there!) Larry checked the statistics for salesmen in fishing and hunting. He was looking around. I thought to myself, PLEASE, NOT the SOUTH!!!! So he picked Florida. Ok, Technically, Florida is just a northern state that was placed south of Georgia, so maybe God was just looking for a giggle, not a real laugh.

7 years later:
I have finally adjusted to living in Florida. I've decided it's ok if I stay here. It took awhile, I know. I was a reluctant transplant. For the first time since we've moved here I've made plans for the fall. I will be my daughter's Girl Scout leader. The phone rings..... within hours I've discovered we are moving to Ft. Lauderdale. There are only 2 places in the U.S. I don't want to live. California and Miami. God apparently needs a pick-me-up. Time for a chuckle. Send her to Ft. Lauderdale. Her husband can work in Miami.

After 4 years of penance I am returned to that place I didn't want to be in the first place, Tampa. And I am THRILLED!!!!! I can not tell you how happy I am to be back there. Ironic isn't it? God has a great sense of humor.

Fast forward several years. My oldest daughter is approaching marriage. No proposal yet, but could be soon. I look at the church where we've been a member for years. These people have been a part of her life. I can see it. The pastor that will marry her, the organist that will play at the service. The couple in our church that can sing the solos at her service. I can see it all coming to fruition.....

There is not a happy ending here. Let's just say it never happened. 1) the pastor retired. 2) the organist and one of the soloists had an affair. 3) Fortunately, my daughter had her own plans and her own church so she had her own people lined up. I suspect God wasn't laughing. Perhaps there was a trickle of a tear. But there was a happy wedding, even if it wasn't what I had seen. And He was smiling.

2005--I can see the future. Although Larry and I moved away from our extended families, I have a great chance of having my kids around me in the future. Jen and Dave are in Orlando, with strong ties to the area. We have been in Florida for 25 years. Janice has proclaimed that she doesn't want to move from Florida. (HA)!  I'm feeling good. I never see it coming.

Jen starts the dominoes. She and her husband are looking at teaching positions in Charlotte, NC. I'm ok with that. A couple of months later, Janice announces she has been on eHarmony.com and met a guy named Mike who lives in Iowa. IOWA??????? (I can't tell you how long it took me to wrap my head around that!) Larry completes the Trifecta. His job is eliminated. He starts a nation-wide search. I can see all my plans collapsing around my head.

God must have needed a real belly laugh with this one. Jen stayed in Florida. Janice married and moved to Iowa, and we moved to PA. What happened to my vision of a family close by in Florida? (Author's note: I've been to Iowa many times now, and I really like it there. More importantly, so does Janice!)

What prompted this post? Why am I talking about all this history, now? The weather.

We, by that I mean most of the east, are having a crazy winter. Super cold is one part of it, but most areas are experiencing very high snowfalls. Recently, I was clearing snow for the 3rd day in a row. After a while it gets boring. And annoying. I get up in the morning and then try to decide if I need to shovel or get the snowblower out now, or later because it's still coming down.

As I was clearing it, I thought to myself, "It might be cold in Georgia but I won't be doing this!"

And the next morning I heard the weather report:" Extreme cold in the south and record snowfalls" for an area without snow removal equipment.

And I thought to myself, "REALLY GOD? Are you that bored? Are you laughing with me or AT ME????"

God has probably laughed at me more than this, but sometimes I'm too blind to see. All I know is that deciding I know my future is futile. But I'm sure I'll keep doing it. Someone has to bring a chuckle into His life.