A time to. . . .

I read a familiar passage from Ecclesiastes yesterday. . . . Ecc 3:1-14. . . ."There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven  - A time to give birth, and a time to die;  A time to  plant, and a time to uproot what is planted;  A time to kill, and a time to heal;  A time to tear down, and a time to build up.  A time to weep, and a time to laugh;  A time to mourn, and a time to dance. . ."  and so on.  I think all of those appointed times are often woven together and overlap. . . .not only in our own lives, but with each other.  Sometimes it is so easy to let discouragement take over.  Life often seems like it just brings one heartache after another.  But that is what life on this earth is about. . . . all the appointed times.  . . .lessons to be learned, work to be done, heartaches to bear, trials to endure, and joys to be surprised by.  All  these things God uses in our lives. . . and all the joys he gives. . . I just need to keep watching for them. 

As crazy as it sounds. . . I believe God gave me this "time to dance".  I have started to become more than a little stressed about dancing in Fallon's Dancing With the Stars event next weekend.  The dancing has been so much fun (with no one watching), but then the reality of the fact that I actually have to wear a costume set in.  Really?  A fluffy skirt. . . with tights, a petticoat, and BLOOMERS!?   My dear friend Deb made me not one, but TWO skirts (when the first one didn't work out so well).  She is a blessing and a gift herself!  My second skirt is a light yellow with black trim. . . same colors as Sara's costume when she was in The Music Man.  Adonna, the costume lady at the high school, found me a petticoat and bloomers. . . just randomly pulling them out of a big box.  When I got them home and really looked at them, I found Sara's name printed on the waistband of the bloomers. . .very special.  When I put everything on to practice my dance (even though I look more than a little ridiculous), my thoughts were filled with "I understand why this brought Sara so much joy".  It IS fun!  All I want right now is to hold on to things that make me feel close to her.  This is one of those things.  I am thankful.

Sara wrote in her journal alot during the month of March last year.  I think we were still in much denial at that time, not really believing that God would take her from us.  Reading her journal, I realize she was facing it much better than we were.

March 22, 2011. . . "Lord, it's hard sometimes to sit around waiting for things to get worse.  I'm not sure what You have in store for me, but I'm having a hard time just sitting and waiting.  Please Lord, give me guidance, help me to know what it is You want me to do with my life, whatever it may be like.  And if it's just staying here at home reading and doing crafts, help me to be content with that.  Lord, whatever I do I want to make sure I'm honoring and pleasing You.  Help me to keep You as the focus of everything, and please help me to be patient in this time of waiting.  I love you Lord.  Amen."