Your where??? Oh no....

Often times while my husband travels he will call while he is driving to check in on me. It is sweet and endearing. He typically really wants to know how things are going for my day, whatever that may look like. Some times, however, he calls because he needs me. Or should I say my technical or administrative skills. In those times I can appreciate being needed and I am always willing to try to help him.

Our conversations can vary, but typically he is almost out of cell phone range and we have a difficult time communicating. So I can't TELL you how many times I have to ask, "Your where?" Mostly, because in order to help some one find something or even to help them with traffic jams, you first must know where they are!! (Laughter can sometimes be appropriate, but it must be done while the caller is on mute!) With the current high speed technology even GPS's have not always been able to help my "on the road" husband. Although I also ask, "Your Where?" when the voice I hear seems to be saying something unbelievable!

Yesterday was one of those days but for a slightly different reason. You see as often (and I would say pretty darn often) as he travels my husband has only once missed a flight. So yesterday stuck in extreme construction traffice in Alabama, he was calling with several missions to accomplish at once. First, when is this construction going to end and how many miles will this take to get to point B? Secondly, among the delays he was facing he needed to know if the flight was going to be on time. And definitely not the least of the problems was what to do in the event he missed this flight?

Well, the entire story was not an easy one to live out. The bottom line was in order to get my husband home in the most cost effective way was to make him wait 3 more hours at the airport and fly to Orlando while I would drive to get him. If anyone has traveled with a small toddler and a 4 yr old they know that this would require some strategy or packing. Neither of which I had time for since, even though he would be waiting 3 more hours on a plane, I would have to leave right then to head to the airport nearby to get our van out of short term parking. UGH! For me and my children being in the car from 6:15 until nearly midnight was exhausting!! Picking up another adult, driving to get the van, and driving to get daddy was so confusing to a 4 yr old.

Sometimes in life knowing where you are isn't the problem but understanding all the steps to get to the final destination is the challenge!!! It isn't always clear to me either, I thought while driving to get my poor husband who had at that point been up since 5 AM. I understood only a portion of his frustration and yet I was the one driving with noise up to my eye balls!! My one year old has started humming to the music as loud as he can. (This was better than the screaming option when I turned off the radio!) Meanwhile the four year old was creating her own harmony to the music by creating her own lyrics with details of today's unfolding drama. My head was beginning to pound but I had to focus on the END RESULT...safely having Asa home without spending money outside of our budget.

Why do certain obstacles stand in our way?

Why can't my journey just be from point A to Z...who needs all 26 letters anyway?

Can there really be a purpose for EVERY THING? Really??? Even costly DETOURS????

These questions and more rushed through me on that drive. As the little ones eased into a motion induced sleep I soaked up the quiet of the van. This day was not easy even before my sweet husband needed my help. Surely some character needed to be built up in me to endure such a drive without the proper toddler necessity. I realized as the toddlers drifting into sleep that I had not even fed them dinner and now due to my own traffic problems there was no time. Orlando is not a forgiving city when it comes to traffic. Pulling off the interstate could be deadly when you are trying to get somewhere on time!!

O.K. I calm myself by thinking that at least we all had a late (and full) lunch which is probably going to hold them through the night. I can make it to the airport in time and them maybe grab something to eat as well. I HAD TO STOP AND FOCUS SO MANY TIMES ON THE CONCLUSION OF THIS NIGHT AND NOT THE MOMENT TO MOMENT UNFOLDING OF PROBLEMS.

As I tried to relax in bed after the entire ordeal was through I knew that I may never know why my day went this way. I may never get the answers to the tough questions about my trials. Will I continue to trust in the God I claim? Or will I doubt once more that His plans are for a favorable outcome? I can only cling to the hope that somehow along this journey maybe because of my obedience to Him someone else will find a DETOUR on their journey which leads them to Him.