Are you packed and ready to hit the road? Taking a last minute vacation before school starts? August is a perfect time to add in some fun with the family!
Last week we were looking forward, planning a couple of vacations.
We don’t have little ones in our home anymore, but the beginning of August reminds us that school will be starting soon….better grab some last minute fun while we can!
Years ago, when we road-tripped with our children, all girls, we would often stop at a hotel that offered an outdoor pool, and perhaps an activity room with vending machines and a couple of pinball machines. ( And “no,” hotels don’t offer that now….)
The girls were thrilled to see an entire room FULL of candy, soda, and games of all kinds!
Arcade Games
One of their favorite games was sitting behind a steering wheel, looking at a large screen showing a race track in front of them. They were, for the moment, driving their own race car! Little white knuckles tightly gripping the wheel, and high pitched squeals of delight, or terror, filled the room.
Having happily busy, intently occupied children, made this road weary Mom a happy girl! With a bit of time to myself, which was always rare, I chose the Pinball machine for a quieter challenge.
Competing against myself, this tiny little ball would drive me crazy! I, alone, had the power to launch it to it’s destination. Hopefully, the pinball would land in the center of the target, where I would gain the most points, the highest score, and the knowledge that I, indeed, was an “expert” Pinballer!
A simple game, really. Each pull of the trigger releases a tiny ball onto a narrow path, leading to the target, where points are accrued. I know how to pull the release. I know the desired destination, but I have NO CONTROL over the final outcome.
Like my daughters’ race car game, my little ball is bouncing off of obstacles, running into walls head-first , and all at breath-taking speed! Launching forward, redirecting it’s course time after time, before landing at a destination detoured from it’s home.
Unplanned . New. Different . Better.
I don’t know why in the world I sat down to write this, but somehow I felt like that little ball. Surely dinged and dented on all sides. It occurred to me that
I am the Pinball!!
Small, but strong, I knew exactly what life I wanted, would have, and how to get there. Excited. Prepared. Ready to launch…
Flying through straight lanes, all clear ahead: education, marriage, houses and babies… Moving fast!
Along the way, I’ve “hit so many walls” , each hit ricocheting and propelling me forward. Forward…to where?
A younger Beth, the original Beth, knew. I had a Plan A for my life, and a Plan B should something go awry, or the “unheard of” should occur. I considered this to be “wise”.
Like the tiny pinball, when I got hit, I bounced back, hitting something else, which pushed me into another wall….
Finally landing in unknown, unplanned, “unheard of” territory.
Plan B quickly turned into D-H, and I believe I’m currently living out my Plan U or V! The plans are not my own, and this is the only certainty I have.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, Plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
My faith defines who I am, and it always has. Faith determines how I think, how I make decisions, handle heartaches and loss. I have God’s Peace in my life, the Peace that passes understanding, and I have His joy…
wherever I land.
Life…..
Unplanned. New. Different. Better.
