I love variety. My favorite thing to do is to ‘wander’, observe life and to explore the connections of all that God has created- both nature and people. My husband will attest to my tendency to follow rabbit trails and possibilities. I also love putting things together, things like reorganizing a closet, sewing, refinishing furniture, or on a rainy day a jigsaw puzzle.
God has more than satisfied my desire for variety in His design of my life. My husband, Jim, and I married with a commitment to being a ministry team. Jim has led ministry in various settings and depending on Jim’s ministry and season of life, my role in our ministry team has changed from co-laboring side by side with Jim (my preference) to pursuing a career to help meet the financial needs of our family.
Jim’s roles required us to create and then leave homes in seven different cities along the east coast from Vermont to Miami, Florida, finally settling south of Boston 7 years ago. During those years we were blessed with 3 children, our oldest is a girl, and our boy/girl twins are two years younger. Our two girls and their spouses have blessed us with 4 grandchildren and an adopted grandchild. Life has been full and not boring!
While enjoying variety, the transitions and the unexpected was sometimes unsettling. A Quote from Seneca the Younger comes to mind; “If a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is favorable.” Thankfully God is our harbor and uses whatever ‘winds’ we face to accomplish His purposes. As ministry wives we need to have confidence in God’s unchanging character and plans and to know how to navigate and leverage the many ‘winds’ that come our way. Sometimes the fog hinders a view of the harbor, and we need one another to see clearly. My greatest joy is conversations that lead us to remember where the harbor is and the resulting freedom to explore and discover God’s pathway forward.
