Plan B

This week has been so full I have hardly known where to start in regards to a new blog post. Therefore, I will just begin and somehow it will all come out and hopefully make sense.

First off, I want to say that "all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) With that positive note at the forefront, I'll delve into the past week.

I got a phone call from Brian last Tuesday while Wilder and I were visiting my family in Washington. During a team exercise (think "hell course", not "jumping jacks") with only three days left of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection he suffered a heat injury. He passed out and later woke to find himself on a hospital bed filled with tubes, a result of a combination of dehydration, exhaustion and liver failure. When the medics got to him his body temperature was 107. They packed him is ice and took him to the hospital where they continued to bring his body temperature down and rehydrate him. He said that if the medics hadn't responded so quickly his brain would have boiled and he'd have died. There's much more drama related to the story and the tale-teller in me would love to give you a play-by-play of the events as they unfolded, but the fact of the matter is Brian was unable to complete the course due to a medical injury, though he has the option of returning in as soon as 60 days to retry it.

It was a very common situation and Brian found himself in the company of many other guys who were just as shocked as he was, other guys who were rather like Superman and couldn't believe they got injured despite months of training and keen wits. With a couple days to commiserate with other injured SFAS fellows, eat and sleep as much as he wanted, and adjust to this major blow, Brian was in good spirits when he finally got his phone back that Tuesday and could call me. He was glad he was able to give Special Forces a whirl, and though he is confident that armed with the knowledge he gained from this time around he could pass SFAS if he tried again, he isn't sure that Special Forces is all he thought it would be. We've given ourselves the next three weeks to let life settle back to normal, begin putting his feelers out for new options, and then we'll start grabbing new plans by the horns.

We have been in this position so many times before. Plan A is golden and glorious, the best we could ever think up -and it falls on it's face. There's an immediate grieving and you're tempted to suck your thumb and stay inside with the blinds closed, whining about, "Well, NOW what are we going to do?!" But that never solves anything. Plan B or C or D or Z comes along, usually looking like a broken down pony compared to the Plan A Stallion you thought you'd ride off on into the sunset. You hop on your second choice, get down the road a ways and, lo and behold, you're entering the promised land. Much later you think back to that beautiful, shiny Plan A and wonder where you'd be if that had actually worked out. It vastly pales in comparison to the unimagined blessings of the Land of Plan B. It's still a blow that our original idea didn't work out in OUR timing or the way WE thought it should, but it leaves more room to let God prove Himself faithful as always and loving as ever. As well as a heck of a lot smarter than either of us.

We're working with one of the blankest slates that was ever quarried, but I have to tell you I've got an awesome feeling about this. It's scary as heck, but once I put it in perspective I can take a few deep breaths and relax because it's all going to work out beautifully. Keep our eyes open, keep moving forward, keep seeking God's will, and keep knocking on doors. If I accept my blindness or lack of correct sight and trustingly let God lead me as I move forward, I am in the best of hands and have no need to worry. The key, though, it is to keep moving forward. Stand still, freeze with anxiety and fear and where are you going? Nowhere.

So that's where we're at. Adjusting to Brian not having a ridiculous training schedule anymore, all of us being home once again, thinking about the future, and just being a family -which I LOVE.

This Wednesday I have another doctor's appointment and we will find out if I'm having a boy or a girl. VERY exciting!! I'll make sure I post the best photo from the ultrasound to introduce you to our wee little dumpling. I can hardly wait for Wednesday to come.

As you go about your week, I'd love for you to keep us in your prayers.
Please pray that:
A) We would draw close as a family and keep our focus on what's important
B) That Brian would have peace and clear vision as he seeks what's next for his career
C) That we would take heart and be strong in the Lord
D) That God would bring folks into our lives that would help pave the way for our next chapter

Thank you so much for your love, support, and reading this little updates. It's such a blessing to stay posted with you. May you be richly blessed this week!