Thankful, Hamentashen- Yr 1, Day 254

Arcadia, FL

First, still no news on our part.  Still not ordered, as we're going on to the 3rd day waiting for a response from the warranty company.  Today they claimed they were already working with the RV place, but the RV place says this isn't so.  So who is telling the truth here?  Meanwhile, still no answers despite being on the phone almost all day, back and forth.

But despite having to stay here longer than I'd like, I still decided that life is good. I would like to compare our journey to that of our wandering ancestors in the desert.  There was always a reason for them, as I believe there is for us, for the length of time they had to stay at each location on the journey -- always a lesson to be learned.

I think in this case, I have finally come to truly appreciate the blessings even in a bad or undesirable situation and to learn how to be patient and, above all, flexible. I always used to freak out and have anxiety attacks when things didn't go according to plan, so I feel I've learned this lesson well (pat on the back).

I was supposed to have been on the road almost 2 weeks ago, but got delayed - probably for at least  another 2 weeks if not longer. But I have learned:

• I will get where I need to be when the time is right and when I'm meant to (God's will in God's time). And if I can't be there, then I will be somewhere else. I can observe Passover anywhere. I'm sure I can find a seder to join about 30 miles away, if not the 700 we were planning for (although I'm still confident we'll still make it to Raleigh on time; if not for Passover, at least for our daughter's 30th birthday).
• I'm loving my surroundings - totally alone in a wide open field, with cows and horses across the road, but big box civilization only about a few miles away.
• Still have water, electric and sewer so can live very comfortably in our own home (not a hotel like last time) and the rate is fairly reasonable.
• The weather couldn't be more perfect. Even though it's in the mid to upper 80s, there is low humidity and always a nice breeze (sometimes very windy) so being outside is very enjoyable. We've taken advantage almost every evening to sit outside, take in the magnificent sunset and watch the stars light up the sky.
• There are some nice things to do in the area if we make the effort to travel just a little bit.

And speaking of God in our lives, tonight (coincidentally) begins the holiday of Purim.  It is the celebration of how a major plan for genocide was thwarted.  The main characters are Queen Esther, Mordecai and the very evil Haman (may his name be blotted out.  In fact, it is required that we hear the reading of the "Megillah" (the Purim story) and every time Haman's name is mentioned, we're supposed to make a lot of noise to blot out his name.  We're also supposed to drink so that we can't tell the difference between Mordecai and Haman, and dress up in costumes)).  It's traditional for people to eat a pastry called hamantashen (a Yiddish word) which is a triangular shaped cookie (to resemble the three cornered hat Haman wore) filled with something delicious.  Tradition is poppy seeds or prunes, but people do all kinds of things these days.  Mitch made: peanut butter & jelly, orange, strawberry, banana and chocolate filled ones.

Since none of the stores in the area (specifically Walmart or Winn Dixie - the only places nearby that sell food) don't sell them, we (Mitch actually) decided to make some from scratch.  Warning - never did this before.  They came out GREAT!  Kudos, Mitchie!  Also, what a GREAT job he did cleaning up the kitchen.  I admit I was a bit panicky about the idea of his baking with flour and the ensuing mess.  Again, kudos, Mitch!

As for our Megillah reading, it's great to live in this day and age of technology.  There's a live stream that we will watch on our computer (and the plan is to do this outside, with a roaring fire and drinks in hand.  Yes, there's an electrical outlet for the PC outside of the rig).