Feb 7th-Homeless in Houston

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;
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Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim, Our Refugee Camp-The Hilton Garden Inn

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,
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And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.
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I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

As I sit here "Homeless in Houston" I think about this poem by Robert Frost. There are moments in our lives when we make decisions that will forever change how we live from that moment on. I think in our spirits deep down, we struggle with those types of decisions, because we realize the magnitude and the change it will not only bring in our life, but in the lives of others. I also don't believe that those "diverging roads" happen that often in life. Maybe two or three times. Mine came when I chose to leave my small hometown of Elizabethton, Tennessee, and take out to Germany to teach. The motivating factor was money and supporting my family. But that decision changed not only my life, but the lives of my children and family forever. I would not trade that decision for anything. I have been blessed to see parts of the world that many only dream about, and places that I didn't even know existed. But most importantly, I've met people who have changed my life as a result. The thing I've learned is that God is faithful, He will not desert you even if you desert Him, He will be there in time of plenty and time of famine, and He will bring those angels into your lives to guide you along the path. Above are only a few of the Angels he has given us in this precarious time of uncertainty in our lives. Along side of each curse goes a blessing-the yin and the yang. I'm excited to see how this unfolds-but had I not gone to Germany, I would have not ended up in Sicily where I met and married Jim who literally changed my life!

Here we are on Saturday am in our refugee camp. The above picture is our sign denoting our home away from home. We had a wonderful dinner with Jim's former boss from Shell, Terry Whitley, and his wife, Patti. It was at a super little Italian restaurant-good food, good wine, and live piano music-the guy sounded like Dean Martin-he was great!

Anyway, lots of things are happening, and I'm just being calm (believe it or not) and praying for Jim's wisdom, since at this point, I really have no idea where we belong. All I know is I belong with him, and he has to be where he believes is the best opportunity-so this thing is unfolding at a phenomanal pace. I can say there are some solid possibilities, but I'm not at liberty to say who or where just yet in this public forum-but STAY TUNED to the unfolding drama. I'm including some other pics of our refugee camp and the lovely staff who have taken us under their wings.