Passport?

Guidelines are necessary, right? I mean, even God gives His creation (man) guidelines for protection. But I think sometimes we (man) take a good thing and easily turn it into things that aren't necessarily good. Ultimately God is in complete control - and that, in and of itself, is a GREAT thing.

As we were deciding what to keep/give away or sell, packing the rest, and pulling together what we were going to need in Hong Kong...we thought it'd be a good idea to gather our passports and double check them. (Note to self: next time try doing the passport check more than just a few days BEFORE one parent is to leave the country!)

I found mine and it was within the expiration date. Found Brady's and - uh oh..it expired..in May! Michael found out the nearest passport office was located in Ness City Post Office (a mere 23 miles due west of Dighton). He also learned the necessary documents we'd need to get Brady's passport. One of which being her birth certificate (the ORIGINAL one with the raised seal). Ok - now where did I put that?? AND is it already packed in an unlabeled box..somewhere in storage??? (Note to self: ALWAYS keep EVERY necessary document handy - thought I was already doing a pretty good job of it - guess not.)

So I start looking through all the paperwork that's left in our near-empty home. I'd already packed up what was once my office and our little storage 'house' in the backyard was already empty. BUT I wasn't yet in panic mode because I still had some papers in my bedroom corner. So I promptly go through all there - and still nothing resembling a birth certificate. We've no extra time to order one from Texas...maybe it's time to panic?

For some reason I felt led out to our garage, where there were a few brown boxes ready for delivery to our storage unit on the southside of town. I knew there was no certificate in any of those boxes so I just stood there and said a small prayer..."God, You know exactly where that BC is..and I know You will lead me there. Thank You. Amen." (Note to self: remember God doesn't care how our prayers sound - He just wants us to talk to Him.)

As I stood there in the garage - wondering if I was going to 'cave' and drive to the storage unit to start going through all the boxes - my eyes fell on a plastic 'drawer' (you know the cheap type they sell to starving college students). It had been in our garage on a shelf probably for all 3 years we were in Dighton - never making it to the storage 'house' in the backyard.

Side story: Michael has made fun of the things I've chosen to keep over the years - papers from Justin's kindergarten (he's now 23), Jordan's curls that Justin cut off when she was 2 (she turned 19 in May)...the list goes on. I might add my kids probably would make fun of me too - but hey, I'm a mom - i bet there's a few of you, too, out there..ha ha). Well, this was one of "those" boxes with all sorts of knick-knacks inside.

So I thought, as I got it down..what could hurt to go through it. I've got to get it to the storage on the edge of town, too. I open the drawer and proceed to look through it. On top there's a pile of Xerox copied photos of Jordan as a Jr High cheerleader - but something in the middle of the pile catches my eye. It's a blank sheet with an enlarged copy of Brady's social security card. Hmmmm, I think..now that's weird. It's just stuck there in the middle of these photos. So I keep digging. At the bottom of the drawer I find a RED file folder. Curiously I pull it out of the drawer and open it up. At first I see Brady's shot records for kindergarten registration. As I fumble through the documents I see a legal-size envelope - so I pull it out. How strange, I thought, what could this envelope be holding - why would I keep it?

I open it...you'll never guess what was inside...

Brady's birth certificate. The Original. Complete with raised seal.

I actually danced & praised God right there in the garage. Might've looked peculiar to any neighbors passing by - but ya know what? I didn't care. He'd taken care of that very important detail..and I wanted to thank Him. (Note to self: Thank God anytime & everytime He reveals Himself in times of needing help. He doesn't care how - just do it!)

End of story: We made it over to the passport office, got Brady's documents and new picture made just in the nick-o-time. Fast forward a month...and passport is in hand, ready for the flight this week to Hong Kong!