May 11 – “So close, but not quite enough??”

We started our day heading to Sam's to get stuff for the church.  A simple enough task – buy the supplies, take them to the church, right?  Well, eventually.  While we were somewhere between toilet paper and coffee, our contractor called wondering if he could meet with us today.  He was ready to go over our budget and see if we could write some checks.  On the way home we got a call from the countertop guys.  They were at the house installing already (they were supposed to call on their way).  They found the sink in the garage, but they needed the stovetop to mark the dimensions so they could make the cutout.  We altered our destination plans and headed for the house.  The stovetop won't be delivered until next week, but we have a printout with all the dimensions on it.    We got to the house and there was activity everywhere.  The countertop guys were there.  The framer crew was there.  The contractor was not there.  I called him to let him know we were there, and we waited.  Chris watered the grass and her new bushes.  We waited.  Finally we went to McAlister's to eat.  And the contractor called - from the front of our house.  He decided he would go eat, too.  After our meal we headed back to the house to let Christina and the boys see what was going on.  They had a picnic in our living room.  The boys played chase and hide-and-seek.  We had some of Christina's great chocolate pie.  And the contractor still hadn't returned.  They had to leave to take naps, and shortly after that the contractor did finally arrive.    The framer crew was installing the cabinets in the family room.  They were doing their best to get the bead board paneling straight on our infamously crooked wall so they could get the cabinets screwed on so the countertop guys could attach the countertops.  The contractor kept finding something wrong.  The biggest thing was when he discovered that they were three eighths of an inch too short for the ice maker to fit.  They had to improvise some little stands underneath to raise it up.  It took all day, but it all worked out.   And the countertops look outstanding.  Those guys didn't finish until around six.  And by that time Chris and I were well into our financial meeting with the contractor.  He went through every item on the budget sheet we have been following.  He projected about how much more money we'd need to finish the house.  It didn't register then, but when we got home I wrote the checks we had due and figured up about how much more we're going to need.  We have enough to cover the floors.  We can probably take care of the painting.  But at some point it looks like we might run short in one of the last things that will come due.  In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't be too much – may be a few thousand dollars.  I'm sure not sure where it's going to come from.  But then, God has provided a whole lot of what we have so far through the great volunteers and donations of his people.  Once again, we are back to the trust thing.  Oh, our contractor told Chris one other thing.  If everything goes well, we could be back in the house in as little as two weeks.   Psalms 9:10 says, "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."   Father, it's getting a little scary here.  What do we keep?  What do we hold off on?  What else can we do ourselves?  Have we agreed to more than we're going to have?  Are there some other options?  Are we going to get in after waiting this long, or are finances going to hold us off?  Talk about a roller coaster of a day, Lord.   When can we get off?  Amen.