Compartments

When I was a little girl, my most prized possession was a tacklebox full of plastic farm animals. Yes, that's what I said...a tacklebox full of plastic farm animals. As a matter of fact, I loved this tacklebox so much I always kept it by my bedroom door so that if there was ever a fire in my house, I could grab it on my way out the door. (My mother is laughing as she reads this.) It was a big green tacklebox, and after you opened the lid, you could grab the top tray, lift it up, and suddenly you had three levels of little compartments. I thought that was quite a feat of engineering. And in those little compartments, I kept all my plastic farm animals. I had compartments for horses, compartments for pigs, compartments for cows, compartments for sheep, compartments for chickens...separated, of course, by mamas and babies, spotted cows and solid-color cows, brown horses and black horses, etc. And down in the bottom part of the tacklebox, I kept all my little plastic fence pieces. I would spend hours playing with those little animals, and then meticulously put each one back into its place. I don't remember how old I was when I finally stopped playing with my tacklebox of animals...but I've never lost my love of compartments. I love roll-top desks with all their little cubbyholes and drawers, and the Container Store is one of my favorite places to shop.

I like for everything in my life to be in its place. And up until February of 2008, my tacklebox was in perfect order. All the little pieces were exactly where I wanted them to be...in nice, neat compartments where they belonged. And then cancer came along, turned my tacklebox upside down, and shook everything out. And even now, 16 months later, I'm still picking the pieces up off the floor. Some days I feel like I'm making lots of progress...and some days I feel like the pieces keep slipping out of my hands. I'm so thankful that my Heavenly Father is with me to help me pick everything up and put it back where it is supposed to go. And I can tell that He's not putting all the pieces back in the same little compartments...and I think that's a good thing.

"And He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new..." Revelation 21:5