The times they are a-changin'.

It never ceases to amaze me how life can turn on a dime.

Last week at this time I was happy to have Steve here at home providing some much-needed backup in the parenting department and taking care of some other business, but the recovering anxious control freak in me was a little concerned that we didn't know when he would leave.

That is, when he would go back to work.

And no workie = no money.

Ugh.

Not that he didn't have a plan. He did. There for a while, though, I thought the universe hadn't gotten the memo outlining the details of his plan.

And by "a while" I mean two or three days. Eternity.

But sometimes the memo getting stuck on the server turns out to be a good thing.

I suppose the details don't matter now, but I can tell you this: This pipelinin' thing? This lifestyle of constant change? This hurry-up-and-wait business? It's not for sissies. It's not for the faint of heart. Over the past week Steve kept reminding me of a Bible verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, "we walk by faith, not by sight." That particular passage is also mentioned in the movie The Book of Eli which Steve and I both watched recently, myself just Wednesday night. It's a great (albeit somewhat violent) story about having faith, pushing forward, following God's voice, and not allowing yourself to be overcome by worldly things along the way.

It was a timely reminder.

Today Steve is drug testing and attending safety training for a new job. Once again he is making the shift from the construction side of the pipeline to the inspection side, which is what he had been doing in 08'-09'. It will provide a nice boost in income, but the even better news is he will be back in Michigan. I can't even put into words how happy that makes me.

The Pipe Life is all about change and being flexible. It's not always easy for me to go with the flow, but with every change and every bend in the road and every dip from the hills to the valleys, I learn. It sometimes means riding a roller-coaster of emotions. It means never getting quite comfortable with how things are. It means making a point to enjoy every day because we just don't know what struggles tomorrow might bring.

And yes, it means walking by faith and learning to give up a little of that illusion of control. For a gal like me, sometimes that's the hardest part.