The Circus is Coming to Town

I was born a poor white child, to paraphrase Steve Martin in that classic "The Jerk". I really was though. I grew up in downtown Long Beach, not quite the ghetto, but definitely the 'hood. I know Snoop Dogg has already put LBC on the map, but to me growing up poor was nothing to sing or rap about. If not for the grace of God, welfare and grub stubs(70's ghetto talk for food stamps), I don't know where I'd be.

Anyway, one of the great things about being poor was living in crappy apartment buildings that were overrun with roaches, mice and the occasional flea. From time to time the local slum lord would have to 'tent' the building we lived in. You've seen those tents. Big, multicolored, and lets face it, might as well have a huge sign that reads 'We've Got Bugs!!!!'.

Well, to take the edge off the humiliation of being poor and living in a place where the vermin easily outnumbered the people by 1000 to 1, we kids used to refer to this almost perrenial event by saying 'the circus is coming to town.' in reference to those beautiful tents. I can just smell the fumigation at the thought.

In fact, the very first motel I ever stayed in was the one our landlord had to put us up in because we had to be out of our apartment for two days. I bring all this up because we recently found out that our house has termites and, you guessed it, the circus is coming to town. Cue the big top music!

What really gets me is not so much the surreal childhood flashback of it all but the very notion that my summer savings fund is now down the toilet. I now envision termites chewing on dollar bills rather than the wood in my house. So much for that trip to Vancouver we were hoping to take in August. So long to that Millenium Falcon I was bidding on on ebay. I guess I should'nt be bitter.

My point, and I swear I do have one, is this. God's provision is amazing if not occassionally amusing. Two weeks ago I was not expecting to teach summer school and then bam! I get a part time assignment which meant we would not have to recycle cans for grocery money this summer. One day later I received word that I would be needed full time for the summer. Cool. Vancouver here I come. I was planning all kinds of ways to spend this 'extra' money. And then two days ago we found out about our wood destroying friends.

You know what, the estimate to fumigate is almost exactly as much as the 'extra' money I am going to make this summer. I can't imagine having to do this without the added income I was given. Sure, I may not be a world traveler. I may not go to a lot of places and do cool things. I don't even have some of the things I occassionally envy that others have. But I've got my family. A safe, if not slightly chewed on house. And most of all I have a God who knows everything I need and provides it abundantly , despite my grumblings.

Happy summer to all.