First of all, let us review - life is definitely NOT a highway, as the song says. That analogy would indicate that life is a long and winding road with a smooth-ish surface that has a definitive beginning and ending. Some bumps, some curves, yes, but the analogy does not delve into the realm of the inevitable detour - the one we so affectionately refer to as the amusement park.
The amusement park has many attractions, rides and eateries all with the lure of keeping you distracted from getting back on your "road", as it were. So, in our amusement park, you will find our favorite coaster - The Inconsistent Income Coaster; you will also find The Hall of Illusions (which makes you think that what you are eating does not contain calories or fat and will not expand your waistline) and The Carousel of Circular Arguments (and if you have young children, this is why you ride this particular ride), but we will not go deeper into these, as they are self-explanatory. The Inconsistent Income Coaster keeps pulling us in, though, so we will discuss this ride further. 
Chris is self-employed, which has many ramifications, but financially that means we never know what our monthly income is going to look like. We have long been trying to predict when receivables should come in and we have had one consistency there - we are consistently inconsistent on predicting the predictability of income. With that said, when the storehouse is empty, it is really empty and there is little to fall back on because we run his business on a cash basis. So, when business slowed down this summer, as it does most summers, and the bathroom project went over budget and the IRS said we owed them more money, we asked for prayer. We prayed - together, individually, daily - and many of ya'll prayed for us, too. God does answer prayers and sometimes not in the exact way we expect. Chris is unexpectedly busy with work again and I have a job prospect doing research for someone's book, none of which we were expecting 5 days ago!
So, 5 days ago, we were in the down slope of The Inconsistent Income Coaster and now we are again beginning the slow ascent to another peak. It is our life and this is how it is for us - good, bad and all the stuff in between. Because I am a planner and really would prefer a dull existence, God has taken me WAY out of my comfort zone in this. I will probably never be considered spontaneous or ever be one who throws caution to the wind, but it is in these times that we draw closer to our family and more importantly to God.
So, would I choose this? No, probably not. Nor would I choose to have a funnel cake and a cherry Icee before getting on the Roller Coaster - that would just not be smart. However, since this is our circumstance and we are already on the Coaster, I CHOOSE to buckle tight, settle in and hang on for dear life!
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