Bonfires and Road Signs

We spent the afternoon and evening at my parent's house. What a great time to relax and enjoy my family. My brother and his family where visiting, so it was even nicer. The kids were excellent. Well, as excellent they can be at their age. We ended the evening with a bonfire and sing-a-long. A nice end to the summer as everyone starts to prepare for going back to school in the next few weeks.

On the way home Elizabeth was very chatty. She likes to talk in the car. Probably because that is the only time she has that Mommy can't escape or be distracted very much by the other kids. She asks some tough questions, about everything.

She's been noticing the road signs recently. I did not realize just how many road signs and reflectors there are along the roads. I think she pointed out almost every single one of them. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, a road sign is worth at least a thousand when you explain what they mean to a five year old. Often you use more, since you have to go into all the back detail about driving!

Her best question tonight: She pointed out a sign that meant a signal ahead. She asked what it was for. I explained it to her. She then asked, "But why do they need a sign for it when we can see it from here?" Many different answers popped into my head. I went with the simplest. That perhaps a tree branch had obscured the stop light from farther back, so they put up the sign and then at a later date cut the tree branch down.

I was greatly surprised by all the road signs used. I've often complained that there aren't enough road signs, at times. If I looked hard enough, I could see that there are plenty of road signs with all the information I need to traverse the various highways.

It made me stop and think about my life. Life is sometimes depicted as a road. I always ask for more road signs. God has plans for my life. I'd like to know what they are. I often complain that there are not enough road signs and that the ones there need to be clearer. Maybe I'm looking at things wrong. God doesn't give us a specific map to our destination. He does provide road signs along the way. They are plentiful, if I pay attention. And they also give me all the information I need, maybe not all I want, to travel the correct pathway.