It's a Good Day today.

I am celebrating today. A knock at the front door announced the arrival of my hubby's passport. Woo Hoo!!! We had to apply for a Canadian passport from here in the U.S. to Gatineau, QC, where the passport office is located. The paperwork was much more extensive than applying for a U.S. passport. I downloaded the required paperwork off the Internet, filled it out, had it notarized, and made a copy for my records. Thank the Lord we have a notary public at work who's known him for over 2 years, as that is one of the requirements. It had to be someone in a very limited list of professions, and this person was the only one who fit the bill. The photos were done at MotoPhoto. Bless her heart, she had to put up with my anxiety over making sure they were perfect, as the Canadian passport photo requirements are very exacting and different from the U.S. requirements. I was so anxious about the photos after reading online about other people having theirs' rejected. Warnings were made about finding a good professional photo studio and not to use Wal-mart, JCPenney, etc, because they weren't really set up for the Canadian specifications and had a high rejection rate. MotoPhoto was recommended on one site and I was thrilled to find one locally.

  When I got ready to send them in, I realized there was no place to put the credit card information, as that was easier than getting a certified check. So I called their office in Quebec. Thank goodness I did! I had the wrong form filled out. The difference was subtle - I needed form 041 rather than 040. It was a bit confusing on their web page. So I downloaded the correct forms, filled them out, had them notarized again, copied again, and this time decided to include a photocopy of my husbands' Alien card, which he received when we moved here, as well as the copy of his driver's license. I am thinking that this was the kicker that helped get everything approved so quickly. I rechecked everything at least three times, and decided to send it overnight courier, as the mail to Canada is slow, about 8 days. The current processing time is 4 weeks after they receive it. Since we were leaving on the 5th to go up north, I put that date as the date we wanted to go to Canada. We figured there was no way to get the passport back in time for the trip, so we just planned on staying on this side of the border this time. Well! It arrived TODAY! Exactly 10 DAYS from the day I sent it out. Isn't that wonderful?! I just couldn't believe it when the FedEx guy showed up at the door. After my happy dance and a call to my hubby with the good news, I started reflecting on the process and it's expedient arrival. I remembered that I was so anxious on the way over to the courier, that I started telling myself that I had done everything I could to make sure it would be accepted. That at this point, all I could do was pray, and that it was up to them. So I did. I just prayed over that package, asking the Lord to please make it acceptable to them. I was willing for it not to be if I had made a mistake. That couldn't be helped. After that, I tried to relax and not obsess over something I couldn't change at that point. I am trying to be more conscience about my thought process, as I tend to obsess over stuff like this, and it just takes so much energy and time over something I really can't control. I need to just do my best, and trust Him more. This point was really driven home when I thought about the fact that I had first filled out the wrong paperwork. It had to be Him that prompted me to call and not just go to the bank for a certified check. It had to be Him who prompted me to include the copy of the Alien Card, which I just didn't think of the first time. I thought the driver's license would be enough. And maybe it would have been. But I am glad I included it anyway. I am thinking how much He must love us, if He uses such a small thing like this to drive home the point that I need to TRUST Him more, even in the little things. Sure would save a lot of anxiety on my part. And I would be thrilled to spend less time being anxious. :0) What some would call 'coincidence', I see God's hand in it. After all these years of being a Christian, I am still learning about trust. And today, I am so thankful that He is still teaching me...after all these years.