Magnificent Chaos

by Kari Diane Pike

My friend Rozanne Workman described it best as "Magnificent Chaos," otherwise known as "life as Kari knows it at the moment."

Due to several months of unemployment, followed by the need for our landlord to move back into his house at the end of the school year -- our family moved into a pop-up tent trailer parked in my sister-in-laws driveway. We're not exactly homeless. We share the kitchen and one bathroom of the 80-year-old 800 square foot house. Our son shares a bedroom with his cousin and my husband and I sleep in one end of the trailer, while the two daughter's we have at home right now sleep in the other end. The dog sleeps in the kitchen of the house and the cat and the parakeet hang out in the trailer with me.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband finally landed a job in Coos Bay, Oregon. It seemed perfect. More importantly, it meant steady income and health insurance. Everything fell into place. Doug drove to Oregon last weekend and reported to work Monday morning. Early Tuesday morning he headed to Arizona.

He could not ignore the overwhelming impression that he was not supposed to move the family to Oregon. He literally became physically ill when he tried to dismiss his feelings, thinking he just needed to overcome the insecurities of starting a new job in a new place. After hours of pondering and praying, new thoughts formed in his mind. He felt a compelling urgency to get to Arizona as quickly as possible.When he focused on those thoughts, the illness left.

I cried. I fretted. I read my scriptures and prayed. I realized how spoiled I had become in Utah County to be able to run to the temple in less than 10 minutes. And then I felt peace.

It didn't hurt my feelings to have my daughters show up with the grans to distract me. I smiled when my Mom showed up with flowers and chocolate and the hug I needed. This morning, Doug had a phone call confirming a job offer in Phoenix. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks like he will start a new career, far different from the engineering and land development he has done in the past.

New and exciting things are coming from this magnificent chaos. It makes me marvel and ponder on how the world was created from disorganized matter. I can't wait to see what we are creating in our lives now! At least it gives me something to write about!