Blessings from Separation

What a busy week it has been! At the end of February my husband left for a conference in Thailand. He was gone for a total of ten days, which left us here by ourselves :( He was the one who was supposed to leave me computerless for that time; but he had a change of plans at the last minute. Of course, we're never happy to have him away from us, but it was an opportunity for the Lord to make his grace known to us. We could see the blessings in so many places, even the little things. Like milk. It seems like we just can't find milk here that has an expiration date of longer than a week away. We did our shopping the day before my husband left, and we wouldn't be able to go again until after he returned (remember, I don't drive out here). That means I needed to find milk that would last for at least 12 days (March 11). I prayed that I would find just what we needed at the store. Of course when I went to get milk, tucked away in the back, were jugs of milk with a date stamp of March 11th. Thank you, Lord!! That may sound really small and insignificant to you, but I know my Lord's loving kindness when I see it. We had other little bumps in the road while he was gone, like the "gremlins" in our elevator that started it opening and closing, and going up and down all by itself for a whole day. And then the motor going out on one of our heaters. But, the Lord has provided us with a maintenance staff that came out the next day to get everything fixed up (free of charge to us). The guys that work for my husband also called to check on me almost every night (something my husband hadn't even asked them to do). Besides being very polite, I think that was a sign of respect to my husband's leadership. And you know, respect has to be earned... so I'm proud of my husband for the good job he is obviously doing. This blessing may sound strange, but I am also thankful for this short time of separation. It's inevitable that there will be separations in our marriage, because of my husband's career, but the Lord always knows how to bring a blessing to us through it. While he's gone I can see clearly how much I need him. I can see how much joy he brings to all of our lives. And absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.
I have some other things that I would like to post about, but I think I'll save it for another day. I'm finding it hard to make computer time since my husband started taking college courses. My days are full with housework and being with my children, and in the evening my husband needs to do his schoolwork. But, I'll try to sneak a few minutes in later this week!