'Show Desktop' icon gone?

One of my all time favourite things is my quick launch tray at the bottom of my screen. I don't understand people who don't use it. I mean, why waste time having to hunt for programmes you use frequently? Yes, you can use the 'Desktop' toolbar, and save shortcuts on your desktop, but I have SO many there already, that to find the one I'm looking for can be a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, I keep the top 10 apps I use in my quick launch toolbar/ tray.

Of those, the most frequently used one is the 'Show Desktop' one. Again, I know visually where my different shortcuts are, so it's quicker for me to find something by looking at my desktop, than looking in a LOOOOONG list of apps using the 'Desktop' toolbar.

Needless to say, I was therefore VERY frustrated to find that one of the teachers using my room accidentally deleted it. Yes, if you right click on the bottom toolbar you have an option to 'show desktop', but that's a WHOLE EXTRA click, and it's hard to break the habit of a life-time.

Today I eventually decided enough was enough, and Googled a way to fix it. I found a really easy way to do it. YAY! I love Google and I love it when technology works so simply. So, for those of you in a similar boat, who have accidentally deleted it, or have had someone else do it for you, here's the solution:

·         Click Start -> Run and type regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32.dll and enter

What a weekend!

Wow. What a weekend! Starting on Thursday evening I spent 2.5 days at a conference that billed itself as 'high tech on a low tech budget'. Yup - I spent a lot of time with some teachers who are crazy about using IT in their classrooms. It was... invigorating, stimulating, incredible, amazing, fabulous, exciting... and utterly, utterly exhausting!

I got to network with some folks, which was nice, and learn lots of new stuff, which was brain-numbingly overwhelming (in a very good way!), but the best bit was being able to do work 'stuff' with my wonderful husband by my side. You know you've married the right man when you spend your date nights talking about how to create a self-marking test via cell phone that an ordinary teacher could use!!

It was slightly spoilt by the argument we had on the way home about - of all things - our debt. Sigh. (We did resolve it and manage to discuss things as calm, adults, but it took me a while to get there. This being an adult thing is tough.)

Today was another busy day - G was doing sound at church so I was looking after kids this morning, then shopping, then off to a family tea. But - in the midst of all the busy-ness (did I mention that we're doing renovations again??? Nearly done, nearly done.) God showed up.

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the calling on my life (or lack thereof). Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I believed that God had called me to be something particular. I've thought this, and been dreaming about it since I was about 9 or 10 years of age.

Then, after a period of self-examination and cross-examination while we were living in London, it turns out that it wasn't going to happen. Maybe it was the timing (the 'not yet'), the location (the 'not here') or the organisation (the 'not with these people'). Maybe it was that I needed to do some growing up. Maybe it was that if it HAD happened Zoe would not (or Janel, or Nathan). Or. Maybe I (and several other people I trusted) heard God entirely wrong.

Being me, I've always assumed it was the last one. I got it wrong. I must have. Because why would God lead me down the garden path (as it were) only to suddenly let me fall off the cliff into the abyss like that? Nope, must have been me.

Since then I've been trying to shelve the idea. I've been pretty successful. I've had incredible kids and immersed myself in my family, my job and in dealing with losing Zoe. But the last few weeks.... I just couldn't get this idea out of my head - every time I stepped into church, or whatever, I would start thinking about it again. What if...?? What if it wasn't that I heard God wrong? What if it was something else - like location and timing and a need to grow up a bit? Or what if it was to enable me to have Zoe? What if God's still got the same plan for my life?

As I've been thinking it through, all the familiar excuses have been playing through my mind: I have no time to do this... I'm not eligible to do this because who am I to do this? My relationship with God isn't what it should be - hasn't been for the longest time. How dare I step into this if I have nothing to give, if I can't model how a Christian should be living and relating to God? And because of my circumstances (small kids and a busy job) I don't have the relationships in my church community to make it happen. And I don't see any of that about to change....

And then.

Isn't it funny how God is the god of 'And Then' moments?

And then. In his still small voice, I heard the whisper... What if I'm bigger than all that and I can work through you DESPITE all of that? Don't you think my grace is enough for that?

Well, how does one compete with that?

So I took a leap of faith. I've decided to just trust God. I feel insane to do this. After everything I've been through - to just let go and trust him like this. It feels insane. It feels... well, I guess faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding onto, right?

Anyway, I decided to trust God and leave this in his hands. If it's meant to be, it will be. If it's what he wants me to be doing, then he will make it happen - I just have to be willing to let it happen, willing to trust him.

Where to now? Well, I've chatted to a few people. I've started the conversation again. We'll see what happens. It's in God's hands now. What a weekend!