Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you 1 Peter 5:7
Welcome to Friday...!
I had all the best intentions of dropping you a note earlier today. I was all pumped and primed to send my best wishes for a magical and fantastic Friday. In my mind I had most of my email all mapped out and I was so ready to help you kick start and amazing end to the week. I guess you can say I was starting out with a clean slate, great intentions, and the plans to help me get it done. But as our coach at work said, "Even the best laid plans don't survive first contact with the enemy." Not sure how it all got derailed, but most of the day is gone...
All that said, I still prayed that you would have a great day. I still hoped and even now am hoping that your day was magical and fantastic. Even though I didn't get this email out at the start of the day, I pray that the Lord God, the Eternal Father, made your day bright and filled with love. Welcome to Friday!
How are you doing? How are things going for you and with you in your neck of the woods? How was your week and what kind of things were you up to this week? Did you get your big ticket items moved from start to finish? What new and exciting things unfolded for you? What were you challenges? I hope that you were able to survive, get through and then thrive even in the midst of the challenges.
I would describe this week as a great week that seemed to develop despite a lot of up hill climbs, tough sledding, challenging moments and overabundance of trials. I am not sure I have had a week like this past week in... ever. In SC we had the 1000 year storm, and it felt like this week was a 1000 year week.
Work presented the perfect storm of new issues, customer issues, budget issues, partner issues, software problems, employee arguments, and etc. It probably didn't help that I managed to botch James 1:19 "Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry!" On Monday, during a highly charged meeting, I managed to be quick to speak, faster to become angry, and then finally... after my foot was firmly planted in my mouth, I listened.
At home I had the struggle with getting Ava and Emma (and myself) back on a routine after being out for a week due to the storm and flooding. Emma has cried every morning, wanting to either go with me to take Ava and Emma to school, or just crying to have Ava stay. Plus the changes in bedtime during the storm has put those two off their schedule big time. The older four have had challenges getting back into the routine and adjusting to teachers who aren't quite sure how to handle having been out for a whole week.
I was especially tired this week, mainly because I decided to stay up late on Sunday and watch both Sunday night football, the post game and then the ending of a movie. The penalty for this poor decision was a ton of fatigue on Monday, which I compensated for with an afternoon coffee. *** WARNING *** / *** CAVEAT *** / *** LESSON LEARNED *** if you drink an afternoon coffee - you are still wide awake at 11pm. And if you are still wide awake at 11pm you decide to watch sports, post game reports and the ending of movies and then... you seem to need a late afternoon coffee on Tuesday... then Wednesday... then Thursday!
Whew! Thank God that the weekend is here and I can catch up on some sleep. Sprinkled in the tired tough sledding have been some amazing moments.
- Top of the list was Trish helping me get through the tough sledding on Saturday (buy me lunch and I'll tell you all about it
- Ava trying to comfort Emma with the assurance that she would be okay and that she (Ava) would see her when she got home from school. "I'll be back Emma. I'll be back."
- Hearing all the laughter at the dinner table last night with the girls
- Playing along with Gabbi as she worked through her public speaking project of how to make a PB&J. I was having fun being very literal and difficult
- Trish has an absolutely gorgeous new hair style going (she looks even younger than she already did)
- Paige and Sydney making Ava's breakfast and lunch without being forced too
- Watching Emma savoring every spoon full of ice cream, even though with everything else it seems like a race
- Emma in her pink cowgirl boots
- Going to the fair for a quick food only raid
- Having a blast working on a picture book with Trish
- She is so gifted with words, photos, and details
- She is also very patient with a novice who thought he knew it all
The time got away from me this week with all the different irons in the fire, and challenges. I sincerely hope that your day was good and that your weekend will be even better. For me, tough as it was, I am just so thankful that God is still good and God is still God. I had joy in the trials, and some great moments of peace in the storms. I have my measure of strength and health, and a great wife and family. All the kids are doing pretty well. Trish, like me, is still adjusting to the week long storm disruption - and we are both deeply grateful for God's grace in that storm.
Now that the weekend is here I will get all the rest, joy, love and renewal that is in store. Plus, I get to spend a date night with Trish. Sometime this weekend I hope to cut down the green forest in front of my house that was once a regular suburban lawn. (Maybe I can get daddy to bail it for hay. Okay it is not that bad, but it needs TLC). I hope I can also get some time to work on another picture book.
My wish for you is that your weekend will be exceedingly and abundantly blessed. Not blessed with things, but blessed with moments, memories, miracles and the abiding calm and joy that comes when you are held secure and fast in the arms of the Everlasting God who loves you. Have a great evening and an absolutely sensational Saturday and Sunday. As always, blessings to you and ...
Welcome to Friday...!
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