Randomness

I don't really have much to say (surprise, surprise), but a dear friend has chastised me for not posting more frequently (pause to note that she hasn't had a new post since OCTOBER 5th! Something about teaching and expecting her 2nd child...some people! Love you Haley!). Anyway, I thought I would just share some randomness so maybe my mind will clear a bit...

- Clay's been working overtime going on 3 weeks and it will continue at least for 2 more. Makes for long days for all, but he is a rock star. Until he got sick on Sunday, he's been coming in after 12/14 hour days and kickin' it in high gear with the kids. He chooses to get up early so he can still get home at a reasonable hour and have a couple hours with the kids. He gave me no grief about having a girls' day with my sister and mom on Saturday and encouraged me to head back up to worship Sunday morning after having to bring the boy home during LifeGroup. He has yet to complain. Our silver lining: his company pays for overtime even for salaried employees. The extra money paid for new tires and will obviously help in other ways too.

- The girl is talking more and more. She's been talking a lot, but usually just for us at home. I am enjoying learning more about her personality. She is definitely a lot like me, but she withdraws around new people and in new situations (just like her father). She begins to emerge once she comfortable, but it takes her a while. Her small size is becoming quite noticeable to me as she begins to act older, and others are quite surprised to find out how old she really is. She's somethin' I tell ya...and she melts my heart.

- Today marks my best friend's daughter's first birthday. Days like today make the distance seem massive. I didn't get to be at the hospital when that sweet girl was born like I was with her older sister, and I've only spent a total of like 2 weeks with her in her entire first year of life. I wish I was there to help celebrate today and Saturday, but I know they are serving exactly where God wants them.

- The next week holds 2 significant days for 2 of my closest friends - one marks one year since the loss of her 3rd child and the other marks the 2nd anniversary of her mother's homegoing. My heart is heavy for both of them, and yet there is little I can do to take the pain away. Words seem so empty. Food only fills the stomach. But the ache in my heart for them both is palpable.

- Life seems to be shifting again. It has shifted a lot over our 9 years of marriage - job changes, moving, changing churches, new friends, having kids, and friends moving away just to name a few. I can't place my finger on the specific catalyst for this shift, but it seems to be shifting. Perhaps it is simply a new perspective from my point of view. Perhaps it is our schedule that continues to fill up with preschool, church activities, and therapy appointments while others begin various activities with their kids. Perhaps it is the stage the kids are in or our friends' kids are in. It's not bad; but it's a change, and I'm often slow to adjust to change.

- Potty training will soon begin in our home. I tried a while back, but the boy just wasn't ready. Most likely I wasn't ready either. I'm not sure I'm ready now. I am ready to be done with all the diapers, but I just want to wake up on the other side! I've used various excuses, but now it is time to help guide the boy to more independence. Monday I tried the "hang out in the bathroom while juicing up the kids" for a few hours. I learned that the girl is not ready unless I want a MAJOR battle of wills and the boy needs a different approach. I'm hoping the girl will simply catch on as I focus on the boy. He fortunately knows what to do, but hasn't grasped the concept of figuring out he needs to go. So I think I am jumping off the dock tomorrow afternoon after school since we have nothing for several days. I am so not excited, but I know it must be done at some point.

- I'm not sure what to think about the outcome of yesterday. It was not the result I hoped for, but I wasn't crazy about either candidate. I am not really a political person. I was not raised in a political home. I did not enjoy government classes or such in high school and avoided them in college. Clay introduced me to it all honestly. He comes from a highly political family - extended family included. They can get some kind of fired up about it all. As I was talking with my gaggle last night, I realized a few things...(note, this is just my opinion and I would prefer no comment about my thoughts - they are simply that, my thoughts): 1) I am pretty uninformed and uneducated about it all. I'm finding it better just to avoid most political conversation. 2) I wonder how much goes on in Washington that we "common folk" don't know about...or what the powers that be sign off on to protect us (ever watched The Unit?). 3) How much can one many really change things? There is a system of checks and balances and very little in this country happens quickly. 4) We are a fickle people. The praise and adoration is as fleeting as the wind. If things don't happen in the time frame people desire, critique and anger will quickly come. And many promises were made (as always). 4) Yesterday was monumental, and I am thankful to have witnessed history. 5) Our president-elect makes me nervous. He made me uneasy the first time I laid eyes on him over 4 years ago as I watched his DNC speech. I knew nothing about him or his politics or such, but something sent chills up my spine. I wonder what has been started and what it means for our future. 6) As I ponder it all and the various things people are saying, I end up thinking about the potential for Christian persecution in our country. I have been so sheltered from the horrors that my brothers and sisters have faced. As I read The Left Behind series, I pondered it all as well. Would I have the faith to stand up for what I claim to believe? If they are holding a gun to my child's head, would I be strong in my faith? Sadly, I'm not sure what I would do. That makes me ill and sends me to my knees. 7) I am thankful, as many others have said, that God was on the throne Monday before we voted, yesterday as the outcome was determined, and each day from here on out. He was not surprised by this and He has a plan. If He has cared enough to make good out of the yuck of my own life, how much more does He care about our nation as a whole and bringing glory to His name through the messes we find ourselves in? I'm reminded of the song that says, "You are God alone, from before time began, You were on Your throne, You are God alone. And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne. You are God alone." There is only one Redeemer - He is Jesus, God's own Son. Thank you, O my Father, for sending us Your Son and leaving Your Spirit 'til the work on earth is done.