A nugget in the night

On Friday we set out to go to Winters to visit my parents. Before we left I checked the mail and what a surprise. My sis-in-law Laura sent us a sovereign grace music cd. How kind! So, we listened to that on the way to Winters to see my mom and dad. I'm too lazy right now to go find the name of the cd, but it's a good one:) We went to my dad's last home football game and had a super time- enjoying the cool weather, yummy treats, and good fellowship. And I got a phone call from Christy asking me where my dad was???? She didn't know I was at the game and I didn't know she was there. So, we met up and enjoyed the rest of the game together. Fun!

That night we went to bed VERY late and my poor (little) Joseph had some very bad gas pains. I was up most of the night with him. Now I know that sounds like a very simple sentence, but to really be up MOST of the night is NOT fun. So, I tried to pray and the Lord put it on my heart to read Psalm 37. I was excited when I did.

Psalm 37:18,19
The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

I highly recommend reading that whole chapter if you have the time. If not, make the time;) Just thinking about our next new president and all the uncertainty that many feel, these verses were shown to me at such a good time. No matter what the future holds, we have a God who is true to his word. And he promises to never leave or forsake us. WOW!

Psalm 37:25
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

God WILL provide for his own and will give us the strength to meet the day he has prepared for us. And I thank him for that.

So, that was my "nugget in the night."

In other fun news- my in-laws are coming for a visit this week!!!!!! How I love when they come. They are such a joy to be around. :) Better get some housecleaning done and a menu prepared. Hope you all had a good weekend!

One year ago today...

First of all, happy birthday, Mike! For those of you who don't know, Mike is my youngest brother; he's a HUGE blessing in my life and is such a godly man. I'm thankful to be his sister. And, Lord willing, I'll get to see him this weekend. I'm really looking forward to that.

One year ago today I had a D&C. What a day that was. One thing I recall most about that day is that the Lord was with me in a very special way. He gave me a tremendous peace and I felt very still. Before I was "put to sleep", my precious husband prayed with me and sang "All the way my Savior leads me." When I woke up, I was in a warm, dark, room with a nurse beside me quietly taking notes. I asked her, so I'm not pregnant anymore? She answered, no. And as I lay in that bed, my silent tears rolled off my cheeks missing the baby I never got to meet.

One year later, my God continues to love me. My husband loves me more and more. AND, I have another name to add to my mother's ring! My precious son Joseph. Oh, how I love him. When people ask me how many children I have, I'll answer two. But, in my heart I love my three children. Each is very precious to me and to my husband. If it had not been for my miscarriage, (little) Joseph would not be here today. Wow. The Lord so wonderfully works these things out.

"For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."

~Psalm 135:5,6

Where does my help come from?

Today I started on my getting Thank You notes written (a much needed thing for me to do). I am pretty miserable, and I hope I can say that without complaining. Complaining displeases the Lord, and it brings others down with you. NOT what I want. However, being so close to having this baby and coughing, (and coughing and coughing, etc.)and having my daughter doing the same, I feel pretty overwhelmed, sad, and sometimes very helpless. Not to mention the pain of the cough (pulling on my tummy:(. ANYway, I came across these verses today, and knew it was no accident.

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber."

~Psalm 121:1-3

The whole chapter is wonderful, but I just typed out the first 3 verses. What a blessing they were to me today. I know the Lord DOES hear me when I cry out to Him. And I'm SO thankful for that. What else can I do but wait on Him, knowing full well that He knows my situation so completely and me, too. I want to use this time to draw nearer to Him, for He truly is my HELP.

10 days til my due date. It's hard for me to comprehend that. Sometimes it seems like things will never be different than they are right now. Ever feel that way?? I'm hoping Mikayla and I feel good enough to see Grannybear tomorrow. It's been so long! I've been staying away b/c I do NOT want to get her sick. AND, we may go to Emmie's house to sew up a little blanket for our little boy, depending on how we/she feel/s.

Hope you all have a good evening. Thank you for your kind words:)

Life can be sad

It's so easy to follow links from blogs asking people to pray for others who are going through very hard times- illness, death, etc. It can be so sad. Sometimes it feels like I'm praying for so many people I don't even know. And this can be overwhelming, in a way. And once I start following a story, I feel like I have to keep visiting and keep being updated. Does ANYone else go through this?? Then I try to post something on my blog and no matter what, it seems insignificant, ESPECIALLY in light of the pain/s others are experiencing.

I read this part of a verse in Job over the Thanksgiving holiday that was so touching and beautiful. "He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee." Knowing this is a most wonderful thing. He who is in total control over every single aspect and second of my life- is perfect in knowledge AND is with me. I can't think of anything better, actually. oh yeah. AND, He LOVES me. Wow. And my sins are forgiven. Unbelievable, but true!

I've not known much pain in my life, but I do know some. Being pregnant and not seeing a heartbeat on an ultrasound was painful for me. I remember sitting with my dear husband in the waiting room @ the hospital (waiting to get blood drawn so they could check levels and compare a few days later), and the immense pain of knowing (almost certainly) that our tiny baby died inside of me. I sobbed and sobbed, not caring one bit of who saw me or what they thought. The Lord indeed gave great grace to us at that time in our lives. The Lord was truly perfect in knowledge and was indeed with me (us). My heart hurts for others who hurt and who have been hurt. The Lord has us go through different things at different times in our lives. And it's not always easy. We were never promised that life would be easy. But, Christians ARE promised that He'll never leave us or forsake us. And for that I'm thankful. Very thankful. I truly cannot imagine ONE day without my Lord.

Oh, it's good to be home

How was YOUR Thanksgiving vacation/time?? Ours was a most enjoyable time, to be sure! SOO much to be thankful for. While in Louisiana the 10 week countdown officially began. So, now we're at less than 10 weeks before my due date. WOW. I. am. stoked. And I'm having the heartburn to prove it! (as if that really "proves" anything)

Being with the Dodson side of the family this year was a big change. I think it's the first Thanksgiving that I didn't spend with my parents. I was happy it worked out for all the families to (eventually- sorry, Laura!) show up. The Lord was merciful in granting us a safe trip. I ate lots of good food and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and watching Mikayla's cousins keep her entertained. PRECIOUS. They were all so kind and patient with her. :)

I'm off to catch up on blogs that I haven't gotten to read in about a week. Now that's a LOT of catching up to do! how fun. Good night, dear friends.

Quite a pleasant day

Mikayla and I were so kindly invited to a ladies' luncheon hosted by our pastor's wife. Well, today was the day, and if you have had any dealings with our daughter, you probably know that I was a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. While Mikayla is lots of fun, she's also quite energetic, lively, curious, at times rebellious, and a bit stubborn. So, what did I do?? I prayed. Prayed that Mikayla would have a good day and that I, as her mother, would be wise and loving in mothering her.

The Lord so kindly answered my prayer, and we had a delightful couple of hours together with several other women:))) I was so thrilled, as you can imagine. It took us almost an hour to get to this place. First we took a tour. It was GORGEOUS. So extravagantly decorated. Breathtaking. Then we ate a scrumptious lunch. Spanish rice with a veggie soup and (really good!) tortillas- with tea and a lime to boot. Mikayla really liked the meal along with me, and then we shared some YUMMY carrot cake. :)!

After a few moments to let food settle and relax outside (enjoying the beautiful view!), we went indoors for a most excellent Bible study given by our pastor's daughter. Mikayla actually quietly sat beside me (most of the time) with her notebook and colored pencils and was a sweetheart! Oh, this day was such a blessing for me!! To know that my God cares even to answer small prayers in my life is just so humbling. I was encouraged in the Word. ps. You know, the most attractive woman is a godly woman. There's NO doubt about it.

Coming home, I looked at Mikayla and told her that I was so proud of her and that she was SUCH A GOOD GIRL TODAY. She looked at me seriously, then just beamed. I LOVED IT. And I love her. So much.

I hope you, too, had a good day. Mine was unique and special, to be sure!

Mission accomplished

I'm so thankful that my 90 day reading-through-the-Bible challenge is over. sigh. It's been a tremendous blessing, and yet it's been very challenging and sometimes downright HARD. When you have company, you can't just disappear for 2 hours at at time; it just doesn't work that way. I read these precious verses this morning and HAD to share:

"And I saw no temple therein:
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are the temple of it.

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it,
and the Lamb is the light thereof."

~Revelation 21:22, 23

GOOD STUFF HERE!

Jody started his new job today working 6-6. I guess all in all it was a good day for him, but it was quite long. We're not sure exactly what his hours will be, but we know he's working straight days. Yay! :)

Tomorrow's the first day of actual running. I'm so excited. What do I do if I can't make it around the track twice? HOPEfully I'll make it. For all of you in it with me, tomorrow we're going to:

1 warm up lap
Run 1/2 mile
1 mile walk
1 cool down lap
...which equals 2 miles. (Christy, I hope you got that)

Buenos/as(?) Noches.

ps. Laura, good job on the reading. God's Word is SO GOOD. Keep on truckin'. Hope you made it to the gym today:-)