God never tires--my feelings do.

Linking up with the Company Girls at Home Sanctuary today for our weekly blog-chat.

God is never-tiring.

That was the theme of the 1st and 2nd grade Sunday School class I taught on the fly this Sunday after one of my teachers had to leave unexpectantly. I love the 1st and 2nd graders I got to teach. We talked about Isaiah 40:28b that says, "He will not grow tired or weary..."

The kids understood what it meant to be tired. They knew their bodies needed rest--so it was cool for them to understand that God is never tired. (I told them to remind their parents of that when they were dozing on the couch on Sunday afternoon--I'm terrible!).

Weary was a harder concept for them to understand, but the curriculum provided a helpful definition--"when your feelings are tired". I LOVE that.

And, can I tell you I had several days this past week that I could say my "feelings were tired"? Besides the regular weekly runaround, my emotional plate was full of this:

* Our secretary at the church where I work resigned due to some personal circumstances. This has not only left the rest of us with lots of odds and ends to figure out--but also brought us lots of questions we can't really answer since it's HR stuff. Draining. Plus, I have two new things happening this Sunday that I'm not ready for yet. Yikes!

* I was subpoenaed to testify in court against my neighbor. Seriously. She is a gal I've been reaching out to...but her life is a bit of a mess, and now I need to testify AGAINST her because I know stuff. That is super-yucky. Talking to the lawyer on the phone was stressful in and of itself! The trial is next wednesday--pray for me!

* My hubby's work stress got so intense that he emotionally hit a low point and had to take a mental health day on Tuesday. He was really-scary-low. This led to a two hour conversation between his boss and I (we know each other) and another long conversation with him. I am happy to say, though, that God totally spoke to his heart and he has had a MAJOR attitude adjustment and a new perspective on his job and the people he works with. This has resulted in a significant reduction in stress. Thank you God!

* Pickle has been sick since Tuesday. Weird headache and stomachache thing. I thought migraines...doctor thinks it's a virus. Poor girl. Mama's hate when their babies are sick--even if their babies are 13.

* A really good friend and I had to work through some stuff--all is well, but significant emotional energy was expended. I can't help it...I care a lot about that kind of stuff.

Besides that--all has been calm. :0)

Before I sound too whiney (too late??) I need to say there was a lot of good mixed in there too...some things came together at work in spite of me (thank you God!); my bubba had a great first basketball game, I had two great one-on-one times with friends, I enjoyed a new book, and I posted my first 1000 gifts post and meant every word. And I felt loved and cared for by those closest to me.

As all of the "stuff" of the week progressed, I was comforted often by the lesson I taught those 1st and 2nd graders. God never tires. He is never weary of listening to my concerns or doling out His abundant Grace. Even when my "feelings are tired". Even when I'm weaning off of my medication. Even when I'm whiney.

I'm sure that even though teaching that lesson to the kiddos was not in my plans this Sunday, it was in His. For me. A reminder of His faithfulness to my heart.

And I'm doing well, bloggies. Really. I'm not down or discouraged or even sad. My feelings are just tired. I'm looking forward to hanging with the groupies tonight, helping some friends move tomorrow and enjoying a few basketball games with my fam on Saturday. Good stuff.

"The Lord is the everlasting God,

the creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Evens youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:28 - 31

unwrapping conversation

Talking. I'm good at it. I am usually able to communicate my thoughts well with it. I often figure out my thoughts while doing it. (I like to call that "processing externally"). I do it often and I do it too much. I break the ice with it, help people feel comfortable with it. I make people uncomfortable with it as well--I give a little too much info for some. :0)

Conversation. That can be something totally different than talking. It can connect you with someone. It can be challenging. It can be life-giving. You can hear and be heard. Something can happen in conversation that is more than the sum of two people talking.

Sometimes you have a conversation that you know was important...even if you don't know exactly why yet. It is life-giving. It increases your understanding. It expands your mind. It helps you think of something differently. God speaks to each of you through the other. It is talking at it's best.

I've had more than one of those conversations lately. And I know they are a gift.

I'm happy to unwrap this gift today with Emily at Chatting at the Sky as we celebrate Tuesdays Unwrapped.

getting my gratitude on

Last week, I told you about my decision to document One Thousand Gifts--as a deliberate focus on being thankful.

I'm writing them and numbering them in my journal, and on Mondays, I will post a few gifts from the past week. I'd love you to join me by either posting a few of your gifts in my comments, or linking to your blog post in my comments.

Here are a few from this week:

#9 A little bloggie award.

Thank you to my bloggie friend Dawn at Beyond Grace for awarding me with the VERY prestigious Lemonade Stand Blog Award . That's right. Those comments you read from Dawn on my blog are not me talking to myself--she is a real woman with a great blog and a lot in common with me besides our name. Check her blog out here.

I don't know the bloggie award rules, but I do think I'm supposed to pass this award on to other bloggers who have "a great attitude and gratitude". I am going to pass this award to Beth at Like a Day Off. Beth is a fairly new blogger too...and I love reading her thoughts on life from her perspective. Plus, she's my real-life, in the flesh, friend and I love her. Go check out her blog!

#16 Ice cream. Can I hear an amen??

Blue Bunny's Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate--our favorite these days. YUM.

#25. A new book to read.

#32 Bubba asked if I'd like to snuggle. I mean...how much longer will my boy want to snuggle?

Love this pic of Bubba with an unintentional lip print from me on his forehead. And man, do I love those freckles.

#40 The comforting embrace of my husband. This man is who I run home to after a day that has made me weary.

What are you thankful for?

tired and trusting

Linking up with the Company Girls at Home Sanctuary today for our weekly blog-chat.

Another week already? Whether they are calm and relaxing, or busy and bustling, or emotionally exhausting--these weeks fly by just as quickly it seems. Dontcha think?

My week has been a bit of the emotionally-tiring type...for no big reasons, just little ones. I have a dumb headache I deal with sometimes and it's been hanging on for over a week now. Not debilitating, just draining. Really draining. We had a scare last Friday night with our daughter. Read about it here. (All is more than OK now). There's been some stuff going on at work that has been emotionally trying. Hubby's work too. And Haiti--ohmy. I've been following along with the blog of a friend's friend who lives there. Again, OHMY. On top of that all--I am weaning off of my medication. Please, please, please pray that goes OK.

I have also been trying to cut WAY down on my diet coke. After a rough morning on Wednesday, hubby wisely suggested I don't wean off my meds and caffiene at the same time. Aah...good thinking, babe.

Yet, there has been plenty of good to counteract the tiring. Had a great talk with my hubby on Saturday that was both emotional and overdue--so glad we found time for that. I decided to be intentional about celebrating all the gifts in my life and determined to document 1000 gifts to be thankful for. Had a great meeting with my children's ministry team--decided on a few things and solved a tough issue. We celebrated my mom's birthday. Some kind friends offered to take something off of my plate. My quiet times have been meaningful.

Oh, and I am reading Same Kind of Different as Me and joining in on the Bloom Book Club with Angie at Bring the Rain. I'm excited! I've been wanting to read more (you know, actual words on pages) and thought the accountability would be good for me. Just got the book and need to read 100 pages by Sunday.

And for the weekend ahead--some good things going on. Bubba has his first-ever basketball game. Pickle is so excited to be going on a jr. high retreat. She is taking three of her friends from school. We are praying that God speaks to hearts there. I get to have coffee with my friend Beth--it's been too long since we could grab any one-on-one time. We have our church's annual meeting--and I'm looking forward to our new pastor casting vision for our church.

So, off we go into another weekend and week ahead! I'm so thankful that through the ups and downs and the predictable and the uncertainty--God is Good all time. I can trust Him with the ride we're on.