Dirt Therapy

Matthew 7:11 NIV 

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

I am so thankful for our heavenly Father who gives us good gifts, even when we don't know what to ask. He hears our hearts.  After a rough beginning to the day, the rest of the day was truly a gift from God.  Mike was up talking loudly, angry sounding, and non-stop at 5:30am. I was able to get some medication in him and surprisingly he didn't fight (gift) going back to bed. He calmed down and went back to sleep around 6 and stayed until 8 when the above was repeated regardless of medication.  We made it through breakfast and morning routine and made a beeline to get outside to work again.  We had started weeding an area by the milking parlor yesterday and he did not want to stop. As soon as we got outside, he became quiet and set to work.   Digging out weeds is also a great stress reliever and a way to get out pent up anxiety. We weeded for about 2 hours, just stopping to empty the trailer 2 times. (Dad has a little trailer we can hook up to his golf cart.)  At one point, I went to get a bucket and Draco, the Irish Setter, followed me back. Draco is a very loving dog, and as I knelt to weed, he was all over me, giving me a slobbery doggy "hug" which I soaked up and returned to him...minus the slobber. I enjoyed his exuberant companionship for a moment until he was off to cheer someone else up. 

Mike and I came in to eat and take a little break and then he was raring to go again.  I wanted to do some other things so decided to take him and the trailer down there and see how he did on his own.  I did a little computer stuff then joined Mike again. He continued to work for probably 3+ hours and would not stop until he was ready.  Dad or I would check on him, but we were able to plant some canna and gladiola bulbs, separate and transplant little seedlings into larger trays and we all enjoyed some freedom! What a precious gift from God.  Digging in the dirt is such therapy for me and something I really enjoy. Mike was very content and focused on the area to be cleared and by the time I asked if he was ready to quit, he was more than ready. His tired body was listing to the side and he could hardly straighten up, but he was content.  After a shower, he sat and watched some basketball, even catching the end of the OSU vs Mich St. game. Go Buckeyes! At 7pm he wanted to go to bed, but we put in Band of Brothers and watched another episode so he stayed up a little bit later.  Thank you, God for such a wonderful day! Thank you, precious prayer warriors, for once again storming heaven on our behalf. Being vulnerable and sharing struggles is not always easy, but I am learning that if we don't share, we miss out on the blessing of answered prayer and giving others the opportunity to pray specifically for our situation. God most certainly works through the prayers of His people. 

I don't know if you read the comments that people leave on here, but a friend of ours left a comment yesterday and shared that his daughter and her husband have a baby boy named, Thomas, who has severe mental disabilities. Please be in prayer for this young family and the journey that the Lord has for them. I pray the Lord would wrap His strong, loving arms around them and carry them through, especially as they still come to grips with this reality. 

My dear friend, Kristin, sent me a wonderful e-mail response to yesterday's blog. I asked her permission to share a portion with you. I am confident that it will be a blessing to you as it is to me:

Truthfully, God has called us to very special positions in this stage of our lives. He has called us to serve in what seems like a rather lowly position that consumes a whole day, well, maybe a little left depending on how late we stay up.... don’t look at the time I am sending this email.... We have to clean up all sorts of ‘things’  in a day and serve with little to no time for ourselves....

But, I have learned the beauty in the circumstance.....

Things I don’t have time for, in no particular order:

1 – Comparing my clothes to others.

2 – Caring what others think about my outfit.

3 – Wasting time and money shopping too much.

4 – Wondering if ice cream is a nutritious dinner.... just every now and then.

5 – Unforgiveness... I don’t have time to hold a grudge... I can’t remember what someone did for me to be mad at.

6 – Worrying....

7 – Being picky... I can’t remember what I like so everything seems good.

8 – Being petty.... Concentrate on what’s important.

9 – Wondering if I lived every day to the fullest.

10 – Dusting... .well I don’t miss doing that anyway.

11 – Planting the perfectly manicured garden, so I do it with the kids and we make it their garden.

12 – Reading, so I listen to books on tape with the kids and read what they need to read.

13 – Exercising, so I swim beside my little ones, run beside them biking or anything else I can call exercise...

14 – Jealousy... wish I was more like.....

15 – Covetousness...wish I had what ...... has....

Isn't that a wonderful list of things NOT to have time for? She goes on to say, that a lot of what we think we are missing is not worth having and that a continual lesson to learn is dying to self and selfish desires and living to serve and love others. Thank you, Kristin.

Tomorrow is our 29th wedding anniversary - Happy St. Patrick's day!  My cousin's son is in a play, The Wizard of Oz, at the local high school and I'm going to take Mike to see it at 3pm. Please pray that he'll be able to sit through the play and enjoy it. In the past we both really enjoyed going to plays, so I hope it will be a fun anniversary outing.  

During one of our Singspirations this past week, we sang "Wonderful Grace of Jesus". What a fun song that's been going through my head today. I cannot sing it without thinking of the Emmaus students in Palau and John Thompson playing the piano with gusto. This was one of their favorites. By the end of the chorus, it was almost a shout! Was wonderful! Here are the great words:

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than all my sin;

How shall my tongue describe it, Where shall its praise begin?

Taking away my burden, Setting my spirit free;

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Chorus:

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,

Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;

High than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,

All sufficient grace for even me.

Broader than the scope of my transgressions, (sing it!)

Greater far than all my sin and shame,

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, 

Praise His name!

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching to all the lost,

By it I have been pardoned, Saved to the uttermost,

Chains have been torn asunder, Giving me liberty;

for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching the most defiled,

By its transforming power, Making him God's dear child,

Purchasing peace and heaven, For all eternity;

And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Burden gone! Spirit Free! Freedom! Liberty! For all eternity! Because the Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaches me! (& You!)