THAWING OUT

It seems the word for today is "thawing".  Yes, we have been in the deep freeze for the past several days....I mean temperatures here in Central Kentucky and the rest of the country have been record lows in the single digits and below. Thankfully, though, we are headed for a heatwave and expect to reach back up to freezing and above today, with the trend heading upward over the next several days.

I have been laying low at home with the four dogs keeping warm and getting the house back to normal after the holidays.  All the decorations, the greenery and white lights, the Christmas tree and decorations and the nativities are all back in their boxes and stashed away in their closet.  Today Mark can push the sofa back against the door until around Thanksgiving and it will all start again.

We've been in close contact with Mark's brothers for the past week.  Dad Libby went into the hospital with chest pains and he's really had a time of it.  They were afraid he might not make it after a procedure to clear some sort of blockage or clot was put on hold, but God must have told Dad that it was not his time, yet.  News from brothers Jeffrey and Scott on Sunday was that Dad came to and sat up swinging his arms and fists like a boxer , ready for his opponent.  Mark was overcome with emotion telling me that his dad was sitting up in bed and eating sherbert.  This was wonderful news after what we had been hearing the past two days. 

And as 2013 came to it's close, I had been struggling with minor health issues and dog problems.  Because I've been willing to take back dogs that didn't work out, there has been the issue of "accidents" appearing behind sofas and under tables.  It's hard to discipline dogs when you aren't 100% sure who the guilty party is, so it continues to be a problem.  This cleaning up after bad dogs has only been compounded by my recent (say, the last six months or so) lower back problems that occur whenever I stoop or bend.  You can see that the combination of bad dogs and bad back pains can make for uncomfortable, to say the least, living conditions.  I realize the cross I bear is light compared to the burdens of others, so I will try not to harp on my complaints.

We are continuing on with our Esther Bible Study that took a back seat when we began having advent studies with our minister's class.  I am so thankful to have loving and forgiving students in my class who pick up the ball and run with it when I drop it by coming in late or missing a class for whatever reason. 

As 2014 marches on, I am reminded that the days are getting longer and it won't be long before we're looking for the signs of Spring.  I am so thankful to know we serve a loving, forgiving, compassionate God who loves us each so very much and is in control of our lives when we are willing to give that control to Him. I hope you are thawing out today and realizing that warmer days are ahead.  Stay safe.  luv, Susan