Happy birthday!

10:28 p.m. Today's project was to teach Bible study at 10 am, after a hectic morning that began at 3:36 a.m. when our son the Starbucks morning Shift Supervisor texted me his birthday greetings. Is it just me thinking this was unusual, or are all people expected to be awake at that hour? This was my second wakeup, or was it the first, can't exactly remember because I was awakened another time in the dead of night with a leg cramp! The heels on the espadrilles I wore yesterday were not that high, but having been in flats and sandals all week may have caused my leg to react to the height. (To get a Charley Horse calmed down, I've learned to get up and walk gingerly around in the room until it loosens up and subsides).  Eating sugar late at night seems to be a factor in some leg cramps, but isn't that when we're in the mood? The Lord kept me from awakening discouraged about the leg cramp and the time wasted working it out. Getting up at 6 is a non-negotiable on Bible Study day, because in addition to the morning household matters,  I have the privilege of reviewing the words God has given me to share and checking my tabs on cross-referenced scriptures. The calm confidence that I could walk through my day comes from scripture such as Psalm 42:8:

The LORD will command His
  loving kindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall
  be with me--
A prayer to the God of my life.

Steve had a good morning, walking Jada with the caregiver, and was happy to get on the bus again after taking yesterday off for his doctor appointment. It's good for him to have something to look forward to, instead of sitting or wandering around the house. The cooler morning seemed like a gift also, as I finished my journal and thanked the Lord for it.

For some reason, I suddenly had to go out to water the garden, tattered and weedy but high producing as it is. I was dressed already but hadn't eaten and it was already 9! Silly!

When I arrived at Malinda's home about 8 minutes late, and the gals had a brownie cake and scones for me. We went through our study and prayer time and then we enjoyed the goodies afterward. Malinda gave me two handmade presents: half-pint jars of apricot and strawberry jam. The card they all signed says,

 "If you believe that each of us was designed by God for a specific reason, then you know that there's no such thing as an ordinary person." That's a lovely thought, isn't it, and true, too. The group's gift was a Starbucks card with $15 on it. Paid for a very nice lunch after we ended!

I went through the ups and downs of my day, including dealing with some serious confusion on my 85-year-old father's part. Drove through a fire in progress on Limonite and De Anza in Jurupa Valley --a house-fire-- and then dropped off some items Daddy had asked that I get for him. 

But the day's partying wasn't over! At the end of our Mary Kay meeting, I was sung a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" by all the many guests, consultants and directors.Brownies were also served.

If the Lord is not allowing Steve to be well enough to eat in public, or drive me to a date at the movies, or even say "Happy Birthday," Hesus has given me whole groups of friends to spend time with and be verbally appreciated by. Piecemakers, Bible studies, and Mary Kay give me chllenges to be excited about today, and answers to be thrilled about tomorrow!

As the Crystal Lewis song we hear at the Harvest Crusade goes:

"Life Everlasting, Strength for today, Taste the Living Waters, and never thirst again!

Lord I am trusting you to bring me on home one day!