A NIGHT IN THE "LELLOW" BED

On occasion, insomnia gets me.  On a regular basis, I wake up two or three times a night but am usually able to return to my sleep pretty quickly.  But not always.

A couple of nights ago, The Husband and I had a sleepover and our guest was the teewwoo year old grand baby.  When she is our overnight guest, she and I sleep in the "lellow" bed, meaning the guest room with the bed with yellow sheets and comforter.   Hence the "lellow" bed.  Forget the toddler bed with the handmade Winnie the Pooh sheet.  She prefers the big "lellow" bed.  So, of course, I don't argue with her over that.  I've learned you choose your battles so we sleep.  Or one of us does.

On this particular night, she moved all over that lellow bed.  I rediscovered her need to be close to the other person in the bed.  Right up next to me.  Security.   She would go from vertical to horizontal back to vertical but always close...you get the picture.  Let me tell you, though, as I was awake a lot of the night with all this moving and shaking, I was blessed to listen to the breathing of that little one as, though moving and shaking a lot, she was very peaceful and contented.

As I found myself awake with the night light dimly lighting that room, I began to think of life.  I obviously do that often during the daylight hours as well.  I found myself thinking of friends who were going through tough times.  I found myself thinking of all the times I had gone through rough times and overcome.  Before I knew it, a tear seemed to drop from the corner of my eye and right there at 3 a.m. in that lellow bed, I became overwhelmed that I have a heavenly Father who loves HIS children.  I gave absolute true thanks to my heavenly Father.  Thanks for always being there to let me snuggle close so I can rest my spiritual soul.  Thanks for being a heavenly Father that I can pray to on behalf of those I love and care about and for those who just might have said, "Remember me when you pray".  Thanks that people actually can say, "Remember me when you pray".  Thanks for the sweet breathing of that moving and shaking angel beside me and the safety of a home where there is love.  My single tear became many as I was blessed in that hour and the ones that followed as I counted my oh, so many blessings.

Several years ago a friend gifted me with a wooden lamb that says, "Don't count sheep.  Talk to the Shepherd."  It applied to me the other night.

Sometimes it's not how much sleep you get, it's how much thanks you find.  Praise the Lord, I found it the other night there in that lellow bed.

I will close from a verse from one of my favorite scripture chapters:

Psalm 91:2......."I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:  my God, in him will I trust."

Consider.......

AFTER THE STORM

Last week while The Husband was out of town, I was awakened from my late morning sleep at 6 a.m. (Yes, you know my normal time is 4:30-4:45 a.m.) to a loud sound of thunder almost shaking the house.  I watched as the lightning lit up the dark room and listened as a couple of minutes later, massive rain began to hit the roof.  A loud, loud massive rain to join the thunder and the lightning.

One thing about storms is that there's not a single thing a human can do to stop them.  It's important to be sure one is in a safe place when they come and just "ride them out".  Some of my most helpless and my most fearful times have been during storms.  I recall many years ago on a weekday afternoon when The Girl was much younger.  Tornado warnings were called in our area.  I can remember sitting in the hallway with The Girl so I could see out the bedroom window.  The winds were fierce, blowing from one direction to the other in all directions and limbs and other debris were blowing in that wind as I looked out the window.  I'm not gonna lie.  I was scared but could do nothing but sit there with my battery radio, my pillows, and my girl.  After that particular storm was over, there was very much damage as the tornado had touched down a few miles away.  No lives were lost but much property was ruined.

On last week's particular morning, I waited until the storm was over, then got up for the day.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the blinds and saw a bright sunshine with a beautiful blue sky and a clean looking world.  Wow.

It was at that point that I realized storms are a lot like life.  I was again reminded of this just this morning as I read a text from a good friend whose husband experienced a heart attack a couple of weeks ago.  The news yesterday was not the news that they hoped to hear with heart function not ideal and outlook meriting massive life changes.  What a storm for their family!  We all experience storms of life in various ways, some very damaging, others minor, but storms all the same.  If you haven't experienced a life storm, look out because no one is exempt from them.  I've experience plenty and don't have the time today to list them all, nor do you want to hear them all.

My thoughts go to a storm the disciples experienced on that boat one day when Jesus said, "Peace be still."  (Mark 4:39)  As I tried to encouragingly respond to my friend, my thoughts went to the scripture in that "weeping" book of the Bible, Lamentations.  It is one of my favorite scriptures and says, "His mercies are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."  (Lamentations 3:23)  That mercy and faithfulness are like that blue sky and sunshine after last week's storm, giving our spiritual hearts the safety and assurance for which it longs.  Because of that faithfulness, I can face the storms of life with HIS help.  That is only one of the things for which I am so very grateful.

Consider.........