This is the day.... sigh...

 Yes, it is the day that the Lord has made! - BUT - it is also the day I go to the oral surgeon to get that bone taken out of my gum line.  My appointment had been scheduled for me to be there at 3:45PM - but they called yesterday as they had a cancellation - and asked if I could come in at 1:45PM - of course I can!  No water nor food for 8 hours before - and I did go ahead and give up my coffee this morning - yeah I could have had it - but decided to just not.  Anyway, one sip of water for my levothyroxine and that's all I've had this morning.  I'll go early so I can get this thing over with!  I'm taking off work at 1PM and we'll head over about 1:15PM.  Don't expect any problems; am interested to hear what they discover as neither the dentist or the oral surgeon have seen anything like this before and they don't even have an answer as to what it is, other than a bone/root of some sort.  Me, I'm looking forward to the anesthesia and just totally blacking out and going to sleep!  Deep sleep!  Although it won't be for that long - and then I can come home and go back to sleep.

Sigh.  Hubby isn't going to his study tonight so that he can take care of me.  And has already given me instructions that no one is to call or text me so that I can rest as I plan to come back to the couch and go back to sleep.  So, I'll text the kids before I settle in.  So there!  Unless they read it here, not sure if they are even aware of it; the daughter may be, if she remembers, but the youngest doesn't, I'm sure.  

I've just sat in my chair this morning and did a lot of praying for my family.  I did some of my reading.  I just wanted to lay here with my eyes closed and pray this morning.  I was awakened in the middle of the night again with songs of praise going through my head.  I'm ready for a nap!  The body may still sleep, but the mind keeps me awake.  But I'd also rather have praise music going through my head than rewinding and replaying a TV program like hubby watches.

Only he left the TV off yesterday.  He actually read a book last night.  This is going to be the longest 21 days for him since he gave up the TV.  For him it is a real challenge.  I could feel bored vibes yesterday afternoon, he was restless.  When I asked if he was bored, he said no, he was going to read.  But the TV puts him to sleep and well, he didn't get a nap in yesterday that I know of.  Of course I'm here in my office all day.

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV):  "For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength."

I can't tell you how many times I have said that statement - along with my "Lord Help!!" cries during each day.  Do you realize how much you need to say that yourself?  He IS our STRENGTH when we just feel like we can't go on.  He IS our WISDOM when we don't know what to do.  He IS our HOPE when there seems to be no hope to be had.  He IS our PROVIDER when we are in need.  He is our HEALER when we need a touch from His hand.  HE IS..... everything and we can do everything because He supplies all that we need - when we need it.  

Take a few moments and just tell Him "Thank You".  After all, He has been providing for you without you even asking Him.  Give Him praise, for only He is worthy of praise.

Give me Jesus.  And if I have Him, I have everything I need.  And so do you.

Blessings!

Seriously? A Peanut?

 Today is 'S-Day' - meaning 'Surgery Day' for me.  Not that it is a big deal, but when you don't usually have anything medically wrong that requires it, even this is a big deal.  And things could go wrong, no doubt, but I'm not going to even think about that.  My part of this preparation has been (thank goodness it is the top end and not the bottom end) is to not eat or drink anything 8 hours minimum before surgery, which is scheduled for 9:45AM this morning.   Well, since we went to bed around 8:30PM last night - I guarantee you that I haven't had anything to eat or drink since.  Not going to mess this up!

But I did have the weirdest dream - as you noted yesterday, I do have weird dreams at times! - in this dream hubby and I were at the oral surgeon's office.  As I was waiting, I was freely walking around their offices (now you know that don't happen!) and looking around and I saw a jar of peanuts.  So what did I do?  I took one.  And I ate it.  Then I remembered that I wasn't supposed to eat or drink anything prior to surgery.  So I went to tell the assistant I had eaten one peanut - it was there, it was done without even thinking about it - could I still have my surgery.... and the answer was no!  They made me sit and wait another hour and a half and I couldn't walk around anymore!  And I woke up.  LOL  What in the world am I eating that causes these crazy dreams!  It was one peanut, people!  

I can't even have my coffee or water this morning!  

Got my treadmill brought into the house yesterday and I am looking forward to using it.  I won't attempt it for a few days, of course, but I'm hoping to get on some type of routine so that I can drop some of this excess tummy weight I seem to keep carrying around and occasionally adding to.  I love food.  Food loves me.  It sticks to me forever.  End of story.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and 40 days until Easter.  It's also called the beginning of Lent.  I have a book I bought last year and read during this time, and plan to read it through again this year.  It's a 40 day Lenten devotional titled Journey to the Cross by Paul David Tripp.  He has several other books but I haven't read any of them.  I may start looking at getting some.  This book is totally awesome as he walks us through Jesus' journey to the cross.   

As for giving up anything for Lent... I really hadn't given it much thought this year as this surgery has been on my mind.  I mentioned it to hubby last night and his comment back to me was "That's a Catholic thing; no, I'm not giving up anything!"  His comment surprised me, for although we don't always 'give up something' for Lent, there have been times we have.  I haven't decided to give up anything this year.... it got here before I really thought about it.  And, I've eaten chocolate, pizza, ice cream, and a few other things I probably shouldn't have, so I've already eaten what I would have given up.  So I guess I'm not this year either.  Not that I need to.  And, more importantly, God did not impress it upon me that I should do so.  If He had, I would have immediately made a decision to do it.

Hubby went to the store yesterday to get me some pudding to eat.  I don't know what he is thinking - is it that pudding is the only thing I can eat for the next few days?  I got news for him.  I'm stubborn enough that I can eat more than pudding after the surgery.  More than ice cream and mashed potatoes.  It may take a day or two of waiting, but I can eat!  He bought 24 little containers of pudding.  Some chocolate, some vanilla, and some both chocolate/vanilla.  It is very thoughtful and I'm glad I like pudding, for it may last a little while.  Might me a nice snack when I want that something sweet.  He is determined to take care of me and no one else can.  And sometimes I just let him, cause it makes him feel good.

Have you had an AHA moment lately?  I'm reading through the 40 day devotional from the book AHA by Kyle Idleman and it has some really good stuff in it.  Today it is talking about when you have an AHA moment... what do you do about it?  

"Maybe this is a helpful picture.  Think of AHA as a door that swings on three hinges.  The first hinge is a sudden awakening.  The second hinge is brutal honesty.  The third and final hinge is immediate action.  In Luke 15:20 we read a simple phrase that changed the story of the Prodigal Son.  Jesus simply said, "So he got up".   The Prodigal Son took immediate action.,  He recognized that it was time to get up.  It was time to do something.  So unless OUR story also reads "So he got up" or "So she got up", then nothing really changes.  This is where AHA stalls out for many of us.  We have an awakening moment, we even have the strength to be brutally honest, but we never get around to do doing anything different.  We spend much of our lives stuck between honesty and action.  

But I want you to see a connection in the story of the Prodigal Son between these two phrases in Luke 15:   "He came to his senses." (v17) and "So he got up" (vs 20).  Without verse 20, verse 17 doesn't really matter.  Without action, AHA doesn't happen.  

My question for you is:  When are you going to get up?  What things have you said "I should".. or "I need".... and it hasn't happened?   When is your AHA moment going to move from "sudden awakening" and even "brutal honesty" moving into "immediate action"?

Something to think about!

Blessings!