Random Links on a Friday

I am not a morning person.

Well, I kind of am...but not by nature. Mainly by choice.

I have been forced to get up and be cheerful because KIDS, but I am not one who wakes up and thinks, "oh GOODY! It's morning!"

My kids? Oh, help me, Jesus. It's a well-documented fact that they are not morning people AT ALL.

Except for Joshua. He is definitely a morning person.

But, you know, as far as I can remember, I never have been able to sleep late. Like in high school and college when all my friends would sleep on Saturday until noon...OR LATER? I never could. Maybe I thought I might miss something...I don't know.

But today is a Friday. And it's a Friday when Jim didn't get up early to run. AND, not only THAT...it's a Friday when Jim has to work (he's supposed to be off every-other Friday). I usually get up before 6, but this morning, it was 6:10 when I woke up. I was having a dream that my over 40 year old friend, who has an 18 year old son...was pregnant! And apparently that shocked me so much, even in my subconscious, that I jolted awake!

Anyway, I helped Clark get his lunch ready. And by that I mean that I stood there feeling unneeded and unwanted while he packed it all himself...and then I walked him out to his car and he gave me a hug. I waved as he pulled out of the driveway.

Still, no response from him.

But today I didn't even currrr. SO TIRED.

I came back to my bed and texted our two married children. Every week day that they are in college/nursing school, I text them a good morning message or Scripture verse, and I tell them that I'm praying for them. And I do pray for them. It's about 7 a.m. at this time.

And then I did something very rare for me: I fell back asleep...and I slept the sleep of the gods.

Ahhhh...I slept until 8:30.

Then, I got up and made blueberry muffins for breakfast, because I promised Joshua last night that I would.

Today I thought I'd just share some posts that really ministered to me the past couple of weeks. Maybe you will like them, too:

*For when you wonder why you are in the place you are...and if you should be doing MORE, God has placed you where you are (Psalm 16:5-6) this from Katlyn Kincaid.

*On Ebenezer stones and training your eyes to look for hope, this from Emily Freeman.

*On finding a different kind of freedom, learning what makes us beautiful to God and others, these words from Liz Curtis Higgs. We are loved and chosen by God.

*On the real power of patriotism and these words from Ann Voskamp: "You aren’t a citizen of here working your way into Heaven; You’re a citizen of Heaven working His Way through here." ISN'T THIS GREAT?

*On how women need to stop judging each other, and how every yes to one thing is a no to something else, and how we really can't have it all...at least not all at the same time...and how every day we choose what is important...again with these words from Ann Voskamp. CAN I GET AN AMEN?

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD..." Psalm 150:6