Sunday - Sleepless night

Have you ever had a sleepless night? I had one recently... although typically I don't have these. I was reminded of the old claim that reading one's copy of the Bible is the fastest way to go to sleep if you've "tried everything else". Not that I had tried everything else, mind you - but I had tried hot tea, and a couple of other things.

I think it interesting that sleep-deprived friends and family members always seem to think that they are the first ones who discovered that "little-known fact" about the benefit of reading the scripture. Actually, the practice of reading scripture after we've discovered we cannot return to sleep is something that was done in the time of Queen Esther of the Old Testament! It seems that the king himself was suffering from the frustration of sleeplessness, and had the scriptures brought to him and read to him in the middle of the night.

"That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him."

Esther 6:1 ~ ESV

Every parent with children, and maybe especially those parents with children who have special needs, have faced that kind of frustration with the sleeplessness that follows our awakening to care for our little loved ones. It is no better tolerated when we wake up for no good reason and find our sleep hindered than it is when we were awakened for an honorable reason (preschooler who needs consoling, infant who needs to be fed, or for welcoming an older teen or spouse coming in much delayed). You'd think that we'd initially have think to implement our idea of scripture reading, since we have noted that it seems to have an effect upon us.

The question I'd like to ask is this...
If the reading of the scriptures actually does bring restful sleep to us in those frustrated evenings or wee hours of the morning... whose idea do you suppose it was for us to think of and to read the scriptures? Ours - or HIS?

Don't you think it's quite possible that our seemingly random sleeplessness is not a misfortunate adversity but rather an appointed time of communication with the Lord of our lives? Could that sleepless hour (or two or three!), actually be God's calling out to us - wishing to fill us with HIS Words?

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Saturday Storytelling

Our trip to be with our two older sons and their wives in Texas for the birth of our grandchildren was definitely a memorable one. Besides the wonder and awe we felt as we "laid eyes on" the two precious babies, the beauty of our daughters-in-love as they cared for their infants, the melting of OUR hearts as we viewed our two sons AS FATHERS (!) holding their own sweet babies... several other things that happened during those 10 days were simply PRICELESS.

One of them was this TREASURE of a moment between Megan, our newborn granddaughter, and David, our third son. Uncle David really "took up with" the two babies, and a couple of times (other than this one caught on digital camera) during our stay there he showed a tender love and concern for his brand new nephew and niece.

This might not seem like a big deal to most families and most younger brothers, but in our family it is HUGE! You see, our David doesn't communicate as well or as easily as do the rest of us. Every opportunity that he takes advantage of (for communicating) is a prized gift to the rest of us. And his devotion to the precious new additions to the family was truly a special thing to his dear old Mom. : )

It is important for ALL of us to be aware that each person in our lives is continually making attempts to communicate with us. It's so easy to let those moments go by, letting the words fall on deaf ears, or to be brushed aside quickly in order to give our attention to something else deemed urgent at the time. We might find that communication with some people is harder than with other people, but all people communicate... and all people need to be "heard". Maybe there's someone you know who needs a little special time of communication from you... I pray that you make time for just that!

Let's not forget that all of us need a special time of communication with our heavenly Father... and that He is both speaking and listening to us. Yes, THIS is the real treasure!

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."

Isaiah 65:24 ~NIV

Thankful Thursday

I can't start a paragraph about thankfulness without sharing my thankfulness for the Lord God Almighty. I am forever thankful for my God and His immeasurable love, for His Son Jesus and His substitutionary sacrifice for the lives of sinners like me, and for the Holy Spirit and His direction in my daily life.

The past few weeks I have been continuing to learn to be thankful - even though trials persist. This week, I am thankful ...

1) my husband and I have a reliable vehicle and money for the fuel for a 12+ hour "road trip" to TX to meet our newborn grandchildren in two TX cities!
2) that we have tools for helping us cope with the struggle of being in that vehicle for so many hours.
3) our son with special needs is a terrific traveler and patient passenger, actually enjoying such lengthy trips.
4) our older sons' wives are so welcoming and accommodating of "Uncle David".
5) the time spent with our grown children is such a blessing!
6) that long-distance grand-parenting is going to be possible, and made even more accessible through the marvel of technology... online photo albums and video phone calls!
7) that our newborn grandchildren are in God's hands!
8) that Austin and Megan (our grandchildren) are in the hands of loving parents.
9) that both Megan and Austin will, occasionally, be in the hands of loving grandparents - either in TX, or in Alabama!
10) that both grandchildren will have loving church families that will supplement the prayer and care of their parents and grandparents.

"I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well."

PSALM 139:14 ~NASB

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The WORD, for Wednesday

"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence,

work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you,
both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
so that you will prove yourselves to be
blameless and innocent, children of God
above reproach in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you appear as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life,
so that in the day of Christ
I will have reason to glory
because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering
upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
You too, I urge you,
rejoice in the same way
and share your joy with me."

Philippians 2:12-18 NASB

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Two Babies

Newsflash! We're grandparents!

Our oldest two sons & their wives have entered the world of parenthood,
and we two old-fogeys have fallen head over heels in love with ...

Grandchildren!

AUSTIN DAVID ALLISON ..............MEGAN ASHLEY ALLISON

2 weeks old on next Tuesday.........2 weeks old next Friday. .

"Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers."

Proverbs 17:6
[ESV]

Thankful Thursday

As always, I am thankful to God for making Himself known to me, and for the sacrifice of His own Son for my sin, the love of the Savior, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In addition, I am thankful for…

1) the scrutiny of Scripture
2) the blessings of babies
3) transportation to Texas
4) deliberate decisions
5) friendships that last forever
6) precious promises
7) gifts granted
8) restful rewards

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.His love endures forever. "

Psalms 136:1

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The WORD, for Wednesday

Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

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Thankful Thursday

Continuing my Thursday goal of acknowledging a few new (or radically rediscovered) blessings from the Lord, I’m adding a few more things to my list. However, the first things I declare must always be God Himself and His great love for us, and His gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the counsel of the Holy Spirit who first drew me to Him.

Today I’m also thankful for…
1) Words spoken and understood as encouragement this week
2) Two tiny babies, awaiting their births later this month
3) The excitement of anticipation of these first two grandchildren for my husband and me
4) Packages received containing adapted devices that will allow my son to access his own choice of recorded scripture, and his favorite praise and worship songs
5) My continuing recovery from toe surgery
6) Tylenol , which actually works for me
7) JOY amidst pain
8) God’s willingness to hear us when we pray
9) Patience beyond all measure - which God has shown me
10) Patience my family has shown me
11) Art, and the pleasant calming nature of some of it
12) Changing attitudes of people greeting those of us who have family members with special needs
13) Prescription medications which help with seizure control in persons with epilepsy
14) God’s continuing presence in the circumstances of our lives
15) The very IDEA of love... and for God’s demonstration of it

"Give thanks to the LORD,
call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done."

1 Chronicles 16:8

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The WORD, for Wednesday

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"And He has said to me,
'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'
Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake;
for when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9,10

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Monday Musings

Sifting through medical bills, correspondence, and other related items is no fun. But it’s part of our lives, especially for those of us who have family members with special needs. For a couple of weeks, I’ve been catching up on the filing for those types of items. I’ve been preparing to make payments for the bills after comparing with insurance EOB’s. And, I’m preparing to write the report that my adult son with special needs is required to fill out annually relating to resources he receives from SSI. (his disabilities occurred before the age of 22.)

The bill paying is a standard process, one that we all do for a variety of things that we are billed for during the year. It’s not tough, the process that is. However because our son receives secondary insurance through Medicaid , it takes some extra phone calls to find out what has been paid , and therefore what the remaining balance might be. This process is standard, not really difficult or frustrating to me. But I still have to write the checks.

The record-keeping for the annual report that the government requires from my son with is more detailed and highly frustrating to me. I keep all of his receipts and create an itemized two-category list for the government: food, and "everything else"). Actually the form that makes up the annual report is relatively simple. I just transfer the totals of the columns of numbers I have created… and then sign it verifying that there are no errors, before mailing it off.

Sifting through those receipts and deciding the totals for the food and non-food frustrates me. I make separate trips (when I have enough time) for food and for those other things my son needs. But often, I end up needing to make a trip for both categories of things. Then… I’m drawn to Wal-mart, where I can pick up ALL the items on the list whether it’s food… or clothes, hygiene products, etc. When I give in to the Wal-mart temptation… I end up with a receipt that has to be sorted into the categories for the government. It takes time, and a calculator (there’s some prorating of the tax on the receipt… when splitting things out into two categories.). The frustrating part comes in the fact that it is such a DAILY process… or at least, it should be.

How do I discipline myself to get this done when the strong temptation is to put it off? Procrastination never helps anything and in this case, it really makes the matter worse! The cure for my procrastination (and my frustrations) is to add the necessary steps into my daily routine… which of course means subtracting something from it (my daily routine I mean). How does your daily routine work for you? Does it suit the needs of your life? Does it need a bit of tweaking? Are you leaving enough room for the things you are responsible for? More importantly, are you leaving enough room for the things of God?

““Then Jesus said to them,
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.”
And they were amazed at him.”

Mark 12:17

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