I'd say this fits nicely into my day :)

Today's Verse

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

— 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

While there are many talented and successful Christians in the world today, they are merely vessels for God's message of grace, hope, and power. Our focus should never be on the container for the message. Instead, what is most important is the integrity of the messenger no matter the situation, so that the message can be seen without distraction. God's power, not our own, is what sustains us; we are simply a vessel, a tool, in the hands of the Lord.

My Prayer...

Almighty and all-powerful God, thank you for using me to minister to others as your partner in the work of grace. May my service help them more perfectly see the glory of your truth and grace you gave us in your Son. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verse Illustrated

It's been a week now and I'm feeling better. I'm not where I want to be but I can manage to sit up for hours at a time and keep my eyes open the whole time. It's good to be feeling better and to sit in the floor with the kids. I've missed them. It hasn't helped that the kids both had an ear infection and had to go to the doctor while I was still stuck in bed. I'm kind of glad that we have all been down at the same time so that everyone can get the rest they need and kind of help each other as the day passes.
For some reason I wasn't told until sometime last week after the surgery that this is one of the toughest surgeries to recover from. I haven't had any others so I guess I'm glad to have it done and if I have another one some day  I can have hopes of it not being this rough.
One more follow-up visit next Monday with the doctor and then I'll be back to work Tuesday and things will hopefully resume to normal. Isaiah can get back to school on a good schedule as long as the snow holds off. I'm hoping Makenna will be able to get started back with dance soon too. I know she misses it.

On a different note, we may get to move soon. We will still be in Weaverville and we will still be paying the same amount but we will be renting to own and in 3 years the place will be ours if we choose to go through with it. Time will tell what's going to happen and I'm okay with it either way. I want something that can be "ours" but if this isn't it, I'm definitely willing to wait. I don't know all I need to know about it but I'm sure I'll know more soon.

My surgery went well. I felt really good the first day and that went slightly downhill on day 2 and then at midnight I woke up with a migraine that hasn't fully gone away yet. The 2 Vicodin every 4 hours helps ease the pain off but it doesn't take it completely away. That's ok because I know it can't last too long. I'm going to try to wait it out and keep praying for good healing and good rest.
My face is swollen but there isn't any bruising that I can tell so that's nice. I'm trying to figure out how to manage taking a shower tonight or tomorrow morning. It's definitely time for one and I know it can help me feel better. Hmmm. I can't type much more now. I need to rest my eyes more.

Isaiah was able to start preschool today. He says that he loves it just like I knew he would. He makes me a happy mommy =D

I'm Happy

Today went well. My neck is sore and I'm ready for bed at 6pm but other than that it's been good. It snowed last night so Isaiah didn't get to start preschool yet. I'm hoping he will this week. That sweet boy doesn't want to admit that he's excited about going to school but yet he was seriously bummed this morning.

Tomorrow is going to be a very big day for my little family. I can't believe how quickly 4 years has gone by. Isaiah starts Kindergarten in 8 months so I want him to be academically and socially prepared for it when it gets here. He starts preschool tomorrow. I believe 3 days a week is a good start for him and it's going to be the best financially for us also. I'm not sure how Makenna is going to adjust with him being gone but I really do believe she will be okay. She has quite the imagination and can make up any kind of story and have parties with her "best friends" that no one else can see. She will do well with this, I'm sure. As for Isaiah, he already has a little friend, Caleb, in his class and they get along very well together and have known each other for nearly a year so that will help him. As for Mommy...well...it's difficult to see your little boy step out into a small world of his own. There are things that I'm happy about and things that I worry about. I'm happy that he is going to have time devoted to learning the basics of the academic world and I'm happy that he will have many little people to make friends with and he will learn different personalities. I'm worried about him being mistreated by other kids and him not knowing how to stand up for himself and just all the little things that there are to learn in life. Preschool is a place where little people get together and begin to learn life together. Even though it's just "preschool", it's still a very big step for such a little guy.

Another big step for us is that I start back to work tomorrow also. I'm still on light duty so I will begin a 40 hour week which will consist of Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. This is the first time I will ever work a schedule like this. It's going to be difficult for a couple reasons. I haven't been away from my kids for those kind of hours in quite awhile and I know we will all miss each other terribly but the up side to that is knowing it

will be healthy for us to have time apart and will make the time together more valuable. It may also be difficult on my body. I haven't been able to be very active without it resulting in a lot of pain in my neck which then results in a migraine. I will have to take it easy and listen to the clues that my body gives me on if I'm doing too much or not.Well, bring on the week!

I am holding tight to this promise because I am weary and in need of His perfect strength