All I've ever wanted was a love to be true,
Not enough to by,
Enough to see me through....

Today has been a tough day. This morning came early. It came earlier than I was done sleeping. While I had yesterday off which is unusual and ended up doing completely different things than planned, I still managed to wake early without due amount of sleep today. I find it interesting that Carter's non-litugical sermon was on the gospel read in all the Episcopal Churches across the Atlanta diocese. While Carter's sermon was on giving to the chuch, ours was on God's ability to hear a pure heart. In Sunday School class this morning we took a closer look at the passage in Mark and compared it to a passage in the old testament, Kings, about Elijah and a widow and her faith to make bread for him and have oil for eight days. They were both widows. They both gave of their faith because they had nothing left to give. They were obedient to God and gave with a faithful heart knowing that He would take care of them. The ulitimate sacrafice. Thusly leading into the ultimate sacrifice of Christ for sins. This was quite a piece to swallow. At the same time, John and I were trying to figure out what to pledge to the church--not because that was the sermon but because that is what we are doing as a new couple in the church. We decided to give some and then keep some to give to other organizations with similar Christian aligned purposes.

From there, we went to breakfast with the boys without going home to change and from there we went out to the farm (WHICH WAS A WRECK) because my father-in-law was coming to cook for us. I cleaned the house as the boys showed up and the kitchen was slowly destroyed from having a big meal cooked in it. Before the boys showed up and after Papa John showed up my John got a very disturbing phone call. So now I am worried about the phone, worried about the fact that three giants are about to descend (that would be the boys) and worried that my house is a complete wreck. Once I came to a place where the house would just have to do and the phone call went out of my head and the giants arrived, I settled down a little. We used the new crystal sweet tea goblets and the new spode italian china. There were things missing like linens and things to sit a casserole dish on the tabe with, but there was family and laughter and love. There was no laughter however once the giants began to eat. There was no noise at all for that matter. There was some scaping of plates once they were done, but that was about it. As quickly as it started it ended--not before I got a picture of everyone together. They hate pictures, but they will have to get over it in my house! Whooshe out the door they went...hugs, good to see you and gone waving down the driveway. There was nothing left except a kitchen full of dirty dishes and a beautiful sunny day.

I don't know if this is what God means by sacrafice, but that is how I felt once the day was done. I felt like I had given every thing I had. At least that is true emotionally. Family while being a great thing can be totally exhausting. I don't do well under unplanned events either. Not to mention the fact that my house is so not in order. I mean physically and mentally and emotionally. I was totally not ready for that. I was totally stressed out.

I am ready for God to just take away the stress and give me some easy down time to work in the house and take care of me for a little while and then it happened.

John and I went and walked the property. This is quite a venture. There are about 80 acres. We didn't walk the whole thing, but we walked to the river and walked up the mountain to see the 360 degree view. It was breath taking. The cows just stared at us like what are these humans doing in our yard? But it was calming, welcoming and healing. The stress left. The day closed with a beautiful sunset like the close of hard days often do.

If your tired of being lonely,
Beat up and confused,
Dariling there's only one thing you can do,
Come with me,
Well I got what you need...