Is it really Wednesday already???

This has been such an odd week. After nearly a week of my daughter having a "special" friend...she went to her friends house for a sleepover on Saturday night and he for lack of better terms broke up with her over text...isn't that lousy? So...of course she was away from home with her first semi-broken heart. And it took everything in me not to drive over to where she was and pick her up. My heart ached for her so bad! I went to bed nearly in tears, the hours ticked away as each minute was an hour. I wanted her home to hold her in my arms and give her safety. This however, was not God's plan...He knew that this would happen precisly when it did and my strong girl didn't want to disappoint her friend so she kept it together and held it in tight until she got home after church on Sunday. She came home feeling bone weary but strong. I am so proud of her...how she has handled things...as for me...as I lay my head on my pillow it finally hit me that she is God's and that He loves her even more that we do. I prayed for him to give her peace and rest and He did. I realized that my baby girl is growing and that I won't be able to always be there when she is hurt or going through something hard. It was quite a revelation to me. I placed her in the hands of her Creator and fell fast asleep. But when I woke up? I was again anxious for her to be here in my arms. I will say this about my daughter. Despite the fact that she really liked this boy...she came home on Sunday, and the first thing she did was search for a Bible verse on strength. That is when it hit me. She is truly learning to depend on her Heavenly Father not just in the small stuff...but also in the heart-breaks of life. My sorrow for her is this. She has been so careful not to jump into anything careless all of these years. She has set high standards for herself and this boy was the first boy that has met those standards. Then...he ended in the most cowardly way. We are praying for him. My daughter...she is fine, she is finding strength and is working hard on a little ministry that God has called her to...more about this in the future.

My husband has been a studying for a test (well, he is always studying for a test) for a couple of months...you see he is an wireless training specialist...for a company who does corporate training for Cisco Systems. To teach the newest version of all the classes...he is in a constant journey pass a series of tests (certifications). It is so hard. He is rarely without a book in front of him. We have had a bathroom half renovated for over a year because with a schedule of travel and studying we can't get it done (sigh)...we grasp at every free moment for our family that we can muster. Anyway, where I am going with all this is...on Monday he passed one of these certifications and it is quite a celebration for all of us as it takes all of us working together as a family to make this work. He works so hard for our family and we appreciate everything he does for us. The next one is due at the end of February...we had a brief reprieve...a few moments to catch our breath.

We (Brittany and I) began a new Bible study this week. It is called...The Magnificent Obsession, Embracing the God-Filled Life by Anne Graham Lotz...very excited about this study...

On my free time...which is Friday through Sunday...I am spending time in a book called Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. Contentment is very important to me and so I am doing my own study in this area...for Brittany's free time she is working on her Purity book.

And this is about it...this week my husband is actually working locally, teaching about 30 minutes from home. He has been working at home since before Christmas and so it is a bit of a culture shock not having him here. He is back on the road next week, New Jersey I think. So at least this week gets our feet back in the water of having him gone. I was getting pretty accustomed to just walking up to his office with a cup of coffee for him or a kiss and a hug. Brittany is working on a website that she is hoping to post soon and I am just wondering around doing a bit of this and that.

Have a blessed day my dear friends...

Joyce