Insomnia

Note to self: When you spend the day at home with a sick child and end up resting on the couch with him most of the morning and then taking a nap with him in the afternoon, you may have trouble falling asleep at bedtime.

Odd

It turned out that the piece for which I was interviewed was on the front page of our local paper last Friday. The reporter was quite articulate and did a nice job putting the article together. So a few friends have been commenting on the paper and teasing me, asking me to sign a copy and all.

Then today, I received an envelope addressed to me with no return address that contained the following:

* a neatly trimmed copy of the article

* a recipe for Taco Pie that appears to have been cut out of a magazine

* an evangelistic tract titled "What If" that asks "What if...your life were to end today? Are you 100% certain that you would go to Heaven?"

A friend who was here when I opened the mail noted that the postal stamp if from Indianapolis, Indiana and things mailed locally go through Kokomo.

So, I don't know what to make of this. Here are some possible theories I have so far:

A. Some who knows me wanted me to have a copy of the article and a new recipe to try. For lent their have pledged to hand out one evangelistic tract a day, so I was their person for that day. They work in Indy and mailed it from there.

B. Someone who does not know me wanted me to have a copy of the article. They read that I was a single mom, so they included a new recipe for me to try. They were unclear of my spiritual commitment since the article shared that I use to work as a children's pastor and now teach at a local school, so they included the tract.

C. Someone I may or may not know wanted me to have a copy of the article. They read that I am a single mom and concluded that I am obviously living in sin because I either have had children out of wedlock or I am divorced. Either way, the tract would take care of that issue, and they threw in the recipe to seem more kind.

D. What do YOU think?

Date

Two tickets to see Mark Lowry at the Honeywell Center: $32.00.

Fuel to drive to Wabash: $10.00.

Dinner from MCDonald's drive thru: $8.10.

Water and Cheetos (and orange fingers) at intermission:$4.00.

Having my nine year-old son turn to look at me and say "I love you, mom." five times during the concert: Priceless.

Today

A couple of highlights from my day...

After a busy day helping with our Black History Month Fair, I was exhausted this morning and did the very minimal in getting ready: I didn't take time for make up and I did not dry or straighten my hair, so it was curly/wavy.

Less than an hour into my day, I began to regret that decision when a fourth grade girl in my Success group said, "Your hair is crazy today Ms. Womack."

"I know." I replied. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Yes." she offered, but our science practice test for ISTEP prevented me from taking her up on her offer.

Fast forward 2 hours into my morning when I enter a first grade class and am greeted by a sweet boy who matter-of-factly observed, "Bad hair day, huh?"

"Yes," I agreed. "I am having a a bad hair day." I laughed with the classroom teacher and made a mental note to blow dry my hair from now on.

The day progressed uneventfully until after school when I unexpectedly I found myself the subject of an interview. Our local newspaper is doing a series of Marion residents, and I was happily answering questions about my life when the reporter mentioned getting a photograph. "Are you kidding?" I asked. "No way!" (Just kidding.)

I graciously posed for a photo with a small group of students and learned a bit more about humility today. I have to admit that I have my alarm set and plan to be much more prepared tomorrow...just in case.

Hope

One Sunday morning in January, our worship leader shared about how someone challenged her to pick a key word or phrase for the upcoming year. I listened as she described contemplating the idea and finally selecting a theme for 2012. As she talked one word kept running through my mind: hope.

The past few years have been long and difficult. God has provided many things: peace, joy, forgiveness, rest. But this year, I am claiming hope. Hope for the future. Hope for redemption. Hope in the One who has all things under His control and who loves me immensely.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6