'Everything...'

I have such a mix of emotions running through me right now. So many random and yet related things have happened the last few days, and I am whirling inside with my feelings about them. Yet, at the same time, I have that indescribable 'peaceful anxiety' Jay Austin talks about on the movie Flywheel. Here are some of my thoughts on everything.

This 30 Hour Famine thing - alot of what I'm feeling I owe to it. It starts this afternoon and there is still so much to do. I wonder if Archer got any sleep at all last night. Poor guy looked like he was just functioning in automatic at Bible study yesterday evening.
This has really been a huge bite for him to chew, but I can see (Trissy mentioned it as well) that he has grown up a little bit more since he took on this project. Lots of responsibility involved, and though he's undoubtedly equal to that, it has still been alot of pressure on him, with school and a job, not to mention wanting to spend time with his family, as well. I've been proud of him - though I'm still not fully sure how I feel about this whole 30 Hour Famine thing, I've been proud to see Archer's character and heart displayed so sweetly, yet with his own signature approach and brand of passion.
I pray that God will use this event to help grow him into the great man of God that he could be, and that it seems he is already well on his way to becoming.
Archer looked so overwhelmed when he left last night from Bible study, Trissy suggested we have prayer for him before we drove away. She prayed the sweetest prayer. All I could have said was, "Dittos" and my prayer would have been just exactly what I wanted to say!

Mom's oldest sister and her husband are also coming to visit today from a couple of states over. They both suffer from poor health and various ailments, so when they get to make the trip, it is quite a treat. The only thing this time is, Trissy and I will only get to see them for a couple of hours before we head to the church for the 30HF, and they leave tomorrow while we'll still be at the church. We didn't even know they hoped to come until a couple of weeks ago, so the schedule clash was unavoidable. We're trying to get ready for them, plus the Famine, not to mention the disappointment of missing most of their rare visit.

I've had four Etsy sales in the last two weeks. I'd only had three sales before that, in the over-a-year that my shop has been set up.

One of the college girls from church who had her (very nice Nikon D3100) camera with her at Strength To Stand, had promised to get me copies of the pictures, but still hadn't. I got to really wanting to see them again earlier this week, so I texted her and she said she'd take the card to church Wednesday night and I could transfer the pictures to my laptop. She forgot, but went back to her house, got the whole camera, and sent it to my class by another girl, so now I've got it at home with me! What's so great, is that she is my 'secret sister/prayer partner' this year at church, and one of the gifts I'd wanted to give her was a camera strap cover. But I had no idea what the measurements of her camera strap were, and had no idea how I could get them without her knowing about it! Now that strap has basically been handed to me to measure on a silver platter.

Yesterday at work, Simon and Joy (his younger sister) came to afterschool for a few minutes and Simon played basket ball with one of the little boys while Joy chatted with me. She comes out frequently to visit and keep me company, and - though she's more than ten years younger than me - she is so sweet and I really enjoy having someone more mature than just the little kids to talk to :D . Anyway, after a few minutes Bro. Blake came by to get them. He called to Simon something about Law waiting for him. Law and Simon are really good, if not best, friends. Law and Abigail and Piper used to go to VRCA, and Simon really missed him when the S. kids started being home-schooled instead. Of course they all still go to Victory Rd. though, and the boys get together at other times too. Joy told me they were going to spend the afternoon kayaking at the reservoir.
Later, after I'd left work, the sun was behind me and in the faces of those I was passing as I turned off the main road through town onto the one leading out of town, back to our 'neck of the woods'. There was a little string of vehicles waiting to turn back into town at the stop sign. I noticed a gold suburban-like vehicle with a green kayak and a red kayak strapped to the top, and looked down at the people inside. Sure enough, it was Simon and Law in Law's new vehicle (well, new to him - it's not new new), heading home at the end of the afternoon. The sun was in their faces, their green eyes were shining, and Law's right hand was draped over the steering wheel, his head bobbing in time to music as his chin rested in his other hand, propped up by his elbow in the open window. I waved hard as I passed, but they were lost in their own little world. That picture though, was such a blessing. Even if I hadn't known those boys, I would have loved it. They looked so carefree and youthful and wholesome and old-fashioned - two youths on their way home from an afternoon jaunt, enjoying the carefree days of summer.

So, good things are happening. Little sweets dropped into my life by my God Who loves me, possibly as a way of saying, "Hey, don't worry. I love the people you love, WWWWWAAAAAYYYYY more than you do, or ever could. I've got them - it's okay. And I love you."

One of the songs Austin picked out for our music group to do this week was "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)", one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. So powerful, both in lyrics and musical composition. It has this sweet, haunting, Celtic-y sort of sound. Mom commented that it would sound good with a penny whistle, which I have and am trying to learn to play, but I'm already playing the keyboard and the keyboard part is tricky enough! We practiced a long time Tuesday night, trying to get all the timing down, and all the kinks worked out. The other guys love to tease me, but they're so patient and forgiving with my mistakes too, encouraging and instructing where I need it. I'd never been really nervous about playing with them (I'm not the type that gets stage fright), but I was nervous about playing that song. Even though it wouldn't be the end of the world if we messed up, the keyboard was the main part, and if I messed up, it would make them look bad. I just didn't want to let them down.
Well, Wednesday we did the song, and no, I didn't fall on my face and it wasn't terrible, but I didn't come in at a couple of spots just right, and it wasn't perfect.
As Austin passed me when we went back to our seats, he whispered, "Good job." I think one of his spiritual gifts must be encouragement :) . The others never said anything one way or another, whether they forgot, or didn't get a chance, or what, I don't know. I did my best, but I still felt bad. With more practice, maybe I'll do better if we do that one again - I just hated the thought that maybe I'd let them down.

So anyway, that's a few thoughts on everything that is happening lately. Good things, disappointments, but everything works together to bring good. I've got to hurry off to make sure I've got everything I need for the Famine. Looking forward to seeing what God does through it. I thank the Lord for this peace that I'm sure is coming from Him in the middle of all this! Hopefully I can understand and learn the lesson.