Monday . . . a new week (work/school week that is!).  And, today was a good day.  A fairly quiet day.  Work was BUSY, but uneventful.  In a school, uneventful is always good!  After school was a basketball game.  Taya cheered.  Tessa did stats.  I filmed the game.  We won.  J.V. and Varsity! :)  It was a good day!

At the basketball game I saw a friend I haven't seen in awhile.  She asked how we were doing.  She told me how our Christmas card has spoken to SO MANY people (she also works at our orthodontist's office - we sent them our card - if you missed it, you can see it and the message I enclosed HERE!).  My Pastor's wife, and good friend Bobbi, commented recently about how I responded in the hospital - that my first words to the girls were, "Daddy is in HEAVEN", when the Dr. and nurse expected me to be falling apart.  I WAS falling apart on the inside, and still do, many times a day, yet, I still fully know that the falling apart is for me, the kids, our friends, NOT for Rick.  He IS in HEAVEN, and the glories there cannot compare even to the BEST HUNTING TRIP EVER!!  Two reminders in recent days, that people WATCH.  They watch how we deal with what life hands to us.  They watch HOW we respond, WHO we turn to, WHERE our faith and trust is actually rooted - and I pray daily that my responses point others to GOD!

So, tonight, when I saw the quote above, it just felt like the appropriate thing to post . . . Yes, this sure feels like a MESS, but, I'm willing to let GOD turn it into HIS MESSage!  I hated tests in school and I really don't like this TEST, but, if my TESTimony can shine for Him, I'll do my best (with HIS help).  This is a TRIAL - one I never dreamed I'd have to walk through, but I will continue to TRUST that He can turn my trial and tragedy into a TRIUMPH!  I do often feel like a VICTIM of these circumstances, but, will daily choose to trust that He can turn this situation into a VICTORY!  So, as my friend and I talked, I was again able to share how AWESOME our God is (she is a Christian - so she understood!).  I was able to share how in a little over a months time our family was on the "giving end" of being a "donor family" and the "receiving end" with Rick's sister receiving a pancreas . . . how even for me, this was "healing" and just another proof of God's protection and love for each of us!

So, it's past bedtime on a Monday night.  I can again say God carried me (us) through another day.  I can rest in HIM tonight and again trust HIM for my tomorrow!  I'm thankful for the encouragement of friends.  I'm thankful that even in this tragedy, others are seeing the GREATNESS of the Lord.  I'm thankful that we CAN know where Rick is and THAT is WHY we can go on from day to day without him.  We KNOW that one day we will be reunited and it will be GLORIOUS!  ♥