setting yourself up for failure or victory?

by golly, the Lord continues to teach me new things! and I listened :) today was a better day. i think jet lag is starting to subside. physically, i felt much more like myself. coffee was involved as you probably guessed.

on thursdays, our schedule is so predictable it is almost comical. we are a stalker's dream. probably not a politically sensitive comment, but you get my drift. we are boring people :) we go to piano lessons from 9:30-12:30, we eat at asian buffet for lunch (once in awhile we go really out on a limb and do taco bell instead), and we go to the nursing home to be the eyes and ears for the BINGO players at the nursing home. but backtrack first. last night after church we, as usual, hung out and socialized for a l.o.n.g. time. abi wanted to go up and get the 4 youngest from their upstairs classroom. when we come out into the lobby from actual adult conversations in the sanctuary, i find 7 of my kids playing tag. really playing tag. inside at church. after yesterday's post, let me just say i've never been a fan of kids running at church. my mom aside. just don't think that is the place. i felt very defeated yesterday. defeated, incapable, pick your own word. it wasn't just that. it was 100 little things i had let take over my spirit.

so, back to where i was on our predictable boring life. as i sat in the car this morning at piano, i read my Bible and prayed for God to give me discernment about whether i should forge ahead with our regular routine by golly or if He had some other advice. and He put into my heart "don't set yourself up for failure. get a victory." He knew i needed a small victory. so i decided that going home for lunch and having over easy eggs and toast was just the thing. since it was pretty much all we had, it sounded even more perfect :). and i decided to take only 4 to the nursing home, 2 or which were abe and lydia. and they did incredible. and i walked out feeling like i could do this mom to 8 thing i've been called to. i set realistic expectations and it worked! i'll build up to 8 :) at once later when i feel like a superhero.

and today, i had some sweet comments from friends and a couple of sweet emails, texts, and calls from friends that just did my heart good. if you've walked this road, you know exactly how an email or text or comment can just meet you right where you are. it makes you feel supported, loved, not crazy :)

and none of the old (elderly, to be more politically correct) folks at the nursing home made any racist remarks..... which i was a little concerned would happen. they are all white (or whatever the politically correct term is, still not sure on that one) and of a generation that can be very anti-anything but white. but it was not the case at all! everyone was totally loving abe and lydia! and that did my heart good.

and i went to five or six hair salons trying to find someone to do black (ethnic to be politically correct) hair. and in this all white county, there ain't much demand for it. but a lady at one of the shops called a friend who called a friend and i'll be if flo didn't call me and say 'get that girl in here!'. so lydia got her hair trimmed washed, oiled, and a simple braid. and abe got his head oiled :)

and thomas, sam, and abi kicked butt and took stinking names in the soccer tournament tonight and won 3-0 in a shoot-out. after a really dismal season, this victory was suh-weet!!!

so thank you Jesus for speaking to me today and giving some small victories that were very much needed.