Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
Good and upright is the LORD;
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
Psalm 25 (selected verses)
The sleeping pill is not working any more as is evidenced by numerous wakings in the night. Last night, as an example, Andy woke up 7 times, each time, needing me to help him get to the bathroom. This involves turning on the light, guiding him the right direction, then giving minute instructions for a simple task. I'm really amazed that I don't feel worse than I do. It's obvious that God is giving me the strength to do the task he has called me to. That reminds me of David's boast in the Lord: "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." (2 Samuel 22:30 & Psalm 18:29)
Yesterday was another beautiful fall day but I'm thinking it might be the last for a while. The temperature was 60 degrees and I just couldn't stay inside, so after walking around our yard, we got in the car and went over to Trotters Crossing - a nearby park in Mt. Laurel.
We walked almost a mile and Andy did well the whole time. He seems to be anxious and restless - a new phase of the disease? He is constantly pacing around the house, moving and not sitting still, even for a movie. It may be a result of his Parkinson's, which may also be why he's not sleeping well. He twitches and jerks all night long. Poor guy.
We also stopped in to see Dawn and her family, although the two youngest kids were napping. They have a lot of leaves to rake up.
Paul Tripp has an email he sends out every Wednesday morning that I get, Wednesday's Word. This week was a good reminder that people with Alzheimer's aren't the only ones who forget.
We all do it, probably every day. It has a much bigger impact than we realize. The scary thing is, we barely recognize that we're doing it.
What is this thing we all tend to do? We forget the generosity of God.
In the busyness and self-centeredness of our lives, we forget how much we have been blessed by grace. The fact that he blesses us when we deserve nothing (except for wrath and punishment) fades from our memories like a song whose lyrics we once knew but now cannot recall.
Every morning, God's generosity greets us in at least a dozen ways, but we barely recognize it as we frenetically prepare for our day. When we lay our exhausted heads down at night, we often fail to look back on the many gifts that dripped from God's hands into our little lives.
I like the way he describes God's gifts as "dripping from His hands." God's Word also depicts God as being lavish in the gifts he gives us and rich in love. And what about Ephesians 3:20 that portrays Christ's love as surpassing knowledge. Verse 20 promises that He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. He is constantly working on our behalf, giving us good gifts because of his great love for us.
Oh, God, give me eyes to see your goodness and not focus on my circumstances. I want to be consumed with God and His goodness and not this momentary trial.
I am very thankful for the help I am receiving in the mornings in getting Andy and myself ready for the day. I'm actually surprised at myself that I can adapt to the new way of life in our house (only by God's grace), but what a special blessing to get some relief when someone else can assist.
I am also very grateful for The Tender, providing me a much needed break from caring for Andy - 5 hours a day/5 days a week.
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving and we do have a lot to be thankful for, most of all, our blessed Savior, who gave his life that we might have life eternal.
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