ALL IN A DAY

Last night, I couldn't go to sleep. I've been tossing and turning because my stomach was hurting. I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. but was still wide awake at 12:45 a.m. so I decided to write my blog because sleep was eluding me anyway. I had frequent visits to the bathroom but I did not do anything. I even had a bucket with me in case I throw up. 

About 1:15 a.m., Jonei went to my room saying she puked in her floor. I said it was okay and I would clean it up. I thanked God it was in her bed and not in her floor. And it didn't stink at all. I was glad then that I stayed up. Otherwise, John would have been awaken and not too happy had he been the one to clean her mess. I had to change her sheets and make sure she has a bucket in bed in case she had to do it again. She went back to sleep swiftly. I thanked God and lifted her up in prayer.

At 5:23 a.m., we heard the screeching sound of a break followed by a loud thud. I asked John "is that an accident?" He said it sounds like it. He went out to check it. Part of me wanted to come but I couldn't because of my tummy and partly because I am a coward when it comes to those things. I am afraid of blood. I did not know why my heart was beating so fast and I felt cold inside.

What I did immediately was say a prayer that it was not tragic for whoever and whatever was involved in the accident, that God will protect them; that no one would die. I said prayers over and over again, trusting that the Lord will do something. Then my heart calmed down. I felt a sense of peace.

After I prayed, I looked out the window but couldn't see anything, Then a truck passed by and I saw something like smoke. I was puzzled why the truck did not bother to stop at the scene. I knew John knows what to do in an emergency like that but I did not know if he bothered to bring a phone with him to call 911.I just wished he did. 

The more sleep eluded me and then I decided to light two (2) candles for the intention of the accident. John has not come back so something must have happened.

Several minutes later, I heard our dogs howling. They do that whenever they hear sirens or ambulance passing by. I thanked God that they arrived. When I looked out the window again, there were firetrucks, EMS and police cars.

When John finally came in the door, I asked him what happened. He said a man named Tim Joyner driving a 4-door chevy 4 X 4 truck  decided to pass a vehicle by Paradise Lakes and ended upside down near our neighbor's house. He said the neighbor was there first (he was closest) but it was him who called 911. He said it took 40 minutes for them to pull him out of the truck. Tim was not wearing a seatbelt, one leg was outside the window and the other was in the windshield. He said he did not know if his legs were okay but for sure he had a broken arm. He said he was lucky he did not die.

I thanked God he was  not critical and after some time I finally fell asleep.   I woke up 4 minutes til 11:00 a.m. The boys were getting ready to move Peter's bed, toys and clothes to the extra room which will be his  own bedroom. Johnathan and Ryan will again have the room to themselves. John had given them orders on what to do and did not even tell me. I wanted Peter to upgrade to a twin bed already but John said he will still use his toddler bed. The big lizard tank will stay in the room since it's very heavy to move and it has no place for it yet. There were again battle of the wills and tongues.

Before eating lunch, John said he wanted to watch a movie in the theater. I was opposed to it because I still was unsure if my stomach was okay. Besides, Jonei was sick. She threw up twice last night. The boys were nagging me about going. If you truly know me, you would know I do not like that at all. I felt as if they were deciding for me and that is what I've had enough of in my life. In my desire to keep peace and respect others, I agreed to their bidding even if that was not what I wanted.  So I was irritated and aggravated that resulted in more argument between me and John.

They were ready to go without Jonei and myself when I heard Jonei say "I want to go to the movies." So we all went. On the way there, we stopped at the gas station in Southport. I was talking with my friend Amy on the phone. I saw the kids get out of the van to go to the bathroom. Then John tossed the card on me and we drove away. I was still talking to Amy and at the Lynn Haven bridge, I decided to look back to where Peter was seating. He was not there. The seats were empty! The kids were left at the gas station. We turned around to get them. John was a bit mad but I laughed so hard so he mellowed down. 

I saw Peter, Jonei and Johnathan at the gas station but Ryan was not there. I asked them where Ryan was. He was apparently in the back, sleeping. 

At the mall, we watched "The Rise of the Guardian". It was a very good movie for everybody. We all enjoyed it. It was another "good triumphing over evil" movie but this one's plot was truly spectacular. The scene that had the greatest impact on me was when Pitch tried to eliminate all the light in the earth. The light represents those who believed in any of the guardians. There were 7 left and Pitch was able to extinguish all 6 but 1. 

That one boy (Jamie) made the difference. He believed and when everybody else gave up, he asked for a sign that what he believed in was true. And he got it.

My friends, there are many things that could happen in one (1) day. We relax, may be happy one moment, receive good news, do our devotions, then next thing we know, we face temptations, we argue, we see things we do not want to see, say things we do not want to say, go through things we'd rather not. But at the end of the day, we will realize that it's all been good. Every single day, there are  lessons to be learned.

Today, these are the things that God wanted me to know: 1) He is in control. 2) He kept me awake to tend to Jonei's need and so that I could pray for Tim Joyner. 3) Prayer is very effective. 4) I need to be a better mother 5) I should not lose heart when I fail because even His apostles failed even when Jesus was right beside them 6) just like in majority of the movies we see, good always triumph over evil. We should never ever doubt that.

Last but not the least, faith is important. We should never give up on our faith because God is real. He is our only hope and the one who truly loves us. 

"Father in heaven, thank you for this day. Thank you for telling me that one person can make a difference; that even though we fall short of your expectations, You still look at us with loving eyes and remember only the good things that we do. Help us to remember this seemingly impossible truth and that with you, all things are possible. Amen." 

Meditation: Philippians 3:20-4:1

Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

--that in all things God may be glorified