Tonight I lay in bed completely exhausted yet wide-awake. I try to pray. “Dear God… but all that comes out of my sleep-deprived thoughts is the song I sang over and over to the girls tonight to keep them occupied till Ross got home. “The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees and what became of the monk? The monk. The monk.” It feels dreadfully disrespectful to think of it in the middle of trying to pray but my mind is a muddle puddle.

The verse I hang on to lately is in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 11.

And it’s really true. I often feel God carrying me and gently leading me throughout these days.

One evening, I was too overwhelmed to think of what to make for supper. No meat thawed, no leftovers. And here comes the Dodge roaring up the drive. Lo and behold, Ross carries in steaks and announces he will grill them!

God cares about the little things.

There’s plenty of bright spots throughout the hard times.

I have an almost 3 year old helper who is amazing at cleaning up toys, emptying trash cans, and keeping Evan happy for bits of time. She still throws out funny random comments that get us laughing.

And I have a 17 month old who keeps me smiling at all her mischievous antics. She occasionally will stick her arms straight out behind her and run along half-bent over. For all the world, she looks to me like a chicken running.

And I have the sweetest baby boy. He’s full of goofy grins and loves to “talk”. Growing much too fast..

I have friends I can text when I need prayers. I have family I can call on when I really need help.

I have a Bible. Sometimes all I have time for is a brief verse; one day all I managed was to hold my Bible for a few seconds. (And it still gave me strength.)

And I have a husband who really shines.

I can’t sing his praises enough of how he’s helped me through these days.

Someday we’ll think back to the nights when we got 3 hours of sleep. And the days when toddlers broke out in rashes and croup from food allergies. And the hours when 3 small humans all screamed at the same time.

And maybe just maybe we will miss these days.