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in like a lion

I survived my 19 hr day yesterday (with only 5.5 hrs of sleep from the night before).  I strongly believe in our electoral process, so I think such days are worth it. Granted, I was rejoicing this morning that Bobby is retired so we could crash this morning, and I was constantly reminding myself that many of my coworkers got up early this morning and headed into their regular jobs. I guess that makes me spoiled that I was able to sleep until I woke up today. 

So much of the last two weeks have been trying to get ready for the next thing that I've enjoyed resting today. I know tomorrow is back to schedule and routines, but I so needed a day of rest today.

Updated my project list for March. I'm only carrying over two from February...the cleaning list (I cleaned light fixtures and deep cleaned most of one bathroom instead of doing what was on my list in February) and my Bible study. I have learned some very helpful and insightful things as I trod through this study, but it's heavy on group work and homework and hands on lessons, which is not really my thing.  So on the one hand I'm moving through lessons a lot faster because I'm not doing 1/2 of it, but I'm also not going to it as much because it's just not appealing. I've thought about giving up on it altogether, but I think I'll give it one more month before throwing in the towel.

Middle Tennessee was hit by tornadoes Monday night. We heard a little bit about on the news while I was getting ready Tuesday morning, but dawn had not yet arrived and little was known. Between precincts I kept hearing reports from workers or voters about the increasing death count. I finally stopped and texted my sister-in-law and sister to make sure they were all okay. As I suspected from reports, everything was south of them, but a lot of heartbreak among people they know. Several students at my alma mater, Welch College (and where my sister and brother-in-law work) lost their homes. One of the Christian schools where some of the students do their student teaching lost the building for the elementary school and the ballfield was destroyed. One of the first graders told his Dad after seeing the mess that if it had been 1pm instead of 1am when the storm hit, he would have been crushed but would finally see what Jesus really looked like. One of our Free Will Baptist pastors lost everything. After the storm passed he and his wife found themselves beside their bed on a concrete slab. He found one pair of dress pants in the rubble and had a jacket in his truck. He was able to shake out all the glass (from all the windows). His wife was able to find clothes and a neighbor gave them socks. She said she had never been so thankful for used socks before. Another neighbor down the street had shoes they both could wear.  The bathroom where they normally went during storms was totally gone; not even debris there. The family next to them, a young couple with an infant, all died. This area has been through so much through the years - the flooding, a round of tornadoes that changed so many lives, and now another tornado that gave them no warning but altered so many lives in the blink of an eye. I'm so thankful for the body of Christ and how it stretches out its hand to those in need.

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