His Mercies, New This Morning.

Up this morning a little before six, because I told him last night I wanted to get up to make him coffee before he left for work. How many times have I said that before we close our eyes to sleep, and by the time five-thirty AM rolls around and I hear him swinging his legs out of bed, I have thought of plenty of excuses in my sleepy state to stay exactly where I am--in bed. But this morning was a little different; isn't it odd how you have to really set yourself up the night before for getting up early the next morning? You must psyche yourself out: I AM going to get up, I AM going to get up...and then it seems when you do wake up, the mantra is still quietly going through your brain, forcing you to get the heck out of bed or bury your guilt more deeply in the covers with all those lame excuses about needing ten hours of sleep.

Anyway, God's graces forced my eyes to not quietly close back up, and I sat up. I wasn't anything anyone would really want to look at at six AM, but I got his coffee made and told him I would be praying for him before he left. And I haven't felt this good in weeks.

We also just got back from a three day reprieve in the cabin in the woods, time away from the normal routine, our everyday thoughts. We didn't watch any T.V., and the Internet wouldn't work. We played Kings on the Corner and Canasta, and Joey won every time except for one when I decided to pull my pregnant mind out of the ground and actually concentrate. We went to our favorite little coffee shop, and Ethan got to take home treats hand packed in little baggies, gummy worms and Jelly Bellies. We took him sledding. We went for walks and smelled the smoke from the fires inside rising out of the slanted roofs. It rained and it was beautiful.