Praise God from whom all BLESSINGS flow

I am just going to take a minute and recap the immense blessings that have rocked our world almost non-stop since I said YES to God's plan.....after saying NO for almost a year.

OK.  

All the things.

First off, I guess it started with Gina winning queen at homecoming.  I mean.  For the love.

Then, and I am going to throw in all the things.... I think back when I finally got brave enough to say it out loud, and I tried out my newest INSANE PLAN of adopting 3 more BIG kids to my volleyball parents/friends.  Most people would go,  "WHAT? are you nuts?" but this group, surrounded me with encouragement and love (probably talking about me all the way home,  "WAIT IS SHE NUTS?"  lol... not really but maybe.  But at that dinner, someone picked up our check and paid it.  WHAT?

It's everything.  I hope you hear the enormity of this blog.  I hope you understand why I am telling you this.  It's not to brag or to boast or say LOOK AT ME...its to say, even in my weakest moments, when I literally lay awake at night, wondering how in the world I am going to be able to take all this on and still be successful at work, still be close to my oldest children, still be a good daughter to my mom, still be a listening ear to my brother, still remember to feed the dog, still find the time to cut my hair and take care of myself two and one half minutes, and raise 7, SEVEN more kids to become exceptional adults...... it's the blessings that God rains, pours, blasts, down on me, that I recognize and say, with TEARS IN MY EYES...that was you, God.  

Here goes. 

Same person that picked up our check had offered a bed when the kids moved in.  Day comes, they don't bring that bed, they bring a BRAND NEW stinking bed with SHEETS, MATTRESS PAD and PILLOWS.  (and it wasn't stinking, that's the adjective I used to describe the STINKING THING)

But back up.   The Bunk Bed itself.  Another family had ordered it, didn't need it, and let me buy it for a song.  Blessing.   My two new giant sons are handier than pockets on a shirt and put that baby together for me in under an hour.   Blessing.

Gina had a blow out on the way to school in her car.  While I was in California.  No Bueno.  God orchestrated not only a neighbor to be DIRECTLY BEHIND HER, able to pick her up and take her to school, Gina knew exactly who to call to handle the thing, and BOOM, towed, new tire, back in action.   Did they let me pay??  Uhm, No. They did. Not.

Now.....

ANOTHER Friend texts me, "Hey I have two thunder tickets...you want?"   HELLO, DO YOU KNOW ME?  So I choose Zachary to accompany me.  He loses his mind.  TICKETS ARE STUPID GOOD.  I mean, no nose bleed for us, we can see them sweat.  And if this ISN"T ENOUGH, same tire friends, pulls strings and we get to go out on floor before game and actually stare at the players, like we live on the floor with them.  Paul George might have been just a little freaked out by the amount of interest we took in him.  Can't help it.  PLUS BACK PACK for zach, cool little bag for me and all kinds of goodies to take home.   WHAT?!  Blessing. 

Home front....

These kids can eat, now.  I mean.  I've had little vietnamese children that don't do too much damage to the portions during dinner, but that has GONE OUT OF THE WINDOW with the advent of the 6'5 16 year old and the 6'1 13 year old.  These boys can eat.  I can't even keep up with the amount of food I have been buying since they moved in.  I'm not exaggerating at all saying my food bill has tripled.  I can't.  keep.  Up.

So....one of my friends that lives here in Guthrie, messages me and tells me I'm on her heart to feed my family.  I tell her....ARE YOU SURE....it's not an easy task.   Well she has BOYS of her own, and brings us the BEST Roast and fixings on the planet, and we even had LEFTOVERS that Steven and Gina could tote to school.  SHUT UP.  So good.

Then she turns around and brings sloppy joe and mac and cheese and chips the next week and we eat two days on that!   BLESSING.

Gina had her senior night last night at OCS during the basketball game, and there she and I are, walking our happy selves out in front of ALL THE PEOPLE (oy vey, this is NOT my thing and I'm feeling SUPER comfortable about it, CAN YOU HEAR THE SARCASM), but I'm sitting down wrangling my children to get ready to leave when we are done, and a sweet gal turns around and says something like, "Don't think I'm a stalker, but I read your stuff and I work at Rose State and I think you should come get Gina a tour"...... weirdly earlier in the day I had reached out to an old friend that works there to pick her brain for all things Gina, and Whoa.... I think we might have a plan.  BLESSING.  

Nathan is 16, so that means they get a lot of wonderful benefits from the state and we have a $2500 car allowance that they will match (if he can ever quit spending his money and save it), so there is a good start on a car.  BLESSING.

Looks like Zach won't get into OCS this next year, because his grade is still at capacity, so I will only be having the sophomore Steven there next year.  I reached out to my friend that helped us with tuition this year, after really agonizing over asking again, because WHEN IS IT TOO MUCH? and God really spoke to me this morning as I have my quiet time (really early because there isn't much quiet time in this house, if you know what I'm saying) and HE prompted me to reach out to him, and sure enough, my dear friend is going to pick up his tab again this next year.   So my very incredible son can continue a journey few people get to experience.   BleSSING.

So many incredible BLESSINGS at work.  Phenomenal months, with sales over $100,000 for the last few months.  Just blows my mind.  Sold a MILLION dollars of preneed funerals last year.  One.  Million.  Dollars.  That's insane you guys.  Who has time to blow their nose, much less sell ONE MILLION DOLLARS in funerals?    Apparently, this blessed girl does.   I.  Just.  Can't.  Even.  Out.  Run.  the.  Blessings..

And then tonight, Gina walking into SWITCH, with the capacity carload I take EVERy sINglE LIVE LONG WEEK, because by GOLLY, these KIDS ARE GOING TO LOVE THEM SOME JESUS, and know all the best 70's songs, because we know how to JAM driving to and from the SWITCH...anyway I lose my train of thought here....oh yea, Gina.   Phone rings.  It's her senior sponsor.  Apparently 5 families aren't going to let GINA miss the SENIOR TRIP TO DISNEYWORLD and have pooled together to foot the bill that I could not FOOT and this lucky girl is heading to DISNEY WORLD in May with all her classmates.    Just Stop It. Now.  

Blessings.  

Some people would call it luck.  Several years ago, I wouldn't have credited God with these blessings, I would have said, "DANG I"M A LUCKY FELLER", but now I know who holds me in the palm of HIS loving hand, and I know who writes my story every day, and I know where all the blessings and the triumphs and who holds my tomorrows.   This is why I just do the thing.......

Because when you do the things God tells you to do, even though you feel ill equipped and unworthy of the task before you....God equips you and send you out on the battlefield.  

You just have to pick up the sword and go to battle. 

Because He is good, and He never lets you down.

And the Blessings.....well they just overwhelm you. 

My kids LOVE THIS song.  We listen to it in the car, we sing it in the house.. it may be our new anthem.  

Fear doesn't stand a chance when we stand in God's love.