A Sweet and Simple Peace

Today's Gratitude: I've worked a TON of hours this week - 72 to be exact, with no breaks or lunches other than a 3.5 hour break to head to my aunt's birthday party yesterday. I am completely and utterly worn out. But as I was driving to work yesterday morning I was touched by the simplest thing - one that I have experienced on a number of occasions, and appreciate each and EVERY time. Periodically, I have to get up early and go somewhere on a Saturday morning. It's usually somewhere between 5 and 7 in the morning and as I drive, I realize the PEACE that I feel. There is peace on the roads - no hustle and bustle, no crazy drivers, just others on their way to wherever they are going that early in the wee hours of a weekend morning. There is peace in the neighborhood - no kids running about, no skateboards clunking over the seams in the sidewalks, no dogs barking. There is peace in the air - the slow sunrise creeping up above the horizon, a soft gentle breeze, or a silent, gentle rain. And, there is peace in my life - at least for the moment being and overall. I love this picture of the earth. It looks so peaceful and beautiful (too bad it's not).

Journal: Although I have a super hectic and sometimes overwhelming life, I'm so grateful for the peace I feel by having the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I had to work today to finish up the budgets before tomorrow and it was amazing the difference in the feeling I had going into work today - on a Sunday. I really tried to keep the Spirit with me by playing church music in the truck on the way there and back. I pulled the CD player out of the closet at work and played church CDs in my office. It was nice to close my office door and tune out the world and sing along. I (almost) wore a dress to work instead of jeans so I could try to feel even a little more spiritual but then I decided that was going a little too far!

I have missed Clint so much this week. I feel bad that he had to be all alone every evening. But, that is part of my job sometimes and he is so understanding. Hopefully, this week will be much better! Tonight though, I just want to spend some time with him cuddling and being close.

It has been raining all day here. All of the water retention basins are flooded. It looks like we live in a lake community. It's really quite neat because we don't see that much water here normally so when it happens, I really enjoy it. It was cool to see all the water in the typically dry riverbeds too on my way home today. A couple of them were 'raging'! I got an alert earlier today for one of the washes that normally has about a foot or two of water in it. It was already up to 3.6 feet at 945 this morning. Flood stage is 16 feet and the alert said that by midnight it should hit about 11 feet deep and could crest at 19 feet. This would flood surrounding lowlands. I can tell you this....our backyard is already a swamp. Although I love it when it rains like this, the dogs will not walk out into it to go potty. Then, when Dog finally does, he still has to come back in the house with wet feet. Have you ever danced in a flooded street? It's so much fun. Try it sometime!

I wanted to make a ham and cheesy funeral potatoes for dinner today, but since I didn't get home until an hour ago and the ham is still frozen because C couldn't find it in the freezer, I guess we won't be having that. Hmmm...I think I'm craving pancakes again. I really don't care for pancakes at all (other than my ex-FIL's that he makes at the Property) but lately, I crave pancakes a LOT. No, I'm not pregnant. It's just a super weird craving (at least for me)!