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Sleepless in Sanford, but still thankful...

It's 10:42 on a Wednesday night. I have now been awake for the last 20+ hours.  While that in it self is really no big deal to most people, especially college students cramming for finals coming up, to me it means I have had a REALLY, REALLY BUSY DAY!  I enjoy my sleep and NEED my sleep.  It keeps me happy (and in turn, my family is happy also), it allows me to be focused and motivated and overall a pretty useful person.
You may ask, "Kris, why haven't you slept since very, very early this morning and why are you up late writing this blog if you are tired?"  Well, here is one reason:
This is my beautiful one year old, Z.  She decided that 2 am would be a great time to wake up and decide to play this morning.  So I got up and we played.  She then decided it was time to take a bath.  Then she decided it was time to go 'Bye, bye".  That leads me to reason #2 which is below:
This is my 11 year old, L.  She had to be in Gainesville this morning for an appointment at 7:15 am which meant leaving our house at 4:30 am.  By the way, I live in Florida where it is supposed to be warm this time of year but of all days to be out at 4:30 am, we had to pick the day with the lowest temps of the season with a "wake me up, slap my bottom, and call me Sally" low of 34 degrees in Gainesville when we arrived there.

Thankfully the appt went well and all the kids were able to sleep most of the way there and most of the way home, so at least they were somewhat refreshed and happy this afternoon and evening.

Once we got home, my wife took a nap, the kids took another nap, even the cat took his daily afternoon nap, but alas I got no nap as I was answering texts from co-workers who will remain anonymous but could have avoided texting me umpteen times if they had just read my original text slower (for their comprehension) and had given some thought to it before responding to me.  Anyway, after spending my "nap time" texting it was time to go to church as tonight was a special event for our student ministry (12 Stones Student Ministry at Lifeway Church - check us out on FB at https://www.facebook.com/lifewaystudentministry?ref=hl)
We had a 'work night' and our annual Thanksgiving dinner tonight at church for our students.  We painted, cleaned, moved chairs and furniture and we shared a Thanksgiving meal together.  

I shared with our students tonight the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers from Luke Chapter 17.  The focus for them and now for you is how Jesus healed the ten, but only ONE was, first, thankful to Jesus for being restored.  I found that convicting and eye-opening at this time of year when being thankful is one of the biggest topics around the dinner table within the next week, yet we often forget to thank our God for being the almighty Creator of everything around us.  For beautiful but COLD weather.  For early morning wake ups.  For protection when we don't even realize how close to catastrophe we can find ourselves.

I am thankful for both my girls as well as my son.  God has tasked me with the most important job of being a father to the three of them.  And though I often feel inadequate and overwhelmed by that task I would never give it up or ask for any less than what He has given me.  I love all three of them and know that my primary job outside of loving and protecting them is to point them to His love.  Through my words, my actions, how I love their mom, how I treat strangers and those in need, even down to how I treat the cat that we have though I am allergic to her.  I want them to see my heavenly Father in me, so that they know they too have a heavenly Father who loves them so much more than even I love them.

So why am I still up at now 11:14 typing a blog maybe no one will even read.  Because I want my Father to know that I am THANKFUL for His love and how even on days when I haven't slept and my life has been crazy and nothing has gone as planned, I know He loves me and for that I am immensely thankful!

Till next time...More Him, less me....
 

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