Resurection

We got a couple inches of snow today. It's April 11th and we got snow all day. It feels more like December than April. In fact, when I stopped by my local coffee shop, the barista asked me if I had all my Christmas shopping done. Heh.

Man, if you are interested in getting your brain working, I highly suggest tuning in to the Mars Hill church podcast. They are out of Grand Rapids, MI and every Sunday messageI've listened to so far has really made me think.

The sermon this past Sunday was about the Resurrection. Well, duh, it was Easter Sunday's sermon after all. However, pastor Rob Bell made the correlation that because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, all things have the potential of being resurrected. Relationships, health, emotions, and ourselves. Yet sometimes things fall apart and die or break or are destroyed. Jesus never fails though things around us die and fall apart.

As I listened, I thought again about my empty womb and prayed for resurrection to occur there. That what appears to be dead and empty, would become full of life. (OK, not full as in a litter of babies, but full as in one baby brought to term at a time.)

Pastor Rob talked about people struggling with unbelief, grief, or frustration with God can be compared to the tomb before the resurrection while those who are buoyant in their faith and firm in their belief are the tomb after resurrection. That's why we need one another. Those who are firm in faith can stand beside those who are struggling and spur them on, encourage, and hold on them.

My friends Kara, Laurie, Helen, and Lisa were firm in their faith and belief when I was struggling. Their faith in God and love towards me helped me to get to a place where I can say I believe again. They stood by me when it felt like all the world fell away. Getting back to where I am now may not be complete resurrection of faith, but it certainly is close. I don't know where I would be without my friends' faith, love, grace, and care.

Speaking of wombs/tombs, I have been charting my waking temperatures but I'm not sure I am doing it right. I am supposed to take it in a state of half asleepedness, but I tend to wake up a couple of times a night and then have trouble getting back to sleep. The book says the optimal conditions are to have at least 4 hours of sleep before taking the temps. If I wake up at 3 am and fall back to sleep, that means I'd have to sleep until 7 in order to have the optimum conditions for good waking body temperature. Ever since getting off my period, my body temps have been steadily climbing. Every morning is higher than the next. Since I haven't charted in so long, I'm not sure if this is normal and I'm not sure if it's leading to actual ovulation.

A good friend of mine is having a hysterectomy on Tuesday. She is my age and is going to have surgery to remove her uterus. She has three children, but it's still devastating to hear there is an issue that requires removal of a womb to solve it. Please think good thoughts and pray prayers for my friend for Tuesday.

The kittens turned one yesterday. We don't think of them as our children so we didn't throw them a party. I just served them wet food instead of dry. OK, I did put a candle in the wet food just for fun. Hee. Still, they are one now and we can't stop calling them "The Kittens".