Off to a decent start

This morning has started out decently. I got up before everyone else and was able to get some laundry going, run the dish washer (since I forgot to last night), and even tidied up some around the kitchen and playroom. I really should get in a better habit of doing these things at night. It would be a lot easier if we had a more consistent bed time. Honestly, however, my husband's inconsistent schedule throws a wrench in our day to day consistency. Although, last night, I crawled into bed and read some of a locally focused gardening book instead of cleaning. I'll justify that since last year our garden didn't turn out well and I know that it's about time to start prepping for this years garden.

After the boys came down, we ate breakfast and then I went out to the barn with my husband to try my hand at milking our sheep. That was a learning experience, but I figured it out. We decided to freeze the milk we got from her today, in case we end up with a rejected lamb. We would like to use some of the milk, we get, for ourselves, as well. Currently, it looks like we may have 2 more sheep closing in our their deliveries. I'm praying that everything go smoothly with both of them.

Once back inside, it was time to start our lessons. Today's devotion reminded us that God provides for us and that we can do all things through Him, for He is our strength (Phil 4:13). The devotion told the story of Ben Underwood. A young man, who lost his eyes due to cancer at the age of 2 or 3, who used the gift of echolocation, that God gave him, to do all kinds of stuff. It mentioned that there were videos of him online, so we decided to check them out. We ended up finding the website dedicated to sharing his story. http://www.benunderwood.com/index.html 

I was born with PHPV and for me, I always felt like my parents felt I was broken because of it. It has effected my self esteem and I've often been told of all I can NOT do, because of it. This young man's mother, on the other hand, told him that he could do anything and to trust in God. Though this one thing was different about him, it didn't have to stop him. She reminded him of all the different ways we see, other than with our eyes and he learned to appreciate the other forms of sight that God gives us. Not only is the faith, this young man had, an inspiration, his mothers is as well. For me, she is an inspiration as a parent as well. I'm thankful to have been able to share the story of Ben Underwood and others with strong faith like that, such as Bethany Hamilton, with my children. These people not only inspire me but are a good display of God in the modern world.

A great start to this beautiful day!