I am not well.  My stomach cramping is gone but the congestion in my head has moved heavily into my sinuses and ears. 

Never the less I had set today as our first school day.  I determined to begin today, despite being so sick.  It was a mistake.  Things went all wrong from the start.  We got our History lesson in but the more my head pounded, the more my frustration grew.  I just knew the best thing to do was to stop and put it all away....SO, that is just what we did. 

Instead of getting a lesson in Science and English this morning, my children got a lesson in the realization that Mama is a person.  She has limitations and sometimes needs to rest.  They also learned that sometimes our own plans don't line up with the Father's.  Sometimes things don't work out just as planned....

I closed the book, gently explained to the children that I wasn't frustrated or disappointed with them but that I just needed to rest.  They rised to the occasion!  My oldest prepared dinner.  My oldest son prepared a glass of water.  My 6 year old tucked me in on the couch and my youngest ones sat all around me with books. 

When my husband came home for the noon meal I was in tears.  He reminded me that it was okay to need to rest.  It was okay to remove myself from the position of having everything under control, to being the needy one for a time.

I had to go back and read my own post about needing rest.  I am going to repost it here....just in case someone out there is feeling just as I have today.  Sometimes we need physical rest...sometimes it is our souls desperately needing rest.  Whichever it may be, may we remember that it is okay.

Romans 8:26

"And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness.for we do not know how to prayas we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Oh how many times this scripture has brought comfort to my soul.  Sometimes we are just tired.  Sometimes we need rest but ask ourselves if it is even right to seek such rest...but it is right, the Lord expects it of us.  When we are tired and feel our whole being begging for rest we must trust it is okay!   I certainly don't mean it is okay to give up, but rest is so necessary and the Lord does grant us this!

I really don't have much to say today.  The scripture above and the poem below...well...they pretty much speak for themselves.  Our Heavenly Father wishes for us to come and rest at His throne when we are battle weary.  He takes care of things while we "sleep".  If you are in need of  rest, fall asleep on Him today so you can regain strength to get back to His work.

A Poem by Ella Conrad Cowherd

I'm too tired to trust and too tired to pray,
Said one, as the over-taxed strength gave way.
The one conscious thought by my mind possessed,
Is, oh, could I just drop it all and rest.

Will God forgive me, do you suppose,
If I go right to sleep as a baby goes,
Without an asking if I may,
Without every trying to trust and pray?

Will God forgive you? why think, dear heart,
When language to you was an unknown art,
Did a mother deny you needed rest,
Or refuse to pillow your head on her breast?

Did she let you want when you could not ask?
Did she set her child an unequal task?
Or did she cradle you in her arms,
And then guard your slumber against alarms?

Ah, how quick was her mother love to see,
The unconscious yearnings of infancy.
When you've grown too tired to trust and pray,
When over-wrought nature has quite given way:

Then just drop it all, and give up to rest,
As you used to do on a mother's breast,
He knows all about it---the dear Lord knows,
So just go to sleep as a baby goes;

Without even asking if you may,
God knows when His child is too tired to pray.
He judges not solely by uttered prayer,
He knows when the yearnings of love are there.

He knows you do pray, He knows you do trust,
And He knows, too, the limits of poor, weak dust.
Oh, the wonderful sympathy of Christ,
For His chosen ones in that midnight tryst,

When He bade them sleep and take their rest,
While on Him the guilt of the whole world pressed---
You've given your life up to Him to keep,
Then don't be afraid to go right to sleep." *3