The Saturday 7

1. I have a confession to make . . . I think Daylight Saving Time wreaked havoc on me this week - which makes no sense, since we gained an hour of sleep! I've been outspoken in the past, deriding people who claim ill-effects from a mere one hour time shift. Like, you've never stayed up an hour later than your normal bedtime before? I still think it's silly. But now I'm eating my words. I was so tired this week. On Monday night, I went to bed at 8:30, fell right asleep, and slept soundly until 6:30 a.m. I napped every afternoon this week. Last night I was asleep by 11 and didn't wake up until 10:00 this morning. I'm not pregnant or sick. The only other excuse I can think of is that I did have a migraine this week. Tuesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon. Was I unthinkably tired on Monday because the migraine was coming? I don't know. I don't understand. All I know is I slept a lot this week, so I might not have a ton to share. Haha. (Yeah right. This week is full of blog fodder.)

2. This church library thing reminds me of moving. You know how you start packing so carefully, and then after a week you just start throwing things in boxes? Or how you think, "I'm almost done packing, there's not that much left." But then you spend 8 more days packing the "last little bit?" Every time I think we're almost ready to officially open for business, we discover 15 more things we need to do. It doesn't help that I keep finding more books to add to the collection . . . We have a Grand Opening date set, though, so it's time to get serious about finishing all the last minute things! 

3. I've been thinking all week about what I want to say about the election, and I still don't know. Haha. Maybe I'll just "free-write" and deal with whatever backlash comes my way. (Unlikely. #conflictavoider) As usual (probably because of my conflict-aversion), I find myself falling in the middle of the spectrum. I'm neither thrilled nor heartbroken by the election outcome. And I think it boils down to this . . . deep down, I'm a raging pessimist. Lol. So many of my facebook friends are rejoicing that Trump's re-election is going to lead our country down a path of spiritual healing, that Biblical values are going to be restored, and that God will "heal our land." Personally, I do not think that America will ever be on the receiving end of God's "special blessing." We enjoy his common grace, but have strayed so much, as a people, from our forefather's true Christian principles, that I don't believe we are redeemable. Ha! I told you. I have a pessimism problem. (It's my mom's fault. . . And she'd agree with that.) We are not Israel. We are not special. We are a civilization like any other, and all civilizations eventually end in ruin. The election of one man who is anything but godly is not going to change our trajectory. Especially when his election brings about such intense polarization of a country that has the word "United" in its name. On the rare occasion that Israel had a good king, he was able to turn the people back to God. He tore down the Asherah poles and the people repented. If Donald Trump tears down our Asherah poles of child sacrifice (abortion) and sexual perversion, do you think the American public will respond with repentance and shame? No. They will react with fear, rage, and violence. 

4. I'm honestly sad for the people who are so terrified of Donald Trump. In truth, I can't really wrap my head around it. He's already been our president once. Did thousands of women die because they couldn't get an abortion? Did bricks get thrown through your windows because you're black? Were we stripped of our ability to vote? Was your gay marriage annulled or your trans daughter sent to the Gulag? He is one (elderly) man, restricted by a government of checks and balances. Do you really believe the media's fearmongering? Did he really say (and mean literally) half of what's been attributed to him? Does he honestly have the power to do what everyone is so afraid he's going to do? I know, I know. You'll all say I'm not trembling in fear because of my privilege . . . and you're right. I'm privileged to have a hope beyond my political leanings. I'm privileged to know that this world is temporary, and my eternal citizenship is in Heaven. I know that sounds like a bumper sticker from the 90s, but it's true. Even if Harris had won on Tuesday, I would've had peace on Wednesday. Even if Trump does turn out to be a fascist maniac, I will trust that God uses everything for our good and His glory. There is so little in our control. Stop clutching it. Do what is right and trust God with the rest. 

5. I read another non-fiction book today. It was very good, but very controversial, and I've stirred up enough of that already, so I'm not going to share the title. Only 36 more to go before my 40th birthday! Sadly, I'm only at 40 books for the year. Apparently an unhealthy work/life balance, social media addiction, and near-constant exhaustion is not conducive to reading voraciously. Who would've thought?

6. Stop the presses. Something crazy has happened. Lena decided to play Upward basketball. I've always said she has skills in spades, but her skills are nearly outmatched by her anxiety. I never thought she would play an organized sport where there's potential for failure and embarrassment. But she's conquering her fears and proving me wrong! Justin took her to the evaluation earlier this week, and then today I tagged along to watch her scrimmage (another way they measure ability to ensure evenly matched teams). She doesn't totally know what she's doing, because she's never played basketball outside of our driveway before, but she has so much natural ability and tenacity. I'm so excited to watch her learn and grow this year! 

It's crazy to see her with her peers and realize how scrawny she is. She's in 6th grade. 11 years old. And I ordered her size 8 shorts for her uniform. Lol. 

7. Well, I only have one meme and two pictures today. Too much sleeping, not enough meme-trolling, I guess.

Post scrimmage slushie

There's an epic sleepover happening here tonight (where, as yet, no sleeping has occurred), complete with matching jammies!