spring has sprung. . .

Well, most of March has slipped by since the last time I posted.  I don't remember when the first "official" day of spring is, but for all intents and purposes, it's HERE.  And it's energizing me - I hope!  I'm really enjoying the several days of bright sunshine we've had so far, and the wind which has really picked up.  The breeze has been so refreshing  and cleansing that I've opened the windows several times to air out the house - even though it is still too chilly in the evenings to leave them open for long.

I am trying so desperately hard to organize my days into some type of routine, but because we never know what a day will bring forth, that is nearly impossible to accomplish.  However, I do feel strongly that a couple of weeks of Spring Cleaning are about to commence - to be worked through gradually, as I am able.  I have a kitchen floor that is screaming in desperation to be mopped.  (Yes, it is that bad.)  I have a garden clothesline which I can use again because it is not freezing outside!  (One load of wash is already on its way out today.)  I have a house that needs to be vacuumed from top to bottom, again.  I have linens that need airing.  I have windows that need washing.  I have dishes to be washed, which I am GOING to CONQUER daily.  *sigh*   Yes, these are the two major lessons that this newly-married and newly-pregnant woman is learning:

1. How to get the housework done, without hurting myself by stubbornly trying to work above and beyond my current physical capacity.

2. How to get the rest my body needs, without falling behind on the work that should be done daily.

So, what I am attempting to do (in the Lord's gracious strength) is to find the balance of rest and work. . . to know what my body's limits are and then use the hours in my day to gradually work through the tasks that are set before me.  If I can do the housework in 15 or 30 minute increments, and then put my feet up, I should then use the time while I'm resting to do some good profitable reading or study.

Last week I borrowed a whole stack of books about homeschooling - the different methods, different approaches, and above all the Scriptural foundation of education in the home.  Even though I was raised in a homeschooling family and I have never had any doubts that I am going to homeschool my own children, I haven't actually read very much on the subject.  I want to be learning what I can NOW -- even before our wee one is born - so that I am as well-educated and well-prepared as I can be.

An answer to prayer is that I have had two appointments so far with the antenatal physiotherapist, who is helping me correct my posture, which will hopefully strengthen my back and result in a significant decrease of the pain I've had for months now.  I have also been trying to regularly get some aerobic exercise and strengthen my back and legs. . . I'm still hoping that swimming will become a good option, but it costs money to use the public pool.

Prayer requests:

* David is busy working on his discourses and has headed into the final few weeks of his studies before his final exams in May.  He is under a lot of pressure because committee responsibilities have eating away at his study time.

* This week has been a week of outreach based out of our church in Shettleston (east end of Glasgow).  This is a very rough, impoverished area full of drugs and crime - marks of a society that has rejected the Gospel.  Pray for protection for the men who are going out "around the doors" to distribute tracts, invite people to church, and share the Gospel where there is opportunity for conversation.  Yesterday a street preacher here in Glasgow was arrested for answering a question about homosexuality.  There is no "freedom of speech" here - you can be prosecuted for "hate speech" if you share what the Scripture has to say about ungodly lifestyles.

* My brother Luke deployed yesterday for six months.  Pray for protection for him, but most importantly that his relationship with the Lord would be strengthened and become the bedrock of his life and actions, and that he would be a bold and unmistakable witness of Christ to his comrades in arms.