Ode to Normalcy

We just moved....and I thought I was the only person on earth who liked taking things directly from the moving truck and unpacking immediately. NOPE! Turns out I married someone who does the same thing. So for a week now we have both been tirelessly emptying boxes, rearranging furniture, sorting, reorganizing and searching for what must be a very full box of all the random things we can't seem to find. Before we moved, I had settled into this routine of grocery shopping and cooking for the week on one night so that meals were ready to go. For the past three weeks, we reverted to Paul's bachelor menu of sandwiches, TV dinners, and eating out.

Yesterday morning, I hit snooze and didn't hear my alarm go off again. I woke up about 20 minutes before I needed to leave. I started to get angry that I had overslept...again. My frustration started to grow as I thought "I don't have time to shower, I'll feel blah all day, why can't I get out of bed on time, what is wrong with me?!" And then I was overcome with "Maybe I just needed that extra sleep. The Lord decided I needed an extra few minutes." I got up and quickly showered, tossed my mousse in my hair and scrunched it on the way out the door. The eternally long light that I have so perfectly timed outside our complex did not change at it's scheduled 7:25am...though by the grace of God I made it to the light at that time. Instead, it changed at 7:27am. (This might appear to be only 2 minutes but there are 2 very pivotal minutes. Without them, I most assuredly will not get to work on time.) Traffic flowed with amazing speed (let me assure you that most people do NOT have anywhere important to be in the morning) and I surprisingly pulled up to work just as the clock said 7:45am. "Lord, thank you for changing my mood and getting me out of bed and to work on time. The only explanation is YOU!!"

Last night I went to HEB and stocked my basket full to make all the meals I had planned. Excited, I got home and unloaded groceries and started to cook.
Boil chicken for chicken salad...check.
Brown meat for sloppy joe's...check.
Cut veggies and prep meat for pot roast...check.
Put roast in crock pot...check.
While meat browns and chicken boils, hang pictures in guest room...check.
Hang mirror and frame in master bathroom...check.
Unpack last kitchen box...check.
Pack lunch for Paul and me...check.
Clean the dishes...check.
Stand in living room and marvel at productivity...check, check.
Stand in living room and think how exhausted I am from said productivity....CHECK!

I donned my jammies and made my way around the apartment when I was filled with a wonderful peace. There are still boxes in my dining room, an extra couch we're trying to sell, pictures that need hanging, garage sale items stacked to the ceiling in the guestroom and due to an error fixing a plug in our master bedroom we have no lights in our closet or bathroom. BUT, I was back to my normal routine and that gave me so much peace and just made this apartment feel like home. "Thank you Lord for giving me my NORMAL back. YOU started this day and you have ended it like only you can!"

It's seemingly small, but it's such a wonderfully large gift from the Lord. My normal is crazy to a lot of people and I would go crazy if I lived in anyone else's normal. But that is the beauty of our Lord...he made us so he knows what we each need to return to our normal. On top of this, HE is the only one with the tools to get us there. And even in something as small as changing our attitudes about waking up late, He is always present to remind us that He is in charge of our normal.