Some Fun for my Liz Curtis Higg's Fans

If you're a Liz Curtis Higg's fan, then here's some exciting news for you...(I have a review of her latest book coming up on Monday in my April edition of Five Star Books & More by the Reading Mom newsletter here)!!!

She is coming to visit via LiveStream at 2pm ET on April 5.  She will share a devotional, answer questions and you'll love her sense of humor! For instructions to participate, please go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2011/03/21/news-live-video-event-with-liz-curtis-higgs/

On the Brink of...Sleep-Comatose-ness

On Sunday afternoon, I left for our monthly LOMSAA parent meeting while Jacob was home with the kids.  All day, Michael was having difficulty breathing.  You could see his little body just struggling to get the next breath in.  I put him down for his nap before I left and Jacob tells me that he started calling for him (as soon as I left) and told Jacob he wasn't feeling so well.  Then his eyes rolled back and Jacob immediately started nebulizing him with some of Krista's medicine until he responded.  YIKES.

Yesterday, Michael was officially diagnosed with pneumonia.  I had to help two nurses hold Michael down while he was getting two injections of antibiotics on his bottom.  He may have pneumonia, but his screaming functions are working quite fine! Poor thing.  I had to inform him that he would be getting two shots and he was not a happy camper as you can only imagine.  So, I asked him if he would rather go to the hospital and get four shots or stay at the doctor's office and get two.  And his reply?  "Neither of them!"  okay, so that logic didn't work too well.

We haven't been sleeping too much lately.  The other night, I thought it would be a good idea if Michael and I slept downstairs (he's coughing so much that it keeps Jacob up, too when he's sleeping with us) on the deluxe queen air mattress and Krista joined us, too.  Unfortunately, my back was not a happy camper again (I think I just need to stay away from air mattresses which is another reason why I can never go camping unless we're camping out at a five star hotel!!!).  And, Michael kept both Krista and I up all night with his coughing and moaning.  At 3am, I sent Krista back up to her bed and then at 5:55am, I brought Michael back upstairs and crawled under the covers of our bed.  It was freezing downstairs!!! So much for that great idea!

I can't even remember when was the last time I blogged.  Sleep deprivation has a way of obliterating any details from the mind.  I just finished reading The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel (loved it!!!) and Liz Curtis Higg's Mine Is The Night (one of the best reads ever!).  I'll have those reviews in my April newsletter...coming soon! I just started The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh and I'm hoping to start and finish The Conversation by Judy Salisbury (an intimate journal of The Emmaus Encounter...doesn't it sound intriguing?!?) soon.

Since 2011 started, we've been sick more than we have been well---especially Krista and Michael! I keep telling myself it could be worse and it really could be! We have so much to be thankful for!!! I'm so grateful for everyone who's been praying for Michael since the word has gone out about his diagnosis. 

 Thank God for His promise in Matthew 18:20.  It goes like this from the Amplified Bible, "For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them."
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts because we can see a difference already!

The Missing Ingredient

Michael has been sick since last Friday.  I think we're past the febrile seizure part (I hope!) now because he hasn't been running a fever consistently in the past two days.  His coughing, though, is a totally different story.  It's what wakes him up throughout the night.  And us, too! And causes him to gag.  Poor little thing.  If only he could sleep standing up...I did try to prop him up on some higher pillows but he wasn't comfortable that way and wanted to sleep normally.

I slept in his room for about three nights and couldn't do it any longer.  I can say with conviction that my back and the air mattress will never be friends.  I had to go see the chiropractor and the soft tissue massage therapist earlier this week because of that mattress! Thankfully, after the adjustments and my bed, things are better again.

This week has been insane.  But, it's been a good insane (I'll bet you didn't even know there was such a thing, dijya?!?).  The 7th grade girls Affirmation Tea was such a God thing.  All the preparation paid off (thank you, Nicki!).  The chocolate theme was a hit! Come on, chocolate and middle school girls.  Should that even surprise you?!?  It's clearly a no brainer! My 8th grade girls (all but 2) were able to be there to serve their little sisters and cater to their palate needs.  Plus, they had special Scriptural Blessings for their 7th grade sisters and we were able to roll them up (like a scroll) and tie them with an organza ribbon.  The Affirmation activity went really well and I'm so excited that the girls will have them to read over and over again.  Hey, I still have mine from AFC's family conference eons ago.  And though I don't really look at it much anymore, I remember reading it a lot after the conference was over. 

Then, all the little details that go with planning our MOMSnext meeting and upcoming "Chocolate, Chuckles and Chicks" night (April 3...be there or be square!!!) has been keeping me busy and away from leisure reading...Ha! Is there such a thing for moms?!?  It's more like this...let's see if I can make it to the next paragraph before somebody needs me for something! It's just a season, right?!? I did get to start The Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter and I'm loving it so far.  I'm not loving the fact that it's currently AWOL...

Earlier this week, I was inspired by the cold weather to make corn chowder and my cheese bread (thank you, Jenny & Dave!!!).  My friend Nicea came by to drop off 2 Costco sized boxes of Hershey's Bars (Relax! They weren't for me! Sheesh! I did tell her that if they were dark chocolate, she might have cause for concern, but leaving milk chocolate with me was safe) after her shift at work and ended up coming in and hanging out for a bit.  It was fun! She came at the right time because I was baking up a storm!

Anyway, and since the cheese bread made such an impression (poor Jacob only got one slice! That's why if you snooze, you lose...!), I decided to make it again tonight. It was a great plan.  I started putting the ingredients together when I heard Krista yelling, "That was NOT nice, Michael!!!" She was upstairs supervising the miniature child in hand washing.  And what did that angelic child do?  He hit his sister! Clearly, he was feeling better.  Okay, we have this rule in our house that "hands are made for hugging and helping and NOT for hitting.  Take a guess why we've had to install that rule?!?  Yes, this is a repeat offense which I needed to address.  So, I stopped in the middle of my task and had to remind Michael because of his poor choice. 

I tried to pick up where I left off, but I was feeling discombobulated.  And rightly so.  When the timer rang, I looked at the saddest cheese bread I've ever laid eyes on! I quickly realized, OH! I forgot to add the baking powder in! Just brilliant.  Anyway, I had to make another one and thankfully, it turned out.  Yes, it helps to put in ALL the necessary ingredients! But by then, Jacob wasn't hungry anymore and I made it for his benefit! Oh well! There's always tomorrow...perhaps :o)

Whew! Aren't you glad God doesn't get distracted by "stuff" like we do?!?  I love how the CEV puts
Malachi 3:6..."Descendants of Jacob, I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out,"

Enough said, right?!?

"Beware, Mommy, There are Tigers in Asia...!"

Michael came down with a high fever on Friday afternoon and has been running a fever ever since along with some hard coughing that is asthma related.  And now, with febrile seizures in his history, we've been keeping a close watch on him.  For the past three nights, I've been sleeping in his room (and boy, the air mattress does not help my back issues at all!) and I've noticed that he gets up at least 10 times a night now that I'm in his room.  Sometimes, I'll open my eyes and he's right there in my face! How to get a heart attack, right?!?  Last night, he decided he wanted to "snuggle" which is code for "sleeping with mommy."  I don't mind except I'm on a twin mattress and after he inched me off the bed (have you noticed how much children "travel" when they're in bed with you?!?), I decided it was my divine sign to send him back to his own bed!

I finished two amazing books yesterday...one was by T.L Higley Pompeii City on Fire and the other was Lilies in  Moonlight by Allison Pittman.  Now I'm working on Unforgettable by Trish Perry.  I can't wait to share them all with you in my newsletter next month!

Yesterday, it was incredibly windy and raining ferociously.  We lost power for a while and thankfully, Jacob hadn't started his exam yet! Later in the evening after the power returned, out of the blue, Michael came up to me and whispered, "Beware, Mommy! There are tigers in Asia.  And they're poisonous, so don't eat them!" Ummm...that was random.  Just for the record, I have never eaten tigers before, nor have I ever had the desire to eat tigers now or in the future!!!

I've been home with Michael since his fever so I haven't been out and about.  This morning, I had errands to run and as I was driving, I was shocked by all the downed trees and branches on the road and on the sidewalks.  What a storm!

Seeing all the downed tree limbs and even downed trees made me think of the verses in Psalm 1:1-3 that goes like this from the Amplified Bible, "Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.
    ²But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.
    ³And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]."

"Why Do I Need to be Supervised?," "That was bad. I failed!," and Other Funny Things that Michael Says

In the past three days, I've been able to finish Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith (this story brings Bathsheba to life!), Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews (a fictional account woven with historic details on the life of Job) and Wolves Among Us by Ginger Garrett (a historical fiction novel based on true events that are horrific).  Now I'm reading An Eye for Glory by Karl Bacon (The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Soldier) and Karen Kingsbury's Leaving which begins the Bailey Flanigan series.  Ahhhh...so many good books to read and so little time to read them all. 

One of Krista's job is to supervise Michael when he washes his hands whenever we come home after being out and about.  And lately, he's been wondering why he needs supervision because he's now four years old! Being 4 is equated to being 44 in the mind of a child, I guess.

It's still pretty comical watching Michael playing the Wii.  He feels invincible and plays everything even though he hasn't the faintest clue how to play.  And when he scores a "0," I hear him exclaim, "That was bad.  I failed!" 

Michael loves his snacks.  He considers meal times his snack time, too.  The other day, I told him I was making him cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal (with whip cream on top, of course!) for breakfast and he said, "That's a good snack idea, mommy!" I find it highly amusing that he'll come in the kitchen and open the cabinet and just peer inside.  Once when I was cooking dinner,  we had this conversation...

Me:  Michael, why are you looking in the cabinet?  It's almost dinner time.  Are you looking for a snack?

Michael:  No, I'm just looking in here to see if it's organized.  Yeah, right.  Looking to see if it's organized, my foot!

Obviously, we had to have a little talk later that night about lying.  I can't believe some of the stuff he comes up with! He has looked in there several times since and told me he's checking to see if it's organized in there! no, it's not!

It brings to mind the verse in Jeremiah 17:9 that says (and I refer to the Amplified Bible again), "The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?"

Whoa, it brings new meaning when I read it from the Amplified Bible version!



 

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BELIEVE Me, I'm A BELIEVER...!

It's been pure bliss having Krista home again in the same time zone.  Our family feels complete again! The experiences she encountered with her class on this trip matured her.  When I saw her coming down the escalator at the airport, my first thought, was "Wow.  She looks so grown up! She left here a child and returned as a mature young lady."

We spent a portion of today just sitting on the couch talking, laughing, talking, laughing, talking, laughing, etc.! You get the picture, right?!?  Listening to her stories and her insight and perspective on things that happened (or didn't happen) made me so thankful she's our Treasure Box from Heaven.  God, in His infinite mercy, gave us this special young lady to nurture, guide and train for Him and I'm grateful for this season we have with her. 

By the way, the title of this blog has nothing to do with the content.  It's a joke Krista will clearly understand and since she reads this blog (I have to be careful with what I blog!), I thought I would send her a special message.  I'm sure she'll appreciate it...!!! LOL!!!

I'm thankful Krista is at LOMSAA (www.lomsaa.cloverpad.org), an environment that fosters godly instruction and guidance, academics, authentic relationships and spiritual training.  I am confident that she can go to her teacher, Mrs. Gourley, Mrs. Knudsen and Mrs. Crooks and any of the parents of her close friends and get great counsel no matter what season of life she's in.  I consider it a privilege to invest in these kids she's in school with.  I love how Proverbs 11:14 from the Amplified Bible puts it, "Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

"Can I Exercise Now?" and Other Crazy Questions from a Four-Year-Old Poster Child for Exercise & Fitness

Today was such a fun day! We started out with MOMSnext this morning where Elaine delivered a very convicting lesson about "No other gods."  While I was in session, Michael was with his very favorite teacher, Miss Muriel learning about how Jesus performed a miracle on a little boy who was sick with a high fever.  After MOMSnext, we went out to lunch with my friend Beth, her kids & mom, Rhonda.  It was fun and the best part of lunch was ending with yogurt at TuttiFrutti!  I came home and got to catch up with some very special people in my life via Verizon (including my sweet Krista who is having an AMAZING time in Philly with her class!).  

Isn't it so sad about the news of the earthquake in Japan?  I cannot even imagine how frightening it was.  Join me in praying for all the Christians living in that area of Japan.

Well, I confess I haven't been on the Wii Fit Plus since my brother-in-law and nephew Daniel were visiting.  I feel so lazy and great! I'm sure I'm horrifying all my friends who are exercise fiends! Consequently, I've had more time to read! I finished all the youth fiction books I mentioned in my last blog along with Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith (the third book in The Wives of King David series).  I'll share more about it in my newsletter Five Star Books & More in April.  Now I'm reading Tea for Two by Trish Perry (my downstairs book) and upstair's I'm reading "Abigail's New Hope by Mary Ellis.  Both books are great so far! I can't wait to finish them...maybe tonight!

It's not a secret that Michael loves to run the Wii himself.  In fact, he asked if he could exercise tonight.  Come on! What's a mom to say when her child wants to exercise, right?!?  "Of course you can," I told him! Then I noticed he went right to Wii Play and not Wii Fit Plus.  Hmmmm.... When I questioned him about his definition of exercise, he exclaimed, "Mommy, this is exercising! I'm exercising my arms!" And I really couldn't argue with that because he's always swinging the remote with his arms and the rest of his body no matter what game he's playing!


Tonight, I watched him play Sword Play and he knocked everyone down (shaking that remote like a crazy man is apparently a good strategy!) and won! But, after thinking about it more, I've come to the conclusion that this game is too violent (I don't think children know how to separate knocking down pretend people from reality and I don't want to get reports from his teachers at church that's he's beating everyone up or something!) even though there isn't any blood involved.  The concept of "knocking" out people with a sword is NOT child play.  I don't want him to think it's okay to pretend to kill because that's what he's doing when he's controlling his Mii in Sword Play even though it's comical to watch. This is only his second time playing Sword Play, but I'm going to have to break the news to him tomorrow since he's in bed now.

I'm thinking of the verse in Philippians 4:8 and I love how the Amplified Bible puts it:  "For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]."

Way to pack a punch in my conscience, Paul!

Four Days and Counting...!

It's definitely a God thing that I haven't gone crazy without my favorite girl here!!! Seriously, if air tickets hadn't been so ridiculously high, I would have been on the  next flight out to join Krista when she was in Lancaster (Hello?!?  The Reading Outlet Malls are there!!!)...! Krista calls nearly every night and fills me in on her adventures.  It helps that she's in good hands (thanks, Ian!) and having a great time with her class.  Most of all, I'm thankful I can trust in God to take care of her and her health issues.  What a lesson of trust this has been!

I've gotten to finish Melody Carlson's Spotlight On the Runway and Nancy Rue's Tournaments, Cocoa & One Wrong Move and Limos, Lattes & My Life on the Fringe.  I'm finishing up Glamour On the Runway by Melody Carlson and upstairs I'm reading Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith.

This has been a productive week.  I've had meetings, baked (my baking days are limited as the weather gets warmer.  Who wants to be slaving away by the oven when it's a warm day?!?), helped my friend Betty do some beading for the women in India (what an interesting group of women who get together to help Betty & Patricia! It was a fun evening!), finished the MOMSnext newsletter (Since I'm currently supplying most of the content, I can't wait to make good on my threat about making things up for the next issue...!), taken care of work stuff for my Five Star Books & More newsletter (I love crossing things off my lists!!!), had my appointment with GB's principal John Hynes (He was very gracious to answer every single one of my questions!), met with my friend Beth (that visit was SO overdue!!!), given Michael a haircut (Poor boy.  He is forever going to be a victim of a bad haircut until I can figure out those clip sizes! Maybe bald patches will be fashionably "in" someday...!!! In the meantime, thank God he loves his white bucket hat!!!), etc.  Then tomorrow, Michael and I are cleaning the house (which means it will take twice as long, but he's learning an important skill that his future wife will be very appreciative of someday!).  Staying busy has kept my mind off of missing Krista.  It's a good thing :o)

It hit me today that in the same way I long to hear from my daughter and have her home, God wants us to long for Him. In the Contemporary English Version, Psalm 42:1 goes like this, "As a deer gets thirsty
for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God."

Have you spent time with Him today yet?

"You Sing Like A Bush," and Other Such Compliments Only a Four-Year Old Can Deliver

It has been C-R-A-Z-Y lately.  Every time I think I have a handle on something, I find that I'm very WRONG! Between running to the doctor's office, picking up meds from the pharmacy, running errands for the Krista's Washington trip, trying to meet a deadline (and royally missing it!) and a few dozen other things, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed.  A little overcommitted, ya think?!?

The good news is that Krista was well enough to make the trip to Washington, DC with her classmates yesterday.  Two days fever free is a God thing!!! I felt teary eyed up to the moment of saying goodbye, but managed to keep the tears at bay.  Quite the feat since I'm the one always crying at movies, made-for-Hallmark TV movies or over a sappy commercial! Pitiful, I know! Now, I'm mentally going over all the things I need to do between now and when Krista returns.  EEKS! Enough said.

On the Toilet-Training Front...:
I'm happy to report that since the purchase and use of the "Traveling Toilet," Michael is now able to connect the whole "listen-to-your-body" methodology of Toilet Training 101.  And it doesn't hurt to "motivate" him with a Jelly Belly if he uses the toilet four times in a row!  He uses it every hour (and usually several times within the hour) and is only having about one accident per day.  Whew! For a while there, I was concerned we'd be the only family purchasing Depends for our "I'm-never-going-to-wear-underwear" child!!! Toilet training, moms, there's hope!!!

We were all singing to the Veggietales Hosanna CD (Shameless Plug Alert:  I just finished adding my review of it in this month's newsletter---you can just clink on the tab "Five Star Books & More Newsletter") and Michael told Jacob, "You sing like a bush, daddy!" Unfortunately, this was NOT the first time he "complimented" someone with that phrase.  Sorry, Livi! I think he thinks it's a compliment since he probably associates anything about a bush with Moses and The Burning Bush Bible story.  It probably doesn't make sense but make it work, okay?!? The other day he told me this:  "You're such a duck!" O-k-a-y.  Whatever that means.  Quack.  I'm thinking we'll have a little discussion before bedtime about what's considered complimentary by the norm...and what's not!

I finished reading Kim Vogel Sawyer's In Every Heartbeat and loved it! Lately, I've barely gotten any reading done.  And it drives me CRAZY that it takes me several days to finish just one book instead of a book a day like before.  It's been very frustrating until I've come to the realization that Krista and Michael just need more of my time as they get older.  It was one of those "Aha" moments and I'm grateful God is so patient with me!!! Duh! Spending time with those two treasure boxes from Heaven and actively participating in all their activities are far more important in this season of my life.

I think that's why I love the familiar passage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 14 which reminds me that God brings different seasons in our life and that He's made everything beautiful in His time.  Here it is from the Amplified Bible...
 "¹TO EVERYTHING there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:    ²A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted,
    ³A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,
    ⁴A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    ⁵A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    ⁶A time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,
    ⁷A time to rend and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,
    ⁸A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
  
    ¹¹He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

        ¹⁴I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is]."

So let's savor the moment and this season of our lives together.


 

 


 

"What Does Ponzy Laud Mean?" and Other Questions that are Hard to Answer!

Oh.  My.  Stars.  I just realized TODAY that this is my deadline week for Five Star Books & More by The Reading Mom newsletter.  This is SOOOOO not good because the words "Deadline Week" are highlighted in neon yellow in my planner and I still managed to miss it.  HELLO?!?  Anyone home?!?  I am going to be very stressed by the end of the week...!!!  I did save myself from another heart attack b/c I thought our MOMSnext newsletter was due this week, too, but thankfully and a BIG whew!, it's not due til next week so I can save myself from having a cow, a canary AND a litter of kittens!

My mind has been so occupied with a gazillion and one things.  My ability to multi-task may be retiring sooner than later, me thinks.  My brother-in-law and my nephew Daniel are here visiting for a few short days while touring through Biola, Westmont and Master's.  I wish my sister and Jason could have come, too.  We celebrated Daniel's birthday yesterday with a Carvel ice cream cake (the crumbled Oreo in the middle is the best part!).  I can't believe he's 17 now!!! He is so tall and handsome and one of the things I love the most about him is his sweet and tender heart.  And the fact that he patiently answers every one of my nosy questions about him and his friend Bree! Sorry, Daniel! I just couldn't resist.  Blame it on my insatiable need to know every little detail about EVERYTHING in b/g relationships !!! I was born curious, so just shoot me! And I think I even found out things that my sister might not know.  You see, the problem is this:  She probably asks the same questions in her head that I have the audacity to ask out loud.  I get the answers and she doesn't!!! Unless she's with me and then usually, she'll be too busy burying her head under the pillows while exclaiming, "I can't believe you asked him/her that!"

I have a ton of stuff to tell you, but it's getting late and I still have laundry to do.  Bleh.  I finished reading all the books I've mentioned in the last blog (finally!) and have since finished Karen Witemeyer's Head In The Clouds.  It's a historical fiction story that I really enjoyed! Then I started Lauraine Snelling's On Hummingbird Wings (my downstair's book) and In Every Heartbeat by Kim Vogel Sawyer (my upstairs book). 

We've been listening to the latest VeggieTales Hosanna CD and one day after we got home, Michael kept asking me what "Ponzy Laud" meant.  I had no idea what he was talking about! Then while driving to somewhere (it's all a blur by now) one day, it dawned on me what he was saying! The French Peas join and sing this familiar worship song that repeats, "But we will wait upon the Lord."  But being French, their accents make that phrase go like this, "Be we will wait upon zee Lawd" making it sound like "ponzy laud" to Michael's ears! Ahhhh, mystery solved!

Robin Jones Gunn (I love that woman!!! She was always one of my favorite people to interview every year!) came to Krista's class today to share her story and poor Krista was home sick! I brought all her Christy Miller books for Robin to sign so she was happy :o)

My 8th graders are leaving for Washington, DC on Friday and there's a gazillion and one things to still do.  AAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH! And, Krista has been home sick with a fever and fluid in her ear.  Please pray for that poor child.  She is so behind in her school work and she needs to get well before she goes on the trip.  Eeks! I have to keep reminding myself that things could always be worse...

Like my friend Barbara and her sweet daughter Olivia.  Now, they have gone through so much health wise and it makes me think of the verse in Job 23:10-11 (from the Amplified Bible):  "But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous].
   My foot has held fast to His steps; His ways have I kept and not turned aside."

God is good.  All the time.  All the time, God is good!