Leaning.

I came here today thinking that I would post about starting seeds. Then, I popped in to check on Rachael. She's going through testing for preeclampsia.

Y'all, that was an ugly road I walked. It makes me concerned.

I have friends who, in about 3 months, will both be officially unemployed and moving. Right now, very little is on their employment horizon.

It makes me concerned.

My brother's ex-to-be will be having a hysterectomy on Monday. My brother will have his children this weekend, who no doubt will be concerned for their mother. Even as much as I may disagree with how things have happened with S- and my brother, I still wish the best for her.

My little brother is looking for a job. The department that he works in is being dissolved.

That concerns me.

My father is due to have hernia surgery on April 1. He was told at his last hernia surgery that he shouldn't smoke. He is very overweight. The anesthesiologist told him that he had his wake up call.

This concerns me.

I read about Sweeney, friend of the Lots of Scotts family. He isn't doing so well. He has stage 4 cancer (melanoma). So young.

It concerns me.

Kalli, on my prayer list because of brain cancer, is due to visit the Cleveland Clinic again next month for another brain scan. She just had one last month. Having walked this road with my aunt a year and a half ago, I know that this is not good. They are seeing changes.

It concerns me.

I just found out on Sunday that good friends of ours had separated. The husband was the one that told me and was surprised that we didn't know. I had called the wife, a very good friend that I can be blunt with and said, "I think that you may have forgotten to tell me something BIG." She said that they had agreed to NOT tell anyone and of course, I felt bad. (She wasn't mad at me at all.) I told her that I wasn't calling to dig dirt, but I was calling to see how she was. He wants to work on it. She has specific things that she wants to see change. He always pops back in and changes for 2 weeks or maybe a month, then rolls back into the same behavior. I don't see the marriage surviving.

It saddens me.

I have friends in a land contract situation. If they don't pull a home loan by January 2011, they will have to leave their residence.

It really concerns me.

Then there is leaning. I have this hymn running through my head, "Leaning on the promises of God." There are promises. There are great things that have happened.

My friend Rachael is feeling well. Having run the road of preeclampsia before, she knows what it can feel like.

My friends who will be moving have all along their several year journey have always been provided for. God has led them to places to live, employment situations, educational opportunities and though very tight, the money has been there in some capacity.

My niece and nephew have really seemed to perk up each weekend I pick them up for visitation with my brother. I think that they have been able to develop a renewed trust and relationship with him. They see that he HAS changed, he HAS carried out his what he has promised, he HAS stayed clean and he is trying to do well by his family.

My little brother has always seemed to find work. He has managed to provide for his family, despite monetarily loss.

My dad is stubborn and comes through things generally well.

Sweeney and Kalli are believers. Though they are both in different bodily struggles with a similar disease, they are plodding along and doing the best that they can do on a daily basis.

My separated friends will continue to do the best that they can do together for their children. If a divorce is what will happen, their children will be as well adjusted as they can be. They will continue to work together as a team for their children.

The land contract situation? The home is filled with love. No matter where my friends will land, I know that if it is a small apartment or a mansion, the children will be loved on and provided for in the best possible way that my friends can manage it.

Even so, if you would consider praying for anyone on my leaning list today, I would appreciate it.

Smiles in my day:
- K-, having lost her privilege of TV viewing (albeit only an hour, but still), because she wouldn't get up yesterday got up today and insisted on leaving for school about 10 minutes early. The leprechaun was to arrive, you see. He had, I assure you. The classrooms had been upset and the children were wearing as much legal green as they could with their uniforms. It was nice to see them so excited.
- My MIL and FIL sent home pierogies yesterday. Apparently my FIL's boss bought them in Slavic Village and they were delightful! In fact, they may be going in my lunch today. Mmmm.
- My MIL is making corned beef and is sending some home for me. I am not a red meat eater, but corned beef is definitely a once-a-year exception for me. Yum.
- The sun. The warmth. The seeds sitting in my garden window, working on sprouting.

Have a great day!