A week with an angel

I was feeling overwelmed and getting burned out last week. I can't imagine how my sweet husband felt; he's been carrying much more of the weight around here since my pregnancy limits my activity so much.

One night I was crying and praying to the Lord for more strength. I asked that if I couldn't be blessed with more physical strength, would He please send someone to help me. Cue our angel here. Nathan's mother came to stay with us for a week and help with the move. I didn't expect the Lord to answer my prayer in such a perfectly delightful way. I'm amazed at how generously He answered my selfish plea.

I wish you could meet my mother-in-law. She's always serving the people around her and blessing them with her unfailingly cheerful demeanor. I feel so incredibly blessed to have her optimisitic spirit as my companion when I was so exhausted and spiritually drained.

She swooped into our lives for a whirlwind of work. She single-handedly painted three huge rooms in our home, transforming our dingy grey walls into a bright and welcoming atmosphere. She worked ceaselessly to load and unload the moving truck with Nathan. Twice. She scrubbed out nasty closets and bathrooms, cleaned ceaselessy and ran long errands for me. The only time she sat down was for quick meals, then she'd whisk herself away to work some more. She even would tiptoe to my bedroom door and close it in the mornings so I could sleep undisturbed after the children awoke each morning.

Even though she worked nonstop each day, she'd still take time to play with her granchildren every evening. No matter how tired she was, she'd read several pop-up books to my kids at bedtime. She was so patient and loving with them all the time. She even rubbed my swollen feet and ankles for 30 minutes one night. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and I learned so much from her example.

I had been selfishly focusing on my own discomforts and fatigue for so long. I'm sure she was more tired and sore than me each day, but she never complained or said anything unkind to anyone. I felt very humbled as the Spirit gently reprooved me for my recent poor attitude.

I feel like she bouyed our entire family. I feel like she rescued me when I was floundering. She is amazing and I'm so thankful to be a part of her family.