Night Owls Unite

Lately I find myself a night owl.

OK maybe, I have always been a night owl, and now I am spreading my wings a little bit.

How can real, true blue night owls function in society? I am not trying to be silly here...think about it. If you have a natural tendency to stay up late, it is hard to wake up early. I really believe that some people function better in the evening time, some better in the morning, and some people, well let's just call them middle of the day people.

I have be jolted out of delicious sleep for the past 24 years of my life. Those of you who know me, are doing a little math right now saying, "Now she knows she's older than that." It's true...but I can't remember much of my life before kindergarten, so I am canceling the first 5 years of my life. I digress.

I have been awakened either by alarm clock, panicked mother, roommate, dog licking me in the face, or by my wonderful husband with a cup of coffee at my bedside...you name it, I have hated it - nothing personal to the waker-uppers. I just don't like waking up early. Especially when I hit my creative peak right about now...9:44pm and I can ride this wave well past midnight if I let myself.

The way I see it, there are only a few options out there for night owls.

1. Suck it up, go through life tired. This has been my method for the past 24 years. It is just the way it goes. When we get to heaven there won't be time, so we won't have to worry. Ahhh...heaven...it will be like...well Heaven!

2. Become a trucker. Semis own the road after dark. You can have miles and miles of highway under your tires and stay up as late as you want to. Just park by a Taco Bell or a 24-hour Wal-Mart and you've got it made.

3. Take the graveyard shift. Most jobs have one...and no one wants it - except for the night owls. We reap the benefits of the extra hourly pay to work while the rest of the world sleeps.

The problem most creative types will find with options 2 and 3, is that there's no space...the time is too structured. When we would rather be whipping up the latest, greatest, newest thing we are stuck driving or watching the security monitors at the airport.

What are we to do? I guess there is only one thing we can do...refer to option 1. We take what we can get when we get it. We have to monopolize on the moments when we can spread our wings...cause the cage is going to come back some time.

So here's to all the night owls out there. Those who are just logging on to check their email, those who are just signing on to Skype, those who are just typing out a blog...oh wait that's me.

Here's to creative energy, and to the people in our lives who understand us - and don't mind falling asleep with the glow of the computer screen cast across their face.

A Day in Town

On Tuesday I rode the bus into town to take care of some errands. I had to go to the office of immigration and to the dentist. I knew ahead of time that I would be doing a lot of waiting; I stayed up late to finish the book I was reading so I could take the next on in the series with me. I didn't want to have to lug two gigantic books around town with me!

Everything went very smoothly. I walked in and out of immigration with no surprises! Hallelujah!!  I went to Pizza Hut for lunch - they have free internet and good specials. I even had enough time to walk over to the mall and pick up a few new movies, before I caught a cab to the dentist. I spent an hour in the dental chair...going to my happy place...and then scheduled another appointment to take care of my remaining cavities. :-( Then I headed over to the bus station for another few hours of waiting. I selected a shady spot on the curb and continued reading until the bus arrived. We left the terminal at 4pm and pulled up to my gate almost 2 hours later, just as it started to rain.

All-in-all, it was a great day, but there was one thing missing...my husband. Mark stayed back at the ranch to help the crew finish out the last week of work on the volunteer housing. I missed his jokes at lunch time, and his protective presence while running errands.

I am so blessed to have such a great husband. I am at a loss for words to describe him, but just know that he is really cool. 

Soon and Very Soon

I see in the distance, a light at the end of the tunnel. Our summer teams are coming to an end, we have the last one with us right now from Longview, Texas. This is an incredible team of nursing students from LaTourneou University, a PA from the Great White North, and a new and fast friend Greg Seager of The Christian Health Service.

These guys have been a bundle of laughs, and have brought a fresh perspective to our ministry along with a high energy level of service. The students are helping us reach out to our local schools by delivering a health education program and loving on our patients and students.

I am grateful for their youth and their energy. As the summer comes to a close for us, I can already feel my body shutting down. At 7:30pm I start yawning in devotions and at 6:30am I am still wishing I could press snooze again. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. This group has been great, and I am seeing the students develop before my eyes. I can only hope that God is unfolding His plan for their lives, and confirming things for them as they seek His will.

Soon and very soon...rest will come. I just hope that God will continue to use me and work through me in these last few days with the team.