11 Beds

"Are you ready to go to bed?" I asked Rick last night at 9:30 as we came to the end of another Secret Hotel Mysteries on the Travel Channel. "I am. I am tired," was his response. This is something that Rick Hirschmann does not admit freely nor often.

We are both tired.

11 beds in the past few months. That is our running tally between having the kids here in this little 2 bedroom cottage, which then caused us to move in with our very hospitable neighbors, to our traveling back to Illinois to be with family, and then on to Ruby's to take care of our youngest grand petites. This is not the day that my mother always warned us would come. With a glint in her eye, she has always said that we would understand when we are older: "You just get so tired. Your body can't always do what your mind would like it to do." I don't doubt the truth of those things, but today is not that day.

When I look back and recount all the things and then add in a couple of mishaps as talked about in episode 63, when I think about learning something new for work and running all the scenarios for owning our own shop, when I think of Rick rebuilding a neighbor's deck in just 3 days . . . I feel secure that this is a well-earned tired and we should simply go to bed.

When we set out to "calm this cottage down" with our design choices, our bedroom offered very little space to go wrong. With its muted color palette and classic furniture choices, this room offers a true respite.

We make our way to this room and turn on 2 fans before crawling into our Sealy pillow-topped bed. I think we are both sound asleep within minutes, and that is when Louie deems it safe to come in and crawl in between us for the night. All is right with the world.

As 2:30 am hits, my eyes open and my mind begins to spin with all the things to be considered in this season of our life; I close my eyes. I think of the sign hanging just above our closet door that reads, "We live by grace & not perfection." Sitting just above the words is a stick that looks like a staff. I had pulled it out of a bush on a walk many moons ago. Tied to the top is a blue string also found on a walk. These tokens came at times I needed a reminder that Jesus walks with me and I am who God says I am.

And so it is in the dark, with my husband and dog beside me, I thank God, knowing this in itself makes me a very lucky woman. I go on to pray Psalm 23;

The Lord is my shepherd.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul.

I go on from there knowing I am being restored with this sleep and will go on to walk in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. I don't need to be afraid or feel anxious, for He is with us and His rod and staff comfort us.

We can jump online, pick up a social media feed, or tune into any kind of news stream and feel like we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and in a sense we are, and yet, I don't worry. Instead, I remember and go on to think about what kind of coffee mugs I would like to carry in our shop. I go back to sleep.

It is morning. Let's go.