Early by Susan L.

  In messing around with my clock last weekend, I must have fiddled with the date. My clock automatically jumped to daylight savings time last night so instead of getting up at what I thought was eight forty-five it's not even eight o'clock. This is a good thing. Last night was full of nightmares. Perhaps cheese and crackers before bed wasn't such a great idea.
  Or maybe they were in keeping with all the emotional stuff that got stirred up over the last couple of days. Could they be the mind's way of dealing with feelings that need a safe outlet? They weren't pretty. In fact, had the behaviours acted out in the dreams been real, I'd be sitting in a patrol car wearing handcuffs. It's disturbing to think the mind could be so graphically violent. Thankfully, they were just dreams.
  Yup. Cheese. It'll do it every time.
  Still, I am taken aback by the intense response seeing the farm generated.
  This could go two ways. I could beat myself up for not being totally "over it" after all this time. But that's a world view. Or it might be better to turn it into a cause for celebration by recognizing how much the Lord has healed in my heart. One day...some day... I hope...
  So let's celebrate. The woman who lived on the farm will always be a part of me. Her teeth gritting sheer determination to keep on going is a gift. I think of Martha who, in spite of her grief over the death of her brother, left the home in her time of mourning to seek Jesus. She knew the only way to find ease from her pain was through Him. I doubt she had resurrection in mind.
  The Lord has polished His gift of determination. It's no longer reliant on my own strength (most of the time. I do slip up occasionally!) He continues to refine it, direct it and shape it so that my will becomes His will.
  And the best part in is once again being able to acknowledge I'll never have to go it alone again.
  Ever.
  And you don't either. If you haven't embraced Jesus as Lord, I ask you to take this time to invite Him into your heart and your life. Your age doesn't matter. Your situation in life doesn't matter. Who you are doesn't matter. Where you live doesn't matter. It's never too late for a new beginning, a resurrection of your very own.
  "And he (Lazarus) who had died came out (of his tomb) bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." Jn 11:44