The Storm Before The Calm

This week is Finals week across the BBC campus (as it is, I'm sure, across many campus' this time of year). Each day is filled with stress. Not MY stress, but the stress of parents and students. Payments are due, finals are being studied for and taken, papers written, Christmas is coming, and the economy stinks = a Grande Peppermint Mocha Stress Cocktail.

But closer to home is my husband who happens to be one of those students. The poor guy has been working his tail off to finish 2 papers (which incorporate topics, words, explanations, and discussions of things in the theological world I never knew existed and using words that I thought were of an alien origin but are acutally English...who knew?) and he's studying for finals. He the quiet-type and doesn't say much whether excited or upset. I love him for that. I need that (since I'm the total opposite). But when he occasionally lets out deeps sighs - sorta like a balloon that has a hole somewhere, you're not sure where, but you hear it and it is slowly releasing it's contents into the atmosphere straining to release the pressure and obtain some sort of atomospheric balance - I can tell that his brain is probably a whirly-twirly mess inside and the stress is probably more than he can bear.

I asked him the other day if his brain was mush. His response, "Yes." (That's about all he could muster. I'm assuming it's because he's used every word in his vocabulary - and then some- and by typing them out, they have been permenantly fixed to his research papers never to return to his brain.)

Anyway, my heart goes out to him. I've tried my best to be a good wife (but sometimes I find myself being selfish and throwing a bit of tantrum...shame on me.) He's had no free time to do anything enjoyable. A seminary machine, he is.

Almost, though. He's finally completed his papers and has the rest of this week to attend classes and push out a few more finals. I see it, there it is, there's the sliver of light at the end of the semester tunnel. Rest is coming soon. Yet he continues to pour his soul, time, money, strength, endurance, knowledge, sleep (lack of) and blood into God's will for his life to the very end. I believe God is blessing that. He has done so well up to now and I just know he'll finish in style. For with God, nothing is impossible.

"I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I can..." says the Little Engine that Could

Keep up the amazing work, Mike! I'm proud of you and all your hard work! Love always, Your Biggest & Loudest Cheerleader