Books and sleep and others

I'm watching out the nice window (as opposed to the not awful but certainly nothing to write home about windows) in the living room as my pastor husband makes his much-bundled way through the snow to check on his flock.  I myself have to make a trip out to relieve the thrift store workers so that they can eat their lunch in the chilly but relatively quiet peace of the church.  I'm being hampered by the fact that I decided, completely on a whim and without any thought or prayer, to teach Clara today how to fall asleep on her own for nap time.  She used to be in possession of this skill when she slept in a crib, but once she learned to climb out of the crib we had to put her in a toddler bed, which for safety sake I've kept in our bedroom (is there anything more terrifying then knowing your child can open doors and wander around the house at night?).  This means that she's fallen into the habit of needing someone to lie down with her for nap time.  I'm not a fan of this - I have little enough time (not to mention energy) to slog through the endless round that I can't be lured towards my pillow or this increasingly pregnant lady won't be up again for hours.

The church is having a bake sale today; a friend of mine commented to me the other day that we always seem to be doing things in this church, and it's very true.  I waver between thinking this is all a very good idea and that we should be more focused.  But if everyone is happy, and enjoys each other's company, well then God clearly knows this situation better than I do.  I came to the bake sale with my meager offerings - why is it that when you make something in your kitchen it always appears more substantial then when you show up with it?  I'd made a loaf of my mother's excellent cinnamon bread, and another loaf of challah, because braided bread looks impressive and people buy it.  But I sincerely hope more food showed up after I came because it wasn't much of a table.

And I'm reading a book!  Two books!  Two quite good books that I'm liking a lot.  The first is Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson and the second is Left Behind In A Megachurch World How God Works Through Ordinary Churches by Ruth Tucker.  Ruth's book is wonderful in such a very relevant way.

I have to go get that child again.  Sleep isn't here.