Oh, Mondays.
Mondays, Mondays, Mondays.
Not every Monday is terrible, but today's Monday was.
Maybe it was because I had a pile of vintage hand-knitted sweaters
on the table, reminding me that I had failed at Nicholas's birthday
and couldn't RETURN.
Or maybe it was because the chicken's latest victim was my amazing fancy
green pumpkin on my porch even though I slathered
it with marigold essential oil
(because, apparently, chickens hate marigolds?
Well, APPARENTLY NOT online chicken tips.com!)
Or maybe it was because one of Christian's important work calls didn't
go the way we had planned, prayed, or hoped for.
That was really disappointing. 
Or maybe it was because when I tried to pump up my missionaries
(and Claire) when they called on their P-day today,
I felt more like a deflated tire bumping along the road.
This evening, when I was preparing dinner, Lottie came into the house
with our littlest chicken, "Chickie," in her hands.
On his head was one of the little hats she had crocheted.
We laughed and laughed.
Gigs made a fire in the living room fireplace while I made dinner
and that really helped me put life into perspective.
Sometimes, our hopes and dreams take a little longer
to develop than we hope, but there still is so much beauty around.
Christian said to me as we were preparing for bed,
"Today was not the best day, and I prayed and asked the Lord
what I needed to do to have a better day tomorrow.
He told me that He had some
good things in the works, that we needed to be patient and have faith,
and that I needed to spend time with you tomorrow.
Let's take the motorcycles out on a fall ride."
Yes, please!
