Anybody got any cheese?

Quiet. That's unusual here.

One day off of school and I feel like I've won the lottery. Never mind that I should be there anyway, doing whatever it is I do (or don't do is more like it), but I decided that I was feeling like a train wreck that was staged to happen at any moment, so I stayed home.

Nice.

Had a thought-provoking discussion at church last night; then I had a heart-dumping discussion right after that. I need those now and again.

First, those of us who are going to Puerto Rico first had to sit through the youth lesson for the evening. I thought it would be awful, but it turned out to be pretty good. Jon posted three signs around the room and we were to choose whichever sign we thought fit the circumstance. The signs said, "Disputable," "Not Disputable--Lacking in Love", then "Not Disputable." "Not Disputable" meant against the law; "Not Disputable--Lacking in Love" meant that the circumstance wasn't against the law but it was probably not in the best interest of those around us if we engaged in the behavior. The behaviors were things such as smoking, alcohol, swearing, speeding, illegal drugs, big house/nice car, etc. The most shocking thing was that, when alcohol came up, all of us adults (those over 21) stayed at the "Disputable" sign. One of those folks was an elder; another was a deacon; another was a deacon's wife. I almost laughed. If the rest of the board had been back there, I'm almost convinced we would have been looking for at least two new board members--but maybe not.

Speeding was fun, considering my lead-footed son was back there. ("Yeah, Bart. Where are you going to stand?") Swearing was unequivocally "Not Disputable--Lacking in Love." Illegal drugs was a no-brainer. Actually, once we figured out the program, no one seemed to be too much out of sync with each other.

Then, after our planning session about PR, our youth minister's wife and I talked a little. I suddenly found myself telling her a lot that I haven't said to too many people, if any have heard it all. I still have lots to say, but at least I got to dump the tip of the iceberg.

To be honest, I've felt overwhelmed for years. At first I thought it was school and family and...you know, life; but now I'm finding that I'm not just physically tired. I'm plain tired in every way imaginable. I can't pick up my Bible most times without just putting it back down. I can't pray. I can't seem to get the house done without either going into a tantrum or just becoming apathetic over the whole deal. I can't do much work at work at all, to speak of. I'm almost convinced I'm losing it, but I don't feel that way. I just feel as though the whole world is on my shoulders. Jackie and I talked about this for a little while, and I told her I really didn't know what to do.
Enough whining.

The snow is almost gone from our yard. All that's left are those places where piles once were--you know, from shoveling the drive or the city scraping the street. A week ago I was praying for another snow day but now I just want spring. Not spring, really. February is too early for that. Maybe just more days in the 40s and 50s than days in the 20s and 30s. I'll send my wish list to Mother Nature.

Weirdest of the weird: I think my Bible was stolen. I had it at school but, as of Friday, I couldn't seem to locate it. (That's what I get for forgetting to bring it home after I need it.) Do I rejoice in this--especially since I'm not reading it much right now and there's a chance that someone else might?--or do I suffer righteous indignation? That seems pointless. Ironic situation I find myself in. Those are usually the most fun.