As always, Father, I must express my appreciation for Your presence throughout this day. It has benefited me in so many ways.

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For whatever reason, I don’t remember a whole lot of incidents from my childhood, but a few linger in the recesses of my mind.

There was a time in my preteen years that my sister and I were under the care of a sitter. Mrs. Palmer, not too awfully far from where we lived in Mason, Ohio. Oddly enough I remember both early morning things and late evening things, though I’m sure that we weren’t there for entire days at a time.

All my memories are positive ones. I remember Mrs. Palmer, on more than one occasion, making oatmeal for breakfast and making us toast in the oven. It was good but different in that we used a toaster. I remember, too, playing out amongst the neighbor kids out and about in their yards and even on the street. One girl, Joy, lived across the street and one memory I have is that as the evening waned and the sun was setting, the streetlights would come on. I remember her mom calling to come in for supper, as our time of fun came to an end.

Thinking along these lines brought an old song to mind – Suppertime, written in 1950 by Ira Stanphill. The first verse and chorus go like this,

Many years ago in days of childhood,
I used to play till evening shadows come;
Then, winding down an old familiar pathway,
I heard my mother call at set of sun:

Come home, come home, it’s supper time!
The shadows lengthen fast;
Come home, come home, it’s supper time!
We’re going home at last.

These things all ran through my mind last night as I, with eyes closed, made my regular trek to the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning. We all have those things in life, whether they be dreams or reality, that call us to think or do or say things that we shouldn’t. It had been one of those evenings for me and I was feeling pulled. But then…I heard my Father calling me. I had spoken with Him about my struggles and in the dead of night, He reached out to me. He called to me. I prayed once more out of gratitude and as I crawled back under the warm and cozy comfort of my bed, I couldn’t help but feel warm and cozy comfort of my Father’s love and concern.

David wrote Psalm 9, and verse 10 of it says,

And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You,
For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You. (AMP)

Father, thank You, for Your promises.

May 12th, 2020, Tues, 7:37 pm