Thank God for ice storms.

I truly thought this weekend would break me. 

I didn't think I was going to be able to make it through this week because of it. 

I can't speak of all of the details, as it is still ongoing, but we will soon be enduring a very major custody battle of our 13 year old niece Natalie. 

A ridiculous breakdown of events happened this weekend, that led to the police being called once. To protect Nat from the two fighting parties, particularly the one who currently has custody, we had her a lot this weekend. 

I had already had a really long week, with no more than 6 hours of sleep each night. I was one tired lady.

I was supposed to do homework on saturday, but we ended up rushing out to get her a working phone, and then I had to go to work until midnight.

When I got home, Jamie and I stayed up brainstorming until almost 2AM what we could do to help, and because we were too stressed about it to sleep. 

Then we got up at 6 AM yesterday morning for church, and went and picked Natalie up beforehand. 

So, we had her all day, and then I had to work at 4, so I had literally no time for anything, including a nap, which was desperately needed. We kept Nat last night too, the poor thing slept on our couch.  Then again, with only 5 hours of sleep, I got up this morning and went to work for 9 hours, as my poor husband got up and drove her 30 minutes to school. 

The worst part about it all, worse than the sleep-deprivation migraine I had all day today, the tears I shed over stress for Nat, or the just plain feeling crappy, was the daunting, totally awful feeling that it didn't even matter that I got off at 5, I had a ridiculous amount of homework to do that would without a doubt keep me up until the wee hours of the morning, and had to get up at 6 AM tomorrow, and go to class all day. And then do more homework. And then do it again Wednesday, and then Thursday. 

I was praying all day, though the tears, through the pain in my back, feet, and head, for God to give me the strength to get through it.  To not let me quit. To keep me going, through the pain, to finish what I started, and be strong for both my niece and my husband.

And he did one better.

This ice storm may be a huge inconvenience for you, and I'm sorry about that.

But this ice storm cancelled school tomorrow.

Hallelujah.

Now, I can sleep tonight, spend the morning with my husband which is so DESPERATELY needed, and then have the whole afternoon and evening to do homework for Wednesday and Thursday.

This ice storm is truly an answered prayer. 

And I am so, so unbelievably thankful for it.

♥