Here we are, almost two weeks after the switch to Daylight Savings Time, and this getting-older-by-the-minute inner clock of mine has yet to adjust to the change. When I come home from the hospital in mid-January of this year, my sleep schedule is all off kilter, probably due to the continuous intrusions by nurses and doctors to take my vitals and/or confer with me about the state of my health. It takes patience and determination on my part to retrain my body to stay asleep until 7:00 a.m.
And just as this sensible schedule becomes a set routine, here comes the time change. Now, my body wants to rest until 8:00 instead of the customary 7:00. Being more of an early morning person than an I'll-wake-when-I-feel-like-it gal, this is discombobulating for me to say the least. I realize that unless I set my alarm in order to rise at the new desired time, it's just not going to happen.
So, I've decided to take advantage of the next few days to set that alarm, and hope for the best. Why now? My husband, Danny, is currently visiting his son, Giovanni, in New Mexico to attend his graduation from Airman Leadership School. How great is that? Why didn't I go, too? Well, after struggling through the pneumonia, I'm quite a way from being 100%, and traveling would take too much out of me. As Danny is one who likes to sleep until he just wakes up, I can try to alter my schedule while he is not here to be disturbed by a pesky alarm.
I just hope the few days will be enough to turn the tide in my favor. That is yet to be determined, of course, but for now, it's the best way I see going forward.
~
As human beings, we are all wired to denote the time of day, the passage of time, and how certain hours in the day mark specific activities. Not so with God! His perception of time is an eternal one, far outside the boundaries of human parameters. Nothing makes this clearer to our limited understanding than Peter's description of this concept in his second letter to Jesus' followers.
God will never be subjected to man's interpretation of time. The One who never sleeps needs no alarm clock. All of time, from a day to a thousand years, is interchangeable and beyond our understanding.
I don't know about you, but I'm so grateful for God's omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence, things we are not meant to comprehend, but to simply believe with trust and reverence.
Just knowing God is with us, no matter what the time of day or night, is more than enough for me.
Amen!
My wife, a might person who treasures her sleep, is not a fan of "spring forward," although she loves "fall back." My feelings aren't as strong, but it is disorienting for a few days.
ReplyDeleteTell Janet I hear her on this one, Glynn! The spring forward has always been tougher for me than the fall back, but this is the worst I've ever experienced.
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grateful to God for the gift of time too, I for one is happy the congress may finally get rid of this stupid twice a year time change. I am too old too to keep switching, LOL, Keep getting stronger, Martha!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame when our congress can only act in a bipartisan way when it comes to making the time change stick, Jean, but at least they agree on something! Yes, I'm too old to keep switching, too. I'm improving, slowly but surely, every day, and I'm so thankful for that.
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I can totally empathize with the hospital thing. After four stays in the hospital, I am still on the sleep two hours and wake up. What happened to sick people needing their rest? Rest brings healing! Yes, we praise our Mighty God for always being constant i being g there for us. I hope you get to a 100% soon. Thank you, Martha. Hugs and blessings.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know you can definitely relate to what goes on in hospitals, Nells. What happened to rest??? We can't heal properly without it, you are so right. I'm hoping to be 100% sooner than later.
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Praying your internal clock is reset and things "normalize" for you soon Ms. Martha. Praying also that Mr. Danny has a wonderful trip out to NM and back and makes some great memories with his son. God's blessings.
ReplyDeleteSo far, J. D., Danny's trip has been wonderful; he shared photos from Giovanni's graduation and videos of him actually getting his certificate. I got so choked up! As a rancher whose livestock need tending, I can imagine that these time changes throw you for a loop, too. Cows want to be fed at the "right" time, not one artificially chosen.
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Congratulations to Giovanni on his graduation! How wonderful that Danny's there to witness this milestone.
ReplyDeleteFor a myriad of reasons, my sleep these last few years is fitful at best. Tom doesn't notice, and the dogs are compliant. Wishing you great luck in adjusting!
PS - There's a line from the old musical Carousel that's stuck in my head since 1962(ish). I don't remember the exact words, but the scene from Heaven goes something like: "A year down there is but a minute here."
I've never seen Carousel, Myra, but I sure do love the lyric you shared here. So true! My sleep is often interrupted by trips to the bathroom (ain't age grand?), but I never have trouble falling back asleep; it's the getting up in the morning that can be the problem. Glad neither Tom nor the dogs are disturbed by your restlessness!
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Amen! I'm so glad also that God is outside of our time schedule, and that His timing is always perfect, no matter what. So proud of Giovanni and I know Danny is enjoying some special time with him. And you are smart to work on your "alarm" schedule while he is gone. I wish I could train my body clock to sleep through the night and not wake up almost every hour, but 'nature' calls and I must go...LOL. TMI. That also comes with aging. It seems like once I finally do get good and sound asleep it is time to really wake up. That's why the afternoon nap is SO nice. Take care my dear friend, and enjoy the day no matter what time it is.
ReplyDeleteDanny is having a blast with Giovanni, Pamela! I did see photos and a video of his graduation, and it brought me to tears - so moving.
DeleteAnd I already beat you to the TMI comment in my response to Myra. It's all a part of getting older, that's for sure.
But at least we can rest in the knowledge that God is beyond time, yet present every moment.
Love and blessings!
Oh yes--SO much comfort in knowing that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent--to name a few of his glorious attributes. I think there's a song about him being an on-time God too--never early, never late to work out his perfect plan. Such reassurance to rest upon, maybe till 7:00 a.m!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Nancy, a great reassurance for us all that God is never too early or too late, but solidly in our lives no matter what the time of day. If I can't make my own adjustment to the time change, I hope God would just let me be at peace with what is.
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"Just knowing God is with us, no matter what the time of day or night, is more than enough for me." Martha, I couldn't have said it better! I hope your few days with the alarm will get your internal clock reset. I have adjusted okay but I do set an alarm. I am usually awake before it goes off, however. Continue to heal and get stronger! You remain in my prayers! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping for a reset, too, Terri, but I also need to accept the status quo in case that wake-up time change doesn't happen to my body clock. When I was working, I always, always set an alarm, even though, like you, I would often wake up before it went off. That's actually an ideal place to be, isn't it?
DeleteThanks so much for keeping me in your prayers - I'm humbled!
Love and blessings!
I am one of those who gets up when my body wakes up, though more often than not I feel as though my body doesn't even wake up completely. But I don't do well when I have to rely on an alarm clock, which I do every Sunday. But without the clock waking me, I wouldn't wake up in time to get to church. We're all wired differently.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you back here, Diane! When I worked, an alarm clock was definitely a necessity, for sure, and I, too, required one on Sunday mornings to make it to church on time. You are so right that we are all wired differently, and that's precisely what God intended when He made each one of us unique.
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Congratulations to Giovanni and your whole family.
ReplyDeletePraying for your good health and full recovery. I understand about difficulties to sleep in hospitals. The nurses often wake people up to give them sleeping pills.
I never understood this "to the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."
Can you imagine God asking Moses to come up the mountain and Moses saying, "Do you mean tomorrow? Or in a thousand years, because I'll be dead then!"
God bless you.
Yes, Victor, we are so very proud of Giovanni! Thanks, too, for your prayers as I slowly but surely recover. And I think the thousand year/one day explanation is that God is beyond time, not confined by it. Time is the artifice of man.
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Bom dia. Desejo um ótimo sábado com muita paz e saúde. Minha querida amiga Martha.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Luiz!
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Dearest Martha Jane,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Giovanni and als his loved ones!
So glad to read about Danny's offspring.
One hour means nothing to both of us, having had a training for decades in traveling everywhere and often to time changes as big as 12 or even 14 hours ahead of us.
It is a MINDSET, just as believing is. We have to trust God.
Hugs,
Mariette
I guess with all your travels over the years, Mariette, you've learned how to adjust to so many different time zones and changes. That's a blessing! It definitely is a mind over matter discipline, that's for sure.
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Growing up in PA it has never bothered me (like many others) on the time change. One day or two and it back on the schedule for me. I know there are some who struggle. I'm an early to ride person (3:30) so I just adjusted my schedule of work for a day or two. But I am glad that God is the 3 O's.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful, too, Bill, that God is the 3 O's. I'm glad you don't have any problems adjusting to the time change. When I was younger, it didn't bother me half as much as it does now. But even if it's a struggle to adjust, I'm willing to roll with however things turn out.
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I can not imagine being without God Martha, He is more real to me than any other person even though I do not see Him in the physical. The more I read the scriptures the more those words speak to me at appropriate times. I can't imagine what our lovely Lord suffered on the cross, even for those who did not know Him, but to be able to come to know Him through the written Word without seeing Him physically is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI must agree, Brenda, that it is amazing to know God without seeing Him in the flesh. That's the essence of faith!
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Martha, that is wonderful about Danny's son! The time change is hard on most people, even our pug has not quite adjusted. But I'm so thankful God neither sleeps nor slumbers and watches over us continually!
ReplyDeleteYes, Karen, we are so very proud of Giovanni and what he's accomplished since joining the Air Force. Like you, I'm so grateful that God is always there for us, night and day.
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I'm still trying to adjust to the time change too. My body wants to sleep that extra hour each morning but I know the sooner I stop letting it, the sooner I'll adjust. Good luck on your plan with the alarm clock. It sounds like a good one! And congrats to Danny's son!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one struggling with the time change, Lisa. It just seems the older I get, the harder the adjustment. The alarm clock has only helped somewhat, so I'm hoping, like you have, to just let nature take its course.
DeleteAnd yes, we are so proud of Giovanni!
Love and blessings!
I am so thankful, too, that God is in charge or our every moment. What a consolation that is! It makes me think of Psalm 31:15, "My times are in Your hand." I hope you are feeling much better now and were able to get on your desired sleep schedule. May the Lord continue to lay His healing hand upon you!
ReplyDeleteI know, without a doubt, Cheryl, that you are ever grateful for God being in control in all things. I'm not quite there with the sleep schedule, but I'm just going to let go of the need to be so early in rising, and let my body dictate how and when I'll rest. Trusting all will be right in the end.
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I've been tested by God with time while waiting for answers to my prayers. Discernment, breakthroughs, healing. His timetable is different from ours so it's important to keep trusting Him even when we don't see the answers yet. Seize the moment wherever we are. Thank you for this wonderful reminder, Martha.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Lux, we especially need to trust in God when we cannot yet discern His intentions. We do know that He is working everything for good to those who have faith in Him
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I love your last sentence: Just knowing God is with us, no matter what the time of day or night, is more than enough for me.
ReplyDeleteIt is also enough for me.
I'm so glad the last sentence spoke to your heart, Aritha! Night or day, the Lord is with us.
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Congratulations to Giovanni and your whole family.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky that the sun rises and sets almost at the same time all year round in our forever-summer corner of the world. I would find it hard to adapt to the time change!
Happy Monday, Martha.
As you are so close to the equator, Victoria, I know how true that is. So convenient for you!
DeleteHappy Monday to you, too!
Love and blessings!
My husband retired in January, and it's all been an adjustment. We sleep a little later but now since the times change my body has no clue it changed at all. We've been going to the second service at church though because the 9 0,clock feels like 8. One thing I know about time is sometimes an hour seems like 6 hours and other times a week seems like a blink of the eye depending on what is happening. Have an excellent weekend
ReplyDeleteCheryl, please accept my apology for getting back to you so late in the comment section here! Retirement is always a time of adjustment in so many ways. It's so amazing how our perception of the passage of time can change so drastically, depending on our circumstances. I am making progress, but it's more like one step forward and two steps back.
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