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Today is my daughters 3rd birthday and I’m sitting at my desk while they’re asleep just waiting for her to wake up and todays action packed adventure to begin.  It’s going to be a day of total madness.  My wife’s been organising the party of the year for her.  It’s been her driving force for months and today is the day so our schedule is packed and everything is going to be run on military (or should that be Brownie Girl Guide) precision.

It reminds me of the spreadsheet and traffic light system for our wedding.  For the entire year before the big day everything was controlled by one of Mary’s spreadsheets and you were either red, yellow or green.  I had forgotton what it was like.  The pressure of it all! 

Mary’s one of these people that could organise anything and it would happen and appear to the outsider to have been a seamless event and they would have the best time ever because Mary would have considered every eventuality.  Take the party bags as an example.  If they were left to me I would have got presents for boys and girls that were suitable for everyone across the age spectrum that are coming today.  Mary got things for each individual, age appropriate, child specific and probably with their parents approval.  Then there’s the party games.  I’ve already had a sneak pre-event part game training session.  I know the sounds to make when walking through the long grass and the short grass, I’ve learn’t my dancing “moves”, seen the pass the parcel and been no doubt been told a whole host of things that I’ll remember at the right time.  Mary’s mum’s going to be helping her.  Chief Arcala, Brownie Girl Guide Head Beaver, Pearl, Queen of the Children’s Entertainers is going to be there with a whole host of fun things. 

I cant wait!  Honestly I cant, I think I’m gong to have as much fun as the children. I know that Rose will have a fantastic time today.  I know that Mary will have considered every eventuallity and it will run like clockwork, and I know that I must be the most blessed man on the planet to have a wife like Mary.  I hope and pray that she has as much fun as we do.

Yes, I’ve been away.  The first, and possibly only, break I’m going to get this year.  Unless I can organise a family trip away at the end of the year and someone to do my work whilst I am away.  It’s one of the many joys of being self employed.

Mary and I took a couple of days out and had an adults only break to Five Lakes Health Spa in Tiptree.  I can already see the raised eyebrows from those people who know me at the words Health Spa but it was good to get away from it all and spend time with Mary without the children, and yes I did manage to get a “rub down” and it did sort out all the tight muscles.

On the flip side I did find it tough to relax and not think about the million and one work things that needed doind and even found myself looking at buying a laptop just so that I could log in and work whilst Mary slept.  Fortunately sense prevailed and the cash is still in the bank.  One day I will join the laptop generation!

In todays world were we have mobile’s, blackberry’s, email and constant communication it’s easy to loose the plot and start worrying about people who don’t respond instantly.  All kinds of images and thoughts can flash through your mind about what might be going on where they are and if they are ok or not.  Before you know it the worst has happened and you’re preparing yourself for some disaster. 

We all worry.  Even though our Bible tells us that we shouldn’t and that we should cast our cares onto the Lord.  Yet we still do it.  We allow our minds to run riot with our emotions.

I often say there’s not an instance that you can meet that’s He’s not already covered in the Bible.  There’s guidance for every situation that you could possible meet.  You might have to spend some time looking for the answer but I guarantte you that it’s there.

Today, and everyday, my thanks are that He looks after my family, loved ones and friends, even when I am there