All I Can Do is Laugh!

Life has been quite busy around here. Dan had surgery on both of his shoulders 3 weeks ago, the twins are moving full steam ahead in Kindergarten, I'm pluggin' along with my 2 full-time jobs at home and my part-time job as a Dental Hygienist, and... the saga with my extended family continues.

I've tried to remove myself from the whole situation, and I've done a pretty good job of removing myself physically, but emotionally...well, how does one not think about such a situation? I try to pray about it instead of worry about it or become angry about it, but, well, what can I say? I'm an imperfect human. I'm really just very blue about all of this. Especially because the holidays are fast approaching and my sister won't talk to me and my parents are upset with me because I haven't taken my sister's side in all of this. Let's all say it together, "DYSFUNCTION!"

The lighter side? This could relieve much of the holiday stress that I usually have to face. I won't have to referee at the dinner table, or facilitate small talk. This could be good.

On a brighter note, Adam & Katie are just taking off in Kindergarten! They are like little sponges soaking up all the fundamentals of reading and math, and science. It is so exciting to see them learning so much and so quickly.

Sophie goes to Noni & Bomas' house for a 2-day sleepover every week. She's being spoiled...as are they! They've never had the experience of having just one grandchild at a time. I think they really look forward to Sophie's weekly visit. It will be sad for them when she goes to preschool next fall.

Dan is doing well with his recovery, although his range of motion is very limited right now. He goes to physical therapy once a week and should be getting back to normal in the upcoming months.

Well, that's all I have to say about that. Life! What a journey! I'm looking forward to the destination!

Cuties

Monday was Picture Day at school, so I took an opportunity to click my own pics before sending Adam & Katie on their way. I have to say, these are some stinkin' cute kids! They struck their own poses for these pics...watch the school pics come back with dorky smiles.

You'll Find a Gift in the Present!

How many times have you been so riddled with anxiety you couldn't think straight? I've been down that road more times than I care to admit. The best way to describe the root of anxiety is "the mind going in 2 or more directions at once."

What does that look like? Well, that often times looks like our daily life. We have kids that need to be fed, laundry, dishes, cooking, shopping, occasional bathing ;). The problem is, there is constantly "one more thing" to do before we can "relax."

How do we fix this? First, we recognize that what we're feeling is in fact anxiety. Then we identify the different "directions" in which we're being pulled. Then, STOP! SLOW DOWN to a snail's pace. Come into the "present." Make an effort to stop thinking...you will find peace, and comfort there. You will also find God there!

The best way to become "present-minded" is to go out into nature. Nature is very present; it cannot help but be present. Watch the ind blow through the trees and consider the source of the wind. Watch a bee collect pollen from a flower. Watch the ants...you can never, not find ants here in sunny Florida. You will find that for just a brief moment you won't be thinking about anything but what you're seeing...everything pressing will melt away. This is the gift of the present.

I have realized God resides in the present! A lot of times we get stuck in the past...past hurts, pat hang ups, past habits. The past is a dangerous place for Christians to hang out. Reminiscing about past hurts just brings about anger, pain, and judgement. We have to remember, "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."

Even more often, we have a tendency to be future-minded. "I'll be happy when..." Or, I'm worried about this, this, and this. I've learned a valuable lesson about living in the future. First of all, as I said before, God resides in the present, not the past, not the future. Worrying about what's going to happen later today, tomorrow, or at the end of the week or month is not only anxiety-provoking, but it's ungodly. The Bible says,

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God
what you need and thank Him for all he has done. Then you
will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

So, stop reliving the past, stop trying to control the future, and start living here and now...in the present.