Tired, Grouchy, and Whiny

Today is a challenge to find my blessing. Well, not so much to find it, I can find plenty of blessings in my life - it's just trying to concentrate on it that's hard.

It's Saturday and I am tired, grouchy, and whiny. My husband has been on bed rest all week with his back, thank goodness I think he is starting to see some improvement between the rest, the chiropractic adjustments, pain meds, and now steroids. However, it means he's been home all week. Don't get me wrong, I adore my husband, but too much of a good thing loses a bit of its appeal. I have come to realize what a creature of habit I have become, and how I really dislike having someone monitor my every move. And husbands (not just mine I've discovered) if they have too much time to observe find ways to improve the ways of the household. We don't get to go to my Dad's for Thanksgiving which I had planned on all year. Now we plan to go during the week after Christmas, which is fine, just not what I wanted to do. That brings a different set of issues. I went shopping today, determined to have the traditional ham and pineapple my mother always made - only to discover there were no canned hams (it has to be Hormel Black Label) at Walmart, the warehouse has been out for two weeks. So, I'll make a trip to Food Lion or somewhere else later.

Looking over the past paragraph I see how whiny (and believe me, I didn't write down all that I really wanted to) it is. This experience shows me just how much self I still have to deal with. I tend to think of myself as unselfish, but I see that I still have plenty to deal with.

Back to blessings for today, day number six. I think I shall choose autumn. The leaves are falling, the air is crisp and it smells "autumny". I do love autumn, my favorite time of year. A time to let old stuff "die off" and rest a bit waiting for the "new" to come forth at the proper time. I hope lots of my old stuff, like selfishness, dies off and something new will bloom in its place.

Check List and Choices

Coffee (sugar free french vanilla and sweet-n-low). Check. Working computer. Check. Husband with hope about his back. Check. Sunlight streaming in thru window. Check. God who loves me. Check. Three healthy kids. Check. Church family. Check. Work with income. Check. Good friends. Check.

Some days I make better choices than others. I can choose to exercise. I can choose to eat well. I can choose to love my family and friends. I can choose to have a positive outlook. I can choose to try new things (like riding on Maid of the Mist, or joining a writers group). I can choose to believe that God cares more than I do about my family and even myself and that He makes a difference. Sometimes I forget these choices and let life make them. Bu I know that each day brings new opportunities. Looking over my checklist (see above), I have decided that today I'm going to do my best to choose well. I know you can too.

Day Number 5 Blessing: The ability to choose.

From Here to There

Life is going on, the kids all have full school days and a few extra-curricular - all going well at this time. The weather is drizzly and cold, a taste of winter to come. I admit, I enjoyed yesterday and today with the cold. Would rather have snow than drizzle, but at least I have a peek into cold weather. Fall is my favorite time of year, but winter comes next. Fires in the fireplace, warm gloves, hot chocolate, old movies, good books, Christmas, wrapping presents, the smell of the pine tree in the living room - all of these things I think of when I think of winter. So, I'll take a couple of days like we've had as an appetizer. My husband's back is maybe doing just a tiny bit better. We'll see. I don't know what the future holds, but I have confidence it will be okay.

This is Day number 4 and I've been pondering what my "blessing" is today. I decided it is transportation. I was driving the kids to school today (they all get to be a car rider on Thursdays) and realized how fortunate I am to be able to do this. I'm reading this book right now where there's been a major event and all electrical conveniences are inoperable. I realized how blessed we are to have transportation at our disposal. Whether it be a car, or public transportation (I didn't own a car when I lived in Denver for a year) - it all makes life a lot easier. So for today, my blessing is: transportation.

Have a great day!

Where's the Party?

Kerlunk, kerlunk, kerlunk. What is that sound? I got up from my slumber on the couch to investigate. Standing in the middle of the house in the quiet of the morning I heard it coming from downstairs, the laundry room. Great. Down the basement steps I went, flipping on lights, making my way to the back of the house. Kerlunk, kerlunk, kerlunk. The washing machine greeted me with its melodious clunking and the faint scent of burned rubber. It must have been dancing, it had moved out of place. The knob was stuck just short of the off position. Opening the lid I saw my sons laundry. Great, he put these in last night at 10 o’clock, how long has this thing been partying? Bet the belt is burned up. Terrific, my husband is laid up with a back injury and there’s no way he can fix this, he can’t even make it down the basement stairs. Please, God, fix the washer so I don’t have to call a repairman. Making my way back upstairs, turning off lights as I go, I wonder what time it is. Lying back down on the couch I flip open my cell phone – 4:36. Great. Only a little over an hour before I need to get up, can I go back to sleep? My husband calls from the bedroom where he’s had a rough night because of his back. “Is that the dryer?” “No, the washer, it’s been stuck.” We decide not to talk about it at 4:36 in morning. I doze off and on.

What is my blessing today? Well, my friend had cancer surgery yesterday and came through well. I am thankful for that. My kids are all healthy, I’m thankful for that. While my husband is laid up at the moment, it isn’t life threathening, and I’m very thankful for that.

Guess what? My son just told me that he woke up at 3am and decided to put laundry in, that means the washer didn’t party all night! Yeah! I am thankful for that!

All these things I am thankful for, but I’d have to say the blessing in my life today is having a home. A place to live, and that holds my family all together. That is a blessing that I realize not everyone has. Day #3 Blessing – home.