Worry

To worry or not to worry, that is the question. Whether tis nobler..(somehow that phrase keeps going through mind.) I'm doing a Bible study called Controlling Your Pests ( Ridding Your Life of Bad Habits) by Ross Brodfuehrer. Today's lesson was on worry. We are told very specifically in the Bible, not to worry. So why do we? I'm kind of over worrying about the big things-death, taxes. Both of those are inevitable and out of my control. Taxes- way out of control, that's a whole different story, and country. It is amazing what you find out about the tax system when you have income from out of our country. More than you don't want to know....

Matt.6:34 tells us, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So what are your greatest treasures? Mine are my kids, husband, extended family and friends. So where are most of my worries? With them. The older kids get, the more there is to worry about. My almost 27 year old son has recently taken up mountain bike riding. In Utah- BIG mountains, narrow paths, a mother's nightmare. He is so enthusiastic about it that I have to keep the quiver out of my voice when he tells me about his adventures. Probably the less I know the better. And I thought sending him off to kindergarten was hard.

Then there is the aging parent thing. Many of my dear friends have gone through extremely difficult circumstances that I have yet to face. When it will happen and what it will look like for me ?

There are the life decision worries for myself , husband, and my kids- jobs, retirement, relationships, education, happiness, the list goes on. So I thought about what worrying has done/ not done for me. I want to try the bullet option, so here goes:

Worrying

• Doesn't change anything
• Causes stress
• Takes my focus off what is important
• Drives people crazy when I am complaining all the time (ask my husband)
• Makes me bake
• Makes me gain weight ( see above)
• Keeps me awake at night
• Racks up my phone bill (well it use to, now it uses up my minutes)
• takes my focus off my trust in God
• turns hair gray-oh wait, already there
• makes for bad manicures
• makes me tired

There is a diddlybop thing (like the That Was Easy Staples thing) that sits on my desk at work that says worry with a not sign through it and it plays this song ( sorry, don't know who to give credit to):

Push button; you hear lively Jamaican music, a man, whistling , singing:

"Here's a little song I wrote . Might want to sing it note by note, don't worry be happy."

And I push it again and again and again.

If I worry, I am not content. So I will trust and continue to be content even in my state of worry.

Long Day (Friends Part 2)

Whew! I'm tired. I've learned I should probably blog in the morning. I did start early this morning, saved it as a draft, and now have no idea where to find it. I tried at noon to no avail, so here I am. Still haven't figured out the whole blog thing. My life is constant interruptions....my daughter just walked in with her friend ( it's 10:30 p.m., waaaaay past my bedtime.) But I'm glad. I love having kids around. Which is a good thing because they are upstairs looking at which room her friend may move into this summer! (we have our son's old room, which has become my husband's closet, her room, or her sister's room.) As her sister may have to move home this summer if she doesn't get a full time teaching job, that room is not available at this time. Guess she has one option.

We've had the blessing of having a grad student live with us since January. So the nest is not so empty anymore. I guess we could be called foster parents. Anyone else had similar experiences? I have always prayed that God would use our home as He saw fit. For years we had Campus Life meetings here- 50+ high school kids, usually more , taking over the house once a week. Picture 100 shoes dumped in your front foyer....and the chaos of trying to find the correct match. And baking lots of brownies and Rice Krispie Treats. Fond memories.

Which leads me to what I started to write about this morning- fond memories of friends. When our middle daughter was entering middle school, we started a mother/daughter weekly Bible study group that remained together until the girls graduated from high school. Incredible friendships and memories were formed. I highly encourage moms of middle/tweenage years to get together with other moms and meet weekly with your girls. We often followed a book, interspersed with craft projects, or "girl's night". We did facials, watched videos, hot tub time, sleepovers, and had special celebrations. The girls are now all finishing up college and moving on in their lives. Most of us still keep in touch even while moving away.

Which brings me to my gold friend in Florida. She and her precious daughter were in that group.The blog I lost this morning (in cyber space somewhere..) talked about me finally checking an old e-mail address and realizing that I had missed the death of her husband's father. I regret not being able to be there when needed. I hate when that happens. So note to self- check my emails more frequently. Love you my gold friends, and I'm looking forward to meeting some silver. How about you?

Gold Friends Part 2

I'm so excited I found the draft!! So here it is even if late, unfinished and a bit redundant.

I was checking an old email account the other day ( I have 5- for various reasons and not the time to check even my work and home ones) and found that I had numerous emails from a friend of mine in Florida. I was so sad as I had missed the death of her husband's dad. I hate that when it happens. Sometimes the people we are closest to don't get the support at the time they need it. So my apologies and heartfelt sympathies to any of my friends that I have been unable to be there for when you needed support.



I think back to all the friends that God has brought into my life over the years and miles and am awed! Even in places we lived for a short period of time, I have friends that I can call on a moment's notice and go visit, or ask for help, or advice. What a comfort knowing that.

Gold Friends

I now blog in my head. About everything. (Does anyone else do this??)And of course by the time I get to the computer it's gone..all gone. At least the process has made me start thinking about writing again.

Anyway, two days ago a dear friend stopped by out of the blue and we hadn't seen each other in maybe three years. How can she be called a dear friend? We picked up right where we had left off. We had traveled and sat through innumerable soccer games together when our girls were in high school, and had done a mother /daughter Bible study together. Spending that much time, when we had it, through a mutual activity for our kids, allowed us to grow a strong friendship, which allowed us to pick up where we left off.


What a comforting feeling. The friends you can do that with are treasures. I think back over the years and all of our coaching moves, and am thankful for the times that God gave me to develop those friendships. There have been times when I was too busy with my own family, or "stuff" to be able to spend the time.


The dog is calling, must run, but I thank you, Donna for the unexpected visit and the reminder that the old girl scout poem reminds me: Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. Thank you my gold friend.

Re-entry

I had journaled this (below) after just returning home from a wonderful family vacation last Christmas. I reread it because of the title and the fact that my neighbor and I had just been talking about re-entry back into everyday life. She is struggling with it- for the first time ever, she said. Her family had just spent a week in Las Vegas ( a working va-ca for her husband, so she was left to entertain her two active girls). I pointed out the fact that she really hadn't had a chance to relax, so she needed a vacation to recoup from the one she just took. Can anyone relate? My other neighbor had driven his family ( 3 boys) to Hilton Head, then Miami (FL), and straight through back to Indiana. He looked exhausted and said he had been sick the whole trip. After hearing their stories and reading about my re-entry, I'm thankful at least for today that I stayed home this spring break and didn't have to deal with it! It also reminded me that I need to spend more time listening to what God has to say to me.



Reentry
December 30, 2008
Why is it I think of all the good things to write about when I am walking and not near a computer? My mind goes blank once I sit down. All the clever things I thought I’d remember are not there. (This is still true!!)
This morning as I was walking the dog lamenting the fact that just yesterday I was walking the beach, feet in the ocean 78+ degrees and now here I am back in re-entry in Bloomington in the cold. And the dog takes off- chasing three gorgeous beautiful deer all across the park. What a wonderful gift God gave me- reminding me that his beauty is everywhere and He cares no matter where I am. Thank you for that reminder.
Then Kit and I saw three deer in the midst of a busy neighborhood- where were they trying to get to?

I was also reminded of “the circle of life” on our nature expedition in Florida where we learned what animals eat what – and the incredible rich treasures that are a part of the aquatic sea life. If God created all the food for all the minutest of creatures, I know He will provide for me, and my family. Again it comes to trust- my word for this time around of unemployment. Fear keeps threatening on the threshold, but my prayer shield seems to keep it at bay if I am faithful in spending the needed time in God’s word.

Murphy's Law

Murphy states that if something can go wrong, it will. Story of my life. Or why we should not have a new(er) car. My new mantra was that my youngest ( size 00- very cute) is a rear end magnet. She has been in 5, count them 5 accidents ( 4 rear enders) and all but one were not her fault. The one I am referencing today is when we finally bit the bullet and bought a new(er) car on a Wednesday, she drove it on Friday and managed to hit ( scrape) a 3 foot brick wall in the front of her friend's house on a circular driveway. Two days after we got the car. Thankfully, no one was hurt except her feelings when I continued to stare at the side of the car ( the full length from passenger door to the quarter panel in the back) and mumble over and over , we've only had it two days, we've only had it two days.

Fast forward to last Thursday when we had all the minute scratches buffed out of the car. Spent the whole day in Indy waiting for it to be finished. Looks awesome. Husband said he wished he knew the car better as we have not had it home since we got it (see previous posts) Fast forward to today. My OTHER daughter calls sobbing from Wal-Mart's parking lot. "Someone hit the car when I was in the store!! What do I do??" Big scratch- enough so that the paint is off. UGGGHHH. Note- the manager at Wal- Mart will not look at the security tapes to help find the assailant. So what do they have cameras for anyway?

So she is fine, the car is not, and if my hair wasn't already totally gray, it would be by now.

Ice tea grace

Don't you just love it when you get something that you don't deserve? I was cleaning out my purse and found a coupon for a free drink at Border's Cafe. I was going there anyway to get my son a birthday gift, so I thought I would treat myself to a free tea. (Free is good when your husband is unemployed and there is no envelope for money for Dawn's addiction to sweet tea.)
So I hand the girl at the counter my coupon and ask if it will work for an iced tea (the card says, coffee, tea, or soft drink.) She reads it, gets a puzzled look on her face and says "This is really old." I sheepishly confess that I just recently cleaned out my wallet and found it. With no expiration date I might add. She pointed to the sign above her stating that this is now a Seattle's Best Cafe, not a Border's Cafe. What the heck? It's in the same place and last time I checked I was in Border's in Bloomington, not Seattle. So I calmly said, "Reeeally? So will the coupon work?" She nodded affirmatively and then asked what size I would like? So we went from no tea to whatever size I'd like? Double score. I love this girl. As I left the counter with the undeserved tea, I thanked God for the little blessing He had given me. And I thought about how undeserving I am of all He gives me on a daily basis. And I love that He daily gives me His grace. And unexpected free teas.