I had a last minute visit on Wednesday from my Aunt Beth. She was passing by on Interstate 75, and called to say "I'm at your exit - I've been trying to E-mail you for days, and call you for the last hour. Finally! You answer the phone." I hadn't seen her since June, so I am so glad I finally got to the phone! She had a few minutes to spare before she had to hit the highway again, so we shared back and forth the latest updates on the family.
As we talked I realized that so much of what I had to report was negative. We still don't know what is happening with our adoption. Andy is still working on paperwork for OCS. We are waiting, and wondering, and don't know what we are doing. And as we talked I began to hear myself, and I didn't really like what I heard.
Then, Beth said, "So much of the world is down right now - everyone is having a rough time".
She was commenting on several things we had talked about - political, personal within the family, and the state of the world in general. But in a way, that tiny little sentence was a smack in the face.
Everyone is having a rough time.
And really, WE aren't.
Emotionally, I am a bit of a mess. Ups and down, yes, no and maybe - all that jazz. Overall though, we are not having a rough time. Our children are healthy. Andy has a full time job, that not only pays the bills, but leaves a little left over every month that we can tuck away for that adoption, whenever God sees fit to bring us our next child. I'm not exactly healthy, but we have wonderful insurance that covers all my meds, so that I can live a normal life.
There are lots of "rough times" all around. We are not one of them.
My theme has always been to live life with JOY. I am trying. All I have to do is remember to ask - Joy is given freely.
3 comments:
So many people are going through this for sure. I think even those of us that are very blessed are still affected by all the doom and gloom surrounding us. It's hard to escape. It steals joy. And some days I just don't feel like I've got the energy to battle that - even with all my blessings. It gets hard to be the only one with a smile in a room with people who have lost jobs, are scared to death over the healthcare stuff, have serious health problems with a bad prognosis, can't make ends meet, are unhappy in their marriages....etc.
Crazy times. But the good news is...we've read the book. And we win.
We are so truly blessed aren't we! I feel it every day, the Joy of the Lord really is my strength, and I am so thankful for it!!
I am so glad you got to see and visit with Aunt Beth!
That opening quote sums it up in a nutshell...
Post a Comment