Stress, Stuff, and Finding the Blessings

I've been a bit on edge.  A bit stressed.  Slightly off my game.  I'm getting old.  The realization of that is apparent in the fact that I use enough John Freda products I should own stock.  Medium Chocolate Brown.  That's my color for those keeping track at home. 

Three years ago my husband and I started the Total Money Makeover and from that point on I have been coloring my own hair.  In the process I learned that foam is the way to go.  It is less drippy and way more fun to use.  This however, is not the source of my stress.

My daughter did indeed total her car.  We are now down a car until we can save up enough money to buy her another car outright.  We did have insurance, but the minimum as it was a cash car and my husband believed that Dave would say use the emergency fund to fix the car instead of paying high premiums for a cheap kid car.  Hence the reason we are not paying to fix a car that would cost more to fix than we paid for it. 

I'll admit it.  I had gotten spoiled.  She had been driving herself and her sister to school this year and I liked it.  Don't get me wrong I worried like crazy.  If they didn't text me to tell me they arrived safely I was a mess and prayed all morning not to get a phone call that something horrible had happened to them.  I loved being able to just drive my son and I down the road to go to school.  It was nice.  I also enjoyed having her go pick up food when I didn't feel like cooking too.

The only upside to this is that now that I will be driving them all to school again I won't have to worry about them driving in the winter.  (According to all of  the people who love winter it is supposed to be a bad winter this year.  Well bad for me and good for them with lots of that cold white stuff I hate.)  One more point in the favor of moving to the Sunshine State. 

So that has been going on and my stomach has been a mess for a year.  A year would be correct.  You read that right.  I just don't go to doctors.  They have needles and tests and I have no time for that.  I would, as mentioned before, be the poster child for what not to do in life.  I did go to the doctor and just as I thought,  they wanted to do tests and poke me with needles.  This did not help with my stress or my stomach.  As far as I know I'm going to be fine as long as I am OK with giving up spicy food, greasy food, and caffeine.  All reasons I didn't want to go to the doctor.  I love Mexican food.  I love crinkle cut french fries.  I love coffee drinks that don't taste like coffee.

My day job has been stressful this year.  Lots of changes and adjustments have needed to be made.  I have done a lot of subbing and while I think it may just be helping me overcome my fear of public speaking (at least in front of the five year old sec) I am not a licensed teacher.  I am also having a bit of withdrawals from the lack of copies and laminating that have been a part of this year.  The kids are great and they haven't ganged up on me and tied me up and taken over the school yet so I think maybe I might be doing at least that much right.  Also I have not had to buy a ferret yet but I have had to use my whistle.  (Kindergarten cop references do earn me extra points right?)

My new book is in editing.  With a December release quickly approaching.  While I love all of what goes into this exciting chapter of my life it is hard juggling everything at once.  Also, with the threat of being too transparent, I do want it to be wonderful.  I want you all to love it and get some of what God is teaching me out of it. 

It doesn't seem so bad when you look at it in writing.  It doesn't seem very stressful at all from the outside looking in.  I am very thankful to have all of these stresses in my life.  When I stop and take a deep breath I thank God for each and every one of them.  A wise woman told me recently that it doesn't matter if anyone else thinks what you are going through is stressful or not.  It is stressful to you.  That is what matters.  No one else is going through it, you are. 

We are down a car but we didn't have another driver last year.  My kid is fine and that is all I care about.  It will take a while but the metal box with wheels can be replaced.  Thank you Jesus!

My stomach is a mess and I had to go to the doctor, maybe it is a wake up call to take better care of myself.  Also maybe with the new diet I can lose some weight.  God may just have more in store for me yet.  Thank you Jesus!

Kindergarten is different and a bit stressful this year.  I have a job I love and work with some of the best people I have had the pleasure of meeting and I am learning a lot from them.  I am lucky.  Thank you Jesus!

I have a second book coming out.  How cool is that?  God decided to use my fingers to type his words and allowed me to be a part of something bigger than I could ever have thought possible.  There are no words to describe how thankful I am for that.  I hope my experiences and my life can be used as a witness to further the kingdom.  Thank you Jesus!

We all have stuff.  Big stuff and little stuff and just plain pain in the rear stuff.  I guess what I'm learning is, it is just stuff.  Everything has a season.  The key is to not let our stuff define us but define our stuff.  Look at the stuff and figure out what God is trying to teach us through it.  Only then can we see it for what it really is and only then can we move that mountain out of the way to get to the next step.  God has a plan.  It is time we start moving the stuff out of the way and get to the blessing.