Take time to smell the coffee

My weekends are usually spent with my grandkids. This past weekend was no different. The last couple of weeks have been so busy and stressful at work and I have worked a lot of overtime at home in the evenings. This week my supervisor said no work over the weekend so I listened.

As I watched the kids play and listened to them laugh and talk, I realize how much we miss when we fail to stop and take the time.  Last weekend I listened as my two oldest grandsons, 11 and 13 talked about girls and prank called girls on their cell phone. They spent so much time on the phone that Dylan couldn’t keep it charged.  I remembered when Dylan was a baby and his vocabulary was simply standing in my doorway mooing at the cows in the field behind my house.  Time goes by so quickly. It is important to spend every moment enjoying these little things.

The girls 8 years old giggled and laughed at the boys and then talked about their own “crushes”.  Seems a little young to me but they were so cute talking about the boys at school.  

I am so thankful for these moments that I get with them. Yes, sometimes it is a little hectic. And my husband, Rick, doesn’t always enjoy the chaos that having 4 grandkids at time brings. But I wouldn’t want to miss a single moment of these days with them. They are young enough now that they love to go to Grandma’s house but I know the day will come that they will have better things to do.

So, the lessoned learned for this week: take time to enjoy special moments with family and friends because they will pass to quickly.

Stress

I have always thought  that I was good at handling stress. I work the best when I am under pressure to get things done. But sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I forget to take care of myself. I was diagnosed years ago with Epstien Barr Syndrome. I had to get at least 9-10 hours of sleep a night or I would get sick. My ammune system was shot and I got every virus that went around that year. Eventually, I started staying healthy and so far this year I have not even had a cold. I have managed to get down to about 8 hours of sleep and still be ok.

This week has been very stressful. On Weds. morning I was notified that my coworker is no longer with the agency so this means that I have to do my work and his too until he is replaced. Normally , I would say no big deal, but I have been swamped with my own work and have been working extra in the evenings just trying to catch up.  This week meant even more hours of work along with the other everyday stuff that I do.

Yesterday it started catching up with me. I was soooo tired that late in the afternoon , I even layed down and took a 15 min power nap.  I should have recognized then that I needed to be aware of my stress level but I just went back to work and then I kept 4 of my grandkids overnight.

This morning I woke up with my upper lip covered in fever blister which is how my body reacts to stress over load. I have 3 blisters and boy are they painful. I also tend to be a little short with people around me (if I offended anyone this week, I apologize).

I got to thinking , why is it that we never learn when we need a break. We just keep pushing our bodies and minds to the limit. I am reminded that there is a reason that the God created everything in six day and on the seventh took  a break. Even God knows that we need to take a break. He made our bodies to withstand a lot but He also built in a self perservation mode that says when enough is enough. Unfortunately we don't always recognize the warning signs or we just choose to ignore them.
My thinking was I had to get the work done so there was no way I could do anything else.

So today I pay the price with 3 unsightly and painful blisters and I am still soooo tired. But I am going to stop and take a break to day. No work and maybe even a nap this afternoon. Then we are going to church tonight and in between I will work on a puzzle with one of my grandsons.
Sometimes we just have to take a minute and rest in His peace. Everything will be ok in the end. It always works out.

I remind myself of my blessings and my husband for putting up with me when I am testy and grumpy and sometimes just plain mean. He usually takes the brunt of my stress.

So , How do you handle stress? Any tips you would like to share ?

Firstborn

Thirty two years ago today I gave  birth to my first daughter, Amanda. Of course back then you didn’t get the privilege of knowing if you were having a boy or girl so she was a big surprise.  I had just turned 17 years old and I didn’t have any idea what I was getting myself into. I remember growing up all I ever wanted was to get married and have a family. I didn’t have any big plans of going to school or any career goals. I just wanted a family of my own. My husband Rick and I were living in a 2 bedroom trailer in Coldwater. I remember the night my water broke. I woke up and thought I was wetting the bed. I went to the bathroom and then back to bed. A few minutes later, I had a cramp and my stomach tightened up and out came the water again. It was about 2:30 in the morning. I got up and called my mom. I could always call my mom when I needed advice.  She said my water probably broke and I should go to the hospital. So off we went. Amanda was born about 8:30 that morning. Six hours of labor, not bad for a first baby.  We brought her home 4 days later and Rick decided to see if she was really a girl while I was in the bathroom. When he unwrapped her she started to cry and it seems like she never stopped for the next 3 months.

She had colic and cried and pooped and puked every single time she ate.

 Having a baby was not what I had dreamed of. But she eventually grew out of it and she was adorable. 

I made a lot of mistakes that come with being a very young mother, but I have never regretted one minute of it. I have watched her grow into a beautiful young lady that serves the Lord. I couldn’t ask for me. We have gone through the typical struggles of relationships but I am proud of the woman she is today.

As I think about that bond that you have with your firstborn, I think about God and how he sent his only son to earth, knowing that what he was going to have to go through when he sent him. Think as a parent of your child, could you send your child to die for someone you don’t even know. Most of us as parents would say, I would die myself before I would see my child suffer. I can’t say that I would lay down my life for many people but my children are on that list.  Yet, God‘s son came to this earth with the sole purpose of giving his life so that we can have grace.  That is so awesome that it is hard to even imagine.  Jesus willingly came and gave His life for us and we weren’t even born yet. He offers us the true gift of grace and all we have to do is accept it.  Who wouldn't want a free gift that gives such a great reward . God Bless

Joy Comes in the Morning

Joy Comes in the Morning

New International Version

Psalms 6:6-10

⁶ I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.

⁸ Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Ada’s version

I am tired of all this crying. I’ve cried all night and and all day.

I am worn out from all this trouble. My enemies are wearing me down.

I am tired of being tired and beat down. I am rise up against my enemies and command them to flee. The Lord has heard my cries and has delivered me the hands of the enemy. 

Those have tormented and caused me grief will now be ashamed of themselves and will turn away because of their shame.

      ·        Has anyone ever been there?

·        Anybody ever face trouble?

·        Anybody ever have sickness? Failure? Defeat?

·        Has anybody ever spent all day and night crying and begging out to God for help

·        We have all been there

Psalms 30:5
For his anger endures but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

  We need to know where our help comes from:

My Psalms 121:2

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

When David went to face the giant, they tried to get him to put on armor that did not fit him.  But he knew he did not need it. He would defeat the giant not through his power but through God’s.  He said:

1 Samuel 17:45

Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

David defeated the giant through the power of God not with the little pebble he through at his head.

It is important to trust God in every situation that we go through. He is always in control. He will never leave or forsake us. Put all of your problems and troubles in His hands and stand back and watch him take care of it all.

Maybe this past year has brought you many sorrows, grief, broken families, financial problems, etc…….

But in the New Year, I want to encourage you to put aside all of those past hurts and trust God. Night time is over, Morning has come and with it is Joy. Rise up and declare victory over the enemy.  Be blessed and if you need someone to stand alongside you in prayer, I will be happy to do so.

Today is my Birthday

Some people really freak out on their birthday. To me it is a day to celebrate. I plan on aging gracefully with no regrets. Of course, there are things I wished had not done or things that I would do differently if I had a chance to do them over but I would not trade the life I have been given for anything. My goal is to turn all negative thoughts into positive ones.  It is easy to look at life and see all of the things missing but what a blessing when we are able to look at the postive things that we have. Healthy family, place to sleep , food to eat, car to drive, job....... Many of these things we take for granted but they are everyday, ordinary blessings that many people don't have. I intend to look for opportunities this year to be an encourager and help as many people as I can. This blog is my first step. Now I am off to pamper myself with a full body massage that my hubby got me.