I don't do crisis well. I'm not that sort of personality type. Really, it must be a rare sort that can operate under pressure, especially pressure that involves the suffering of your child.
I have learned a few things though. Anything good is by the grace of my God. All the negative I attribute to my lazy and imperfect human nature.
I have learned that I focus on the next thing to "just get through." This helps to a point. I find that just keeping on for days and days can lead to some pretty deep exhaustion. I feel like my eyes are blurry and my heart is sore, needing a day to just have a good cry.
No time for that.
Being a housewife is a pretty mundane-sounding job, but that is what I really am. I now know that it is very important. When those housewifely duties I do without thinking much about everyday don't get done there is disaster brewing. Really. Especially with a Corgi, a Black Lab, and three cats, all grieving in their individual ways. (Except for Predicate. That sassy girl cat seems to be the same old scaredy-cat she ever was.)
The yard is being cared for by good friends.
Next time someone is in crisis, I want to be the yard person. Keeping it mowed, trimming, helping in that way. It is huge. I am so grateful for this help right now.
My parents-in-law and my parents have been wonderful in every way. How grateful I am for their help. We just happened to have a vehicle crisis ----all vehicles needing major work---just as summer began. Just as Ed was diagnosed with leukemia. Both sets of parents generously offered a vehicle for our use. Wow. Lots of miles put on those cars, so glad they were reliable!
I have so many new readers here, I feel I need to reiterate on what a year it was for us: two weddings, three college graduations, two army commissioning ceremonies, recitals, concerts, ---the day -to-day with five children, now happily seven! Pardon my redundancy, but this contributed to my feeling of crisis.
Stuff that should happen just gets ignored. Projects that needed completion get left undone. You are necessarily ruled by the "tyranny of the urgent." We are major DIY's and all those car/house/yard ideas simply wait. Maybe next year.
Maybe not.
Cousin Hazel, long gone to be with the Lord, once told me that "Cheerfulness is a habit."
How this has helped me when my brain feels numb, my heart is breaking. Did you know that you can still smile?
It's okay. God's got it in His hands. You can smile.
It lets everyone know that we're all getting through this together. Which we are. Through prayer and help WE are getting through this as a family of God should.
Amazing, really.
Ed is alive. He's in remission. He's got great prospects. My crisis didn't end in something horrid yet. It won't. God's got the end in His hands.
Thank you for being there, for being a family to us in crisis.
As I drive the many miles right now in my borrowed car I bless you.
Thank you.
I have learned a few things though. Anything good is by the grace of my God. All the negative I attribute to my lazy and imperfect human nature.
I have learned that I focus on the next thing to "just get through." This helps to a point. I find that just keeping on for days and days can lead to some pretty deep exhaustion. I feel like my eyes are blurry and my heart is sore, needing a day to just have a good cry.
No time for that.
Being a housewife is a pretty mundane-sounding job, but that is what I really am. I now know that it is very important. When those housewifely duties I do without thinking much about everyday don't get done there is disaster brewing. Really. Especially with a Corgi, a Black Lab, and three cats, all grieving in their individual ways. (Except for Predicate. That sassy girl cat seems to be the same old scaredy-cat she ever was.)
The yard is being cared for by good friends.
Next time someone is in crisis, I want to be the yard person. Keeping it mowed, trimming, helping in that way. It is huge. I am so grateful for this help right now.
My parents-in-law and my parents have been wonderful in every way. How grateful I am for their help. We just happened to have a vehicle crisis ----all vehicles needing major work---just as summer began. Just as Ed was diagnosed with leukemia. Both sets of parents generously offered a vehicle for our use. Wow. Lots of miles put on those cars, so glad they were reliable!
I have so many new readers here, I feel I need to reiterate on what a year it was for us: two weddings, three college graduations, two army commissioning ceremonies, recitals, concerts, ---the day -to-day with five children, now happily seven! Pardon my redundancy, but this contributed to my feeling of crisis.
Stuff that should happen just gets ignored. Projects that needed completion get left undone. You are necessarily ruled by the "tyranny of the urgent." We are major DIY's and all those car/house/yard ideas simply wait. Maybe next year.
Maybe not.
Cousin Hazel, long gone to be with the Lord, once told me that "Cheerfulness is a habit."
How this has helped me when my brain feels numb, my heart is breaking. Did you know that you can still smile?
It's okay. God's got it in His hands. You can smile.
It lets everyone know that we're all getting through this together. Which we are. Through prayer and help WE are getting through this as a family of God should.
Amazing, really.
Ed is alive. He's in remission. He's got great prospects. My crisis didn't end in something horrid yet. It won't. God's got the end in His hands.
Thank you for being there, for being a family to us in crisis.
As I drive the many miles right now in my borrowed car I bless you.
Thank you.
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