An Overwhelming Week

This week truly has overwhelmed me. It was one of those weeks that just had too much "stuff" to fit into it. It was VBS week and I was teaching 3rd and 4th graders and my Sunday school class was in charge of the carnival. I had two major papers to get done for my graduate class, both of which involved assessing some actual students. I was trying to organize workers and childcare for the soup kitchen on Saturday. Both my kids had to have shots. To top it all off, Taylor has been out of town for the entire week. Thankfully my mom came to the rescue. She gave up her entire week to come help me out with the kids. She was a life saver. Even with her here I felt overwhelmed. I can't imagine how I would have done it on my own. I don't like chaos. I'm one of those people who likes to organize my life into little compartments. I have my school work time, my house work time, my play time, my church obligations. I don't like it when they all blend together and I don't know what to do next. Having kids has taught me to lighten up a lot, but I still like order. I strive for a simple life and try not to saturate our family with commitments, but sometimes there is just no getting around it and chaos reigns. I won't claim to have had a good attitude through it all. In my mind I know that things really aren't that bad and the madness is temporary. My emotions don't always know that though and usually they win out. So during most of this week I was overwhelmed in a negative way. However, last night as I allowed myself a long candlelit bubble bath to relax, I reflected on my week and I became overwhelmed by God's goodness in my life. All these responsibilities that were weighing down on me come from such deep blessings. I have the privilege of being part of a church that tries to minister to the least of these, even though at times it is a lot of work. I have the resources and support to continue my education. I have two beautiful children that I have the joy of caring for. I have a husband who is such a part of me that I miss his presence deeply. Not many people have a mom like I do, either. I cannot even count the ways my mom helped me this week. She took the kids on outings to the park and the pool so I could work on my papers. She watched the kids as I ran to friends' houses to do reading assessments on their kids. She let me sleep in every morning and got up with John Curtis. She watered my grass and peach trees. She held my screaming kids down as they got shots. She helped Sophie pick out books at the library and spent time reading them to her. She took me out to eat many times this week, which is a big treat for me. Every night when Sophie and I walked through the door at 8:45 from VBS, the house was peaceful and clean and John Curtis was sleeping. She mopped my floors AND my garage. I know! You're jealous! Not many people can spend a full week with their mother and feel sadness when she drives away. I did. Finally, I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness that every week is not this overwhelming! Thanks Mom! I love you! Taylor, come home NOW!