JOY! Does this pic give you any indication of the purest joy we experienced getting to be a part of this precious grandbaby's first Christmas? Honestly, I was totally unprepared for the pure unadulterated joy of grandparenting - this child hurts my heart - it's the only way I can describe the emotion!
And yet - my aunt signed an email with the perfect description of what life is like - and of course it's not all joy...she signed off "Stressed though blessed - and happy to be alive".
Well, I must say we had some stresses over the holiday to balance out our blessings....first I left for my 91 year old mother's bedside in North Carolina hurriedly with Christmas preparations still undone (dear hubby had to wrap everything and drive up without me this year!) After a week of coaching my mother's breathing during panic attacks, we had to move her to the nursing home - and have the estate sale on Dec. 27 - (thank goodness I had family members to help me this time - the last move to assisted living I didn't). This all ensued in the midst of rushing to the scene of my brother's head on accident in which my sister-in-law broke 4 ribs - although her inability to catch a breath at the scene had us really worried... BLESSED - though stressed.
My mother is convinced she is paralyzed or has had a stroke although she has not and has absolutely no dementia - she is aware of every bit of misery. The docs can find no physical cause - and she can walk with help once she's coaxed to try. I hurt for her terrible depression.
And so, as I start the New Year and get ready for our retreat on Jan. 29: "Starting the New Year on the Right Path", I gear up to continue learning myself about what we'll be teaching on: resting, trusting, praying and loving as our Lord has modeled for us.
I can see already that the "Blessed though Stressed" concept (thank you Aunt Libby) is going to be a continuing theme in my coaching and life planning this year. Be sure and contact me if that idea of looking more deeply into your life with the Lord's help through coaching or life planning catches your attention as a possibility for deepening your walk into the New Year.
Regardless - may you have many blessings and recognize the Lord will help you through any stressings the New Year may (inevitably!) bring. Thanks for being with me on this journey.
