All By Myself

You're never gonna hear me complain about my life...the things I don't get to do.

I mean, if you've read here at all, you know that I am a big fan of the "humorous." Sometimes...most times...I take the ordinary, frustrating nuances of each day, and exaggerate expound upon them...and twist them around to make them funny. That's just me. I view things through a different lens.

I choose to.

Now, not all things are happy, and not everything is funny. I get that. I've lived some of those things.

But to just complain...legitimately complain about my life? I hope I don't do that.

Because I feel immeasurably blessed, and incredibly thankful, that God chose me to be Joshua's mother.

Nevertheless, the dreams that I'd had for the first 26 years of my life...of how my life was going to be...died on the day he was born.

But God gave me new dreams. He picked up the shattered pieces of my heart, and put it back together in a new and different way. In Angie Smith's book, Mended, and I'm paraphrasing here (and probably getting it all screwed up)...she wrote that the broken places in our lives are just more openings for God's light to shine through.

I love that.

But, you know, just keeping it real here...there are times when life is hard. My days are sometimes very repetitive. I answer the same questions multiple times a day. I explain the same concepts multiple times a day.

BUT, I also talk about God and His love for us...multiple times a day.

My mind never shuts down with concern for this sweet one.

I am never alone.

Well, rarely alone.

Rarely alone...at HOME.

Which is fine...I'm just sayin'. That's why days like I had this week are such a treat for me.

Joshua's Summer Day Camp started this week. He will go 3 days a week (for about a month)...and 2 of those days I will maybe...potentially...hopefully...have time at home. ALONE.

Or time to hang out with friends.

I hope it's not wrong that I am giddy at the prospect.

This week didn't really count...because I have Holly's halfadog staying with me, and that's like having a small child. Only not as fun.

And they can't go into Kroger with you.

But you CAN put them in a crate if you need to go out, which is something you can't do with kids...so there's that.

I did get to have lunch with one of my girlfriends on Wednesday, and that was so fun!

Also, I defy anyone to surpass the level of accomplishment I had on Thursday.

The first thing I did was make Lemon Poppy Seed muffins, and Joshua wasn't even here! This was epic. I made muffins for my very.own.self! And I may or may not have eaten two of them! Okay. Three. I may or may not have eaten three. But it was two for breakfast...and then one in the afternoon for a snack. And because I drank a diet Dr. Pepper at lunch, that pretty much canceled-out all or most of the calories...according to the Mom Diet, anyway.

I spent most of the morning reading...trying to catch up on my favorite blogs. I'm about TEN DAYS behind! I did that off and on for a couple of hours...between doing loads of laundry...and it was glorious (Clearly, I have no idea what to do with unstructured time). But then I had to, you know, GET DRESSED AND STUFF. Jim and I met for lunch, and that was awesome! The rest of the afternoon is a blur, because of DOG (I am so tired), and we ended the evening by going to the Rotary banquet.

This coming week, I am having lunch with another friend one day...and I cannot wait!

Very thankful for my man-child with the dark, almond-shaped eyes...and big, big smile. I LOVE my days with him.

And I'm also very thankful for a few days to unwind and refresh.

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28