Life Thoughts

 My personal family tree is a little odd looking.  My parents each have one sister, and neither sister has children.  So my two brothers and I were the only grandchildren on both sides of the family, and we have zero first cousins.

My parents have cousins and their cousins have children so I do have a variety of second and third cousins, and first cousins once removed. 

Anyway, I have a male second cousin (I think that is what he is, second cousin) who lives in Florida with his wife and family. His wife has three children from a previous marriage and then three children with my cousin.  One of the older girls was in a terrible car crash a few days ago and was very seriously injured. By the grace of God, she survived the accident and is making steady improvement, which is such a relief to everyone who cares about her!  Praise God!!

I have been thinking (again) about how easy it is for me to get caught up and stressed about things that are not THAT important.  I mean, if one of our kids was in a bad accident, nothing else would be really important. Suddenly, how he or she was doing would be everyone's priority.

I find myself stressing about a lot of little stuff -- bathroom closets and Rose's reading and college details.  These are things I need to manage and persevere with, or they will never get done. But somehow I need to find a way to be calm and relaxed while still getting them done.  In my younger years, anxiety propelled me to work hard -- fear of failure mostly.  I am a hard worker and have been for as long as I remember, but I shouldn't need anxiety to push me along.  I am not nearly as anxious as I used to be (thanks to prayer, counseling, and Lexapro) but some weeks are still difficult. This is one of those weeks, I think partly because I have so many things going on outside the home.  I took the three boys to the orthodontist on Monday and tomorrow, TOMORROW, I take ALL seven kids still at home to the dentist. I must be CRAZY :-).

But it will get done :-).

But then I think of sweet S. in a hospital struggling with major life changing injuries and I realize that all of this is important but not worth worrying about, if that makes sense.

Bathroom Closet

I truly enjoy organizing and throwing things away!

However, it always takes time and I have been busy so it is rare that I go so far as to empty a bathroom closet and sort and tidy and all that.

Yesterday I tackled our main bathroom closet.  It is shocking HOW MUCH STUFF was in there.  The bathroom counter, and the washer and dryer, and the toilet, all had random things.

Some was expired and some needed to be elsewhere, so when the dust settled, it looked far better (see bottom picture.)

It really is nice to organize at least a couple of times a year.  The kids and I move things around so it is hard to see what I still have.

Mid April

 Lots going on here.  

Kevin and I got our second COVID vax shots yesterday. So far we are both doing well.  Most friends who have had both shots have done Ok with maybe a little achiness and low fever. A couple people have been really sick, which is no fun.  Looks like we are going to be among the fortunate ones.

Kevin and I ran off to a State Park last weekend. Here are some pics.

It was fun and the kids did fine at home with some help from their grandmother and older sisters.

More later!

I Quit! :-)

 My job on base, that is.

I have worked for a contractor on the Air Force base for 18 years or so now, and it has mostly been a fabulous job. I worked very very part time for all those years, taking frequent breaks for babies and illnesses.  My employers treated me beautifully and I am grateful for the opportunity to keep one little toe in the science arena.

However, ever since COVID hit, my work has been really hit or miss. For months, I wasn't permitted to go on base at all. Then it was the occasional hour here or there.  Now I am allowed in on Wednesday and Wednesdays alone.

With my publishing "career" taking off, with the kids getting older and requiring more driving around, with sheer AGE, I am realizing the need to simplify my life.  Yes, my job is only a few hours a week, but I have to work that around everything else and I sometimes feel like chocolate pudding scraped over too much ham.  (A Lord of the Beans reference, which is a Veggietales parody of the Lord of the Rings. The LOTR quote is "butter scraped over too much bread" I believe.)

So my last day is in three weeks or so. It is a little sad to have the end of an era in this way, but mostly I just feel happy that one small load will fall off my shoulders.

I remember when I was younger and more stupid, I imagined working with great vim and vigor into my late 60's. This was before marriage and 9 kids.  One thing I am noting is that my body IS aging. I am only 51 but I do get tired, I do get achy, etc.

Partly that is, again, nine kids. I sailed through 9 births (including 6 C sections) really well, but still, that did do some wear and tear on the old body. Not that I regret it in the least. I am so blessed by the kids, and truly in awe that I was able to have nine darling children!

But I also need to respect my own limitations. Even Jesus my Lord had to take naps at times! 

I love naps.

So yes, I quit.