Stories don't always end

[Aud31]

Ditto--thanks for sharing your thoughts today!

[whatisis]

Good stuff, Being Me! I've found trying to look at what is still there rather than only acknowledging what is missing, is a helpful method. I've been turning to a bible verse in Romans, I'll share it with you:
"We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectency such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary- we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives..."
I know my life has been blessed tremendously, some of which is due to my efforts and some not. I don't want to live my life mired in my pain (it's a battle lately though!) and be so busy feeling sorry for myself that I miss the good stuff God is sending my way. I don't want the Lord up there clenching his fists at me and mumbling "would you just look beyond your own nose for even one minute!" There's a song by Casting Crowns where the singer says something like "Jesus will save the world, maybe the best thing we can do is just get out of his way!" I think that rings true in our own lives, we can get in the way of the good happening and maybe our job is to just get out of the way and let those good times roll in. Just a thought!
Have a great day, Being Me.

[Phoenix_spark]

I think sometimes it's like the first time you learn to drive. You hold the wheel real tight and struggle with it the whole way with fast and choppy moves. Then some one says loosen your grip, feel what is going on, then move slowly and patiently. Of course looking further down the road and anticipating helps also.

[BeingMe]

Something I read about adversity:

"Our trials can either end up hardening our heart or humbling us. How true the saying that suffering in life is inevitable, but misery is of our own making. In other words, because of the plan that we all agreed upon in the premortal life, we are going to suffer, whether we want to or not. However, if you can find how to suffer that tribulation in the Redeemer's name, you will bear it well and perhaps even do it with an understanding, happy heart." --Elder Gene R. Cook, "BYU Devotional", February 1, 2005

[whatisis]

Being Me, I just read a thought that fits with your adversity theme.
"God's faithfulness does not always take the form of deliverance from adversity. Many times God demonstrates His faithfulness by sustaining us through adversity...Oftentimes God demonstrates his faithfulness in adversity by providing for us what we need to survive. He does not change our painful circumstances. He sustains us through them."

[BeingMe]

Lovely thought, Wii! I remember when I was in the middle of my sitch, I used to pray in the car every morning before going in to work. I would ask for strength to get through the day, and I always felt the return message was 'patience, have patience'. Praying helped me a lot, and I think I took it for granted, and was more eager for it at the height of my stress, because I don't do it as often anymore. I feel I am going through a time of questioning my faith (not so much in God, but in what my core beliefs are, and what the nature of God is), and just looking at the world and how we interact with it, and the messages we allow ourselves to believe about ourselves, is all mixed up in my head right now. Not sure if I'm making any sense here.

I found this prayer somewhere which I like to quote:
"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it."

As for my M ... it has been quite tough having my H travel. This is the job he wanted and yet he is still not happy. He always seems so frustrated, and miserable, sometimes picking a fight with me for no reason. This morning he was a little upset with our S20 who had not cleared the driveway around his car before driving over it, as he had requested him to do. After calling S20, he comes into our room where I was changing after church, and asks me what's my problem, and why I "have such a long face"? WTF!!!! I just looked at him and told him not to pick a fight with me just because he's miserable, and that I didn't take too kindly to being told I have a long face. I was in thought, in my own little world, and not thinking about anything negative, so this came out of left field for me. I was rather cross after that, but then decided I wasn't going to let him make me as miserable as he seems to be.

So, he is snowed in, and will be working from home this week, and I will have him underfoot. He just better not be picking anymore fights with me, 'cause if he does, he'll be arguing with himself. There are times, I kinda like being by myself during the week, and times when I wish I had carried through with a D, and gone our separate ways. I feel this because I don't think he learned anything from our sitch. I don't think he feels he needs to change ... just has to say sorry, and everything is just peachy fine, but it doesn't work that way. Oh! But, I had to make great changes for him! I don't know why I bothered, really.

Oh well! Just needed to get that off my chest!