“Life can be so good.  Life can be so hard.  Never knowing what each day will bring to where you are.”

 These are the first lines of the song I sang at my graduation.  “My Life is in Your Hands.”  Beautiful song.  I need to sing it again once in a while, just to remind myself.  Remind myself that I’m not in charge.  I have no control.  Only God does.  And to learn that is truly a beautiful thing.

The tensions around here are lessened.  I ended up being the one to break the ice.  Feelings have been discussed.  Irritations have been acknowledged.  Hands have been shaken.  Some of the issues that have come out are pretty much just plain ridiculous.  Still we choose to forgive.  We still intend to put in a fence.  I doubt I will ever feel completely comfortable with a social worker living two doors down.  They can see our back yard plainly.  So a privacy fence will make it pleasant around here again.  We’ll be able to really enjoy ourselves without the stress of being watched. 

So I choose to refocus.  I’m working at purging and deep cleaning every room in our house over the next couple of weeks.  It always takes longer than I plan, and then I get discouraged.  In fact, I was well on my way, before spring ever hit, to having the whole place spring cleaned.  But life happened, and cleaning and organizing took the back seat.  As a step of faith towards selling our other property and heading into some renovations here, I’m getting things ready. 

And I am thankful.  So blessed and thankful for the six people God has given me to live life with.  My kids and I have our moments of course - what family doesn’t - and I openly admit to them that I’m learning as much as they are.  My character still needs pruning.  And they forgive and keep loving me.  My husband continues to be totally devoted to me.  There are so many things in my life that are hard.  But there could many that are much worse. 

I’d rather put up with the difficulties I am personally walking through daily, if it means loving and being loved by these wonderful blessings in my life.  Even when it means stepping on glue sticks in the bathtub.