Crying in the shower...
It is such a relief to be able to just let it all go when you are showering. No one can hear if you are sobbing, sniffing, or just wailing with sorrow. It is so convenient too that the tears and the snot just run down the drain!
It has been many months since I had the courage to write anything on my blog. Not that I haven't had anything to say, but I have had a time of a creative desert. My life got mired with the detail of changing the kid's diet, and the rest of the family's diet, for celiac disease. Going gluten free is much easier these days, but still very expensive. And what the experts don't talk about is the emotional and psychological impact that the disease can have. Even though it is just Emma and Sam that need to go gluten free, nut free and dairy free, everyone in the family has been impacted. At any given day there have been battles over food and that is last thing I expected in my life. Another reason for crying in the shower.
My frustrations in life got the better of me and I made the decision in February that because I could not change any of the situations in my life, I would need to change. And so I took on the task of appreciating every day. It is not easy to get up every day and say, "This is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it." It is easy to say it but not always easy to live it. But it is just like practicing your faith. Each day can be a stepping stone to building that faith muscle and in turn that ability to find joy even in the most trying situations.
With the holidays approaching it is tricky to navigate the balance of Christmas and Christ. Peter loved Christmas and all of the trappings of decorations and gifts. I was always the Scrooge, not wanting to celebrate the material side of Christmas but keeping our focus on Christ. But I find now that going through the motions of the traditions keeps Peter's Christmas enthusiasm alive and our Christmas joy will be what we make of it.
As many of you will also experience your own roller coaster of emotions this holiday due to the loss of someone you love, the loss of a job, or just the desert of your faith journey, know that as a baby was born to change our world, He can change yours too.
Love,
Teresa
