From One Mom to Another

My child’s daycare closed recently.  I was at a lost for words when I found out the news.  I had less than a week to figure out what to do.  My heart was broken for my son.  He loved going to “school”.  He loved his teachers and his friends.  I knew he was going to miss it very much.  I did not know what I should do.  My son was only three years old, and he just could not comprehend the entire situation.  Both he and I did not realize how this situation would affect our family. 

I found someone who could keep him during the day.  He did not understand why he could not see his friends anymore.  He was almost in tears every morning before I dropped him off because he wanted to go to “school”.  He wanted to play with his friends and see his teachers.  He wanted to learn and read his books.  What is a mother to do?! 

Mothers always want the best for their children.  They want to give them the things they never had when they were younger.  They want to try and give them everything they need and almost everything they want, but not to the point where they become spoiled rotten.  Giving a child the opportunity to learn is the best opportunity, especially when they are practically begging for it.

While it is very hard for me to understand, I do have a special child who is very smart and does understand that he is not going to school right now.  When do I make the move and put him back in another daycare, a place that he excels and responds to very well?  I do not want to hold him back because he has the potential to a very bright young man when he gets older.  I know that he has developed social skills, but I do not want him to take a turn in the other direction.

The conclusion that I have come to, and all moms will agree with me, is that this decision is a hard decision.  We all want was is best for our children, and sometimes we just do not know what that is.  I am sorry to admit it to you, but parenting does not come with an instruction manual.  It is not spelled out in black and white.  We just have to make these tough decisions, pray they were right, and everything will eventually turn out the way things were meant to be.  From one mom to another, this decision is not easy.

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Oh, dreary day that has come.  Why is it you are here.  The storm clouds hovering outside above the people make for a bad mood in us all.  The sky is full of darkness with streaks of lightning bolts flashing sporadically.  Thunder booms in the calm to awaken those who are sleeping.  The rain slowly starts to drizzle down on the dry, dusty road.  Suddenly, the down pour of water as the heavens open, the flood gates are pouring wide.  The dreariness of this day as the rain keeps coming down is infused in minds of everyone with each drop that comes down.  Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.  Come again another day when we wish that it would rain.  It is now cool again so please go away until then.

 

School Traffic

Can you believe it is that time of year again?  All of the new shiny pencils have been bought, and the ham and cheese sandwiches have been made.  The first day of school clothes have been picked out, and the class schedules have been arranged.  The first day of school is here, along with the TRAFFIC!!  Is anyone ever prepared for school traffic?  Everyone knows what time they are supposed to be at school every year.  It starts at the same time every morning.  Nothing changes.  However, for some reason, that first day of school it seems that all has been forgotten in a few short months of vacation and creates chaos for the rest of us who go to work 365 days a year.  Why must those of us who have a regular schedule arrive late for work just because everyone who is going back to school decided to be late.  Please remember that we all have a job to go to, so be considerate to those of us who are also in a rush to get somewhere as well.

 

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

When is it my turn?  I am ready for someone to start helping me out.  I get so many questions everyday.  Everyone comes to me seeking advice from me.  And when I go to someone for help, the response I most often get is “your smart, you figure it out”.  When is it my turn!?!  Ahhhh!!!!  Don’t get me wrong, I like to help others with their problems.  But when I am the one needing help with a problem, who is going to be there to help me out.  I need someone to listen to me and give me meaningless advice.  However, it seems those who need help most often are willing to give any when the tables are turned.  Why is this always the case?  Shouldn’t it be a two way street?  Or do they think in their minds that the world always revolves around them and people are always going to be coming behind them picking up the pieces?  Have you done something for anyone lately?

 

How to Survive

It is a normal day at work.  You arrive on time at 8:00 a.m. like always.  You come in and start a pot of coffee for the whole office.  You pour you a cup and sit down in front of your computer.  You turn it on and put on your headset.  You start going through the motions of your daily grind pushing papers, just like always.  Sometimes it feels as though you are just trying to survive at a job you absolutely hate before a better one comes along.  You feel trapped.   There is no escaping this unexplainable boredom what has now become your life.  When did this change happen, and how did it become so drastic?  It is so apparent that you do not like what you do that the fake smile on your face is not working anymore.  The only thing you can do to survive at work is to keep doing what you do best–your job.  How is it that you are one of the best at what you do at a place you do not want to be at?  As said by Alanis Morset, “Isn’t it ironic, don’t ya think?”  Even though you could care less if today was your very last day at this place and you could walk out that door and never return and you would be OK with that, people know that you would leave a whole in your department.  You would be missed because others rely on the knowledge you have.  So what does this have to do with surviving the painful day to day torturing of pointless and meaningless work?  It means that others need you and your help.  Others need you to be there for them.  Yes, the saying that no one is irreplaceable is true, but they cannot replace you overnight.  You need to be there to help and mentor those who have not been there as long.  While you are waiting, you must take every opportunity to grow.  Whether it is as a mentor, teacher, presenter, etc., these are experiences that cannot be passed by.  Your key to surviving is not driving yourself crazy by doing nothing.  It is continuing to make yourself successful by doing something.

 

Understanding Fear

Why do we let fear drive us down certain paths in life?  Why do we let it take over when we know what we should be doing?  What is this emotion we call FEAR?  Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.  Are we threatened by pain or even the thought of feeling pain, whether it is emotional or physical? 

Going through the motions of the routines of life, it is easy to be just fine with the way things are.  Waking up each morning, drinking your daily cup of coffee, and reading the morning paper are rituals of many people.  These are normal daily routines.  Then, you go to work, get a little stressed out, come home to eat dinner, and watch TV.  Sometimes, there is not much more to it than this.  And the fact of the matter is, most people do this every single day of their lives, day in and day out without interruption, nothing exciting-just the mundane.  So why does fear drive what we do sometimes?  Because why should we want to interrupt the normal routine of our lives?  Why do we want to steer away from something that we know so very well?  The fear of the unknown–that is what many of us are so afraid of.  The big world out there that is unexplored by so many of us and will never be explored is right at our fingertips.  It is right in front of our face, and all many of us have to do is see past the fear.  The fear of being embarrassed.  The fear of being let down.  The fear of being exposed for who we really are sometimes.  The fear of showing real emotions.  The fear of being anxious.  The fear of not getting what we wanted, or the fear of not really knowing what we wanted.  Because the truth is these fears are not always real.  They are made up in our heads.  We always expect the worst, and pray for the best.  None of the things could come true, or all of them might.  You will never know unless you try.  What if you were to try everything you were afraid to try?  How much farther in life would you be?  Where would you be?  Would you be at the dead end job you are at now or would you be the CEO of your own company? 

What is the opposite of fear–FAITH!  Understanding fear first can lead you to what you need the most, faith.  Having faith will allow you to step out and do the things you never would have in the past.  It will enable you to go on that interview, to climb that mountain, to meet new people.  Having faith that when you fall someone will catch you is like nothing else.  Faith is what should drive you successfully through life, not fear.  Like the song says, “You gotta have FAITH!”

 

How to Keep a Job

If your lucky enough to have a job right now, you should be smart enough to keep it.  However, some people are dumb enough to not know how to keep one.  Companies are laying people off left and right this year, and it would seem like those who still have a job would step up to the plate to offer the best that they have to prevent from losing the job that they have kept. 

For some reason, though, I have found this to be the very opposite of how some people react to this situation.  When layoffs happen, the job duties of those that were let go must be absorbed.  Therefore, the people who are currently overworked must take on even more work that they may or may not know how to do.  This is very stressful for everyone.  Sometimes, individuals believe they are the only ones affected by situations and fail to consider other people around them that are affected as well.

So how can you keep your job right now?  Well, layoffs in this economic time are inevitable.  However, the one thing that can make you stand out among the crowd is very simple:  DO YOUR JOB!  Among all those who are sitting around whining and complaing about all of the extra workload that they just took on, just do your job.  It has to be done whether it is by you or someone else.  Wouldn’t you rather do it than be fired and them hire someone else to do it for you?  You may not like your job right now, but it could always be worse, and who knows, it could be better in the future.  If we all just sucked it up and did what we were supposed to do without complaining, how much farther along would we be.  Would all of the problems in the world be solved?  Probably not, but it would more peaceful.

 

Planning a Vacation

Why is planning a vacation so hard sometimes?  First, you must decide what you want to do.  Then, where you want to go.  Then, most importantly, how much is this going to cost me.  When you think you have it all figured out, you then realize, I don’t know how I going to get there.  Should I fly?  Should I drive?  Should I rent a car?  What is the fastest way?  What is the most cost effective way?  What do I really want to do?  Is this going to make me tired before I even start my vacation?  Why is this so hard??!!  Then, you start to calm down and forget about planning for a couple of days so you can gather your thoughts.  You need to have time to really figure out what it is that you want to do, right?  Then, you realize that you have wasted weeks of precious time when you could have been getting good deals on hotel rooms or plane tickets.  Why is this so hard??!!  Isn’t this supposed to be a vacation?  What is a vacation anyways?  A vacation is defined by dictionary.com as a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday.  A period of rest.  WOW!  Why is it that when we go on a vacation and get back, we need a vacation from our vacation!  Planning a vacation is just as stressful.  Why must we have so many plans?  Can we just not get in the car with a bag of clothes and drive somewhere?  Wherever we stop for the night is where we will sleep.  No plans.  No stress.  Just rest.  A simple, relaxing vacation.

 

Catering for a Christmas party

I love to cook.  My whole family loves to cook.  It is what I grew up doing.  My grandparents started a restaurant business which serves catfish and seafood.  It is a very home-cooking, country style food and atmosphere place.  Now, my parents have the restaurant, and it is always fun to go home on and go to the restaurant.  I know how to cook because it is in me. 

My husband and I are catering a Christmas party this weekend.  I shouldn’t be nervous.  I know what I am doing because I am supposed to know how to cook.  I have done this before.  I have catered parties before, and I have successfully done them.  What makes this one different?  I will tell you what makes this different.  It is because this is for our Sunday School class, our friends. 

When you do something for your friends, there is always extra pressure.  There is extra pressure to do your best to impress.  What if they don’t like what we are making?  What if we run out of food?  Will they enjoy themselves?  Will everything get ready on time?  Oh my gosh!  So many questions!  So many things could go wrong!  However, so many things could go right.  Everyone could like our food.  We could have food leftover.  The set-up could be exquisite, and everyone could have a fabulous time.  So many things could go right.  I just need to calm down, take in a deep breath.  Besides, what do I have to worry about when God is on my side.  Remember, this is a Christmas party.  It is not about food, or gifts, or even friends.  It is about the celebration of the birth of Christ.  No matter what happens, everything will turn out just the way it was meant to be.

 

Do you know the rules in your favorite sports?

It is amazing to me how many people DON’T know how the game is played in their favorite sports that they dedicate their life to watching day in and day out.  Every time the referee makes a call, it is always wrong, at least it is wrong according to the fans sitting in the bleachers or watching in their comfortable recliners at home.  Growing up in a home with a father who is a referee, knowing the rules of how to play the game was not an option.  It was not like we were made to read the rule book, but we couldn’t even watch a game on TV with him without being told what was going on.  If the greatest fans of the game who claim to ‘know it all’ would actually take time to ‘learn it all’, then their claim to being the greatest ‘know-it-all fan’ would actually be true.