Life's Pressure...


I do believe that every individual has some type of pressures in life to face.
I do not believe that it all has to be considered stressful.
What is the difference?
To me, it's all in how we choose to cope during challenging times.

My husband has a stressful job. Deadlines to meet while managing to work around other trades of the business, inspectors to please, a boss to answer to, employees to hold accountable, and the daily mishaps that go with the job he has. I think he handles the pressure amazingly well. I am not sure how he does it. I do know he spares me from much of the drama of it. And he has learned how to leave work at the front door when he walks in to face his family of eager faces. We are blessed by that.

I, by nature, am an easy going person. I have the usual stresses as anyone else would have in the life I have.

Being a mom, juggling housework,finances, homeschooling, and getting familiar with our new life in a different state are par for course.

Having a dear grandpa near death adds a bit to the load.

Worrying about a sweet young gal, one whom is close to our family, as she is making desperately wrong choices, adds to the mix also.

The willingness to mentor a couple of lovely gals in an area I struggled with in the past..
this is a passion for me...
but stirs an emotional level of stress at times too.

So what silly thing caught me off balance? what made me skip a heartbeat, bring me to the brink of frustrated tears? A computer. yep, I admit it. Our computer was acting up, and the dear hubby wiped out all the 'favorite folders' and book marks.

It wasn't the treasure of preschool links that are 10 yrs in the making;
I've got the preschool thing down.

It wasn't all the educational sites that I have spent the last 8 years deciphering through;
I've got a handle on what seems to be working best for our family.

It wasn't even the very informative link favorites for how to best help, guide, and nurture our possible asperger's child;
I've got a grasp on what we need to be doing for him.

It wasn't the Blog lists of family members, and of those others I have grown to care about like family;
I've got a positive attitude that they may drop a note by here as to help me "re-find" them.

It wasn't the sports, science, or history links that were erased that bummed me;
I've got ideas where to look, although not much spare time for such things.

It wasn't the Biblical sites I am missing;
I've got several Bibles that can assist me as needed, it was just convenient via the internet.

So what was it?

I have just spent several months researching about....

COLLEGES!

ha! are you shrugging your shoulder at me? or giving me the eyebrow? yeah, well, whatever...

You see, this is an area that I hugely lack knowledge in. Even looking for information becomes overwhelming to me....endless hours of research, and I still don't quite know what I am looking through. The clep classes, SAT, ACT, financial aid, housing, grants, loans, requirements, entrance exams, and the list goes on... good golly, one night it took me 3 hours to locate ONE fairly conservative college possibility that would best fit our senior student. Mind you that this is all in my "spare" time, ugh!

So what shifted me from the pressures of life to STRESSFUL? I bump along so well, pacing the ups and downs as I go... so why did such a replaceable thing send me to tears? Accountability. My husband made the remark the other day about having to answer to his boss when things don't go right... I have to answer to GOD. I have been given the gift of raising, nurturing, guiding, and education our children... at the end of this journey, I will have to answer to what we did with our time, talents, & treasures. I know I will not be perfect, but I do feel I have to do my best.

Most of the time I handle the pressures of life well. I know who is in control, and it is not me!
Thankfully the Good Lord displays His Mercy & Grace on a daily basis. Admittedly, the more chaotic life gets, the One whom should be on the top of my 'to-do' list is often set aside.

Yep, come morning I think I will be cracking open that well used Bible of mine during my morning quiet time...