Of course, sometimes I completely drop the ball when one of these "gifts" from God arrive! It's much easier to give up snacking/desserts/social media/(insert Lenten sacrifice here) than it is to try to give a positive response when a surprise rush of negative emotions, or a negative situation, catches me off guard!
This morning, I totally blew it. I just woke up "on the wrong side of the bed." It's been a challenging week and it's still.not.Friday. Luke woke up at 5 with a nightmare and never went back to sleep. Sarah made cookies for a friend at school late last night because his great uncle passed away, which was very nice. Waking up to a messy kitchen...not so much!
I was just in a bad mood. I was feeling frustrated and bored. I'm still getting over disappointment since we aren't getting a tax return this year because of the way one of the colleges reported scholarship information.
In reality, it's all small potatoes. I was just being grouchy about it all. I missed an opportunity to offer up some involuntary penances.
I joined Dynamic Catholic"s "Best Lent Ever"program. Today's short video talked about love...and who we lay our life down for. It was definitely a not so subtle nudge to remind me that I lost my focus this morning! If that wasn't enough, I also picked up a book recommended by my Spiritual Director...which I don't do often enough(!)...and the section I was on was "What to do when you are unable to abandon yourself." Umm...yeah.
After I was able to take a deep breath and organize a few things to make me feel a little more in control of the world around me, I was able to re-boot my day. The frustrations and disappointment haven't gone away, but thankfully I have been able to manage them in a much better way!
As they say in the Veggietales song from the Story of Jonah..."Our God is a God of Second Chances!"
