Learning to let go...

I read a great quote recently and it has really stayed with me.

"Worry does not prevent the pain of tomorrow, but robs today of its joy"

I really like that. I tend to stress about what is to come. If you ahve read any of my past posts, I am sure you picked up on the fact that I worry ALOT. I worry about what others think, what I might have said, or better yet, mis-said. I worry about my choices, I worry about my husbands choices, I worry about what my girls will choose. To be quite honest, it is exhausting. I would love to be one of those positive, happy go lucky people, but I have turned myself into quite the opposite.

Last Tuesday Greg last his job. I can't tell you how bad of a time I picked to start being positive. We are faced with tons of uncertainty. I am feeling remorseful about my decision earlier this year to leave my miserable, yet far more lucrative job, and most of all I found myself very untrusting. I feel more than ever that I can't get comfortable, for fear that the rug will get yanked out from under us yet again. Despite all these feelings, I am encouraged. I know that God does not ever have the rug pulled out from under him. God does not have a plan b because he does not need it. He is still working on plan A, and putting together much greater things for our family. I can already see it.

Greg just enrolled for his final semester of his associates degree, and will be movnig on to his bachelors in the summer. This whole situation has started a fire in him to get his degree, so as not to be in this situation ever again. Also, as I previously mentioned we are now living with my parents and renting out our house, so that means we have no mortgage or utility bills to speak of. Our biggest expense, daycare, is now substantially cheaper because Greg will be keeping the kids home 3 days a week, and to top it all off, we FOUND $1500 in checks, returns, and believe it or not scratches tickets to help get us through until unemployment kicks in. I qualify for insurance reimbursement at my job at our church, and have a ton of resources to pull from in order to find a great insurance plan so we will not have to pay for Cobra.

God is great. His plan is perfect. On top of all that, he knows my heart. He knows how I worry, and he knows just how to handle me. I will praise him in the sun and in the storm.

Being a good friend?

I have had a few situations lately where I am at a complete loss of what to say when a friend comes to me with issues she is having in her life. I feel like my initial reaction is to ask questions to understand what is going on, but once all the questions are answered, I always find myself at a complete loss of what to say.

Two such occasions have come up where all I want to say is...you grab your gun and I'll get my shovel, but upon further thought I don't think that is necessarily helpful. Then you take the route of offering up the whole, if I were you.... also, not that helpful. I want to be a good friend. I want to listen and comfort, but I am not always sure of the best way to go about it. One thing I do know is that I will be, and have been offering up more prayer than they can handle.