Oh, to be Sixteen Again!

Wow!  What a week it has been.  I could bore you with the details, but it's not the story that matters.  What matters is that until recently this kind of week would have completely overwhelmed me, stressed me beyond function, and left me feeling despaired.  I sit here now, though, writing this article with my heart full of peace and gratitude for all the ways God has blessed me. 

• My beautiful daughter made it home safely with her spirits high.  Just seeing that awesome smile and gorgeous heart walk through my door and hearing the stories of her successes at college gave me a tremendous amount of medicine.
• My youngest daughter loves school, has a lot of friends, is a talented athlete, and has a generous heart.
• My refrigerator is full of food.  Some of it might be growing things, but it is full.
• I have a full case of diet Dr. Pepper.
• I have a roof over my head complete with air-conditioning.
• I have a car in the garage that is dependable.
• I have a family who loves me and supports me.
• I have a husband who works hard to provide for his family and even cooks occasionally.
• I have a healthy body, two good eyes, and I can hear.
• I have an incredible circle of friends who would do anything for me.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  Life is going to hand me many trials, some bigger than others.  Some are determined by my choices and some just come with being mortal.  It seems, for me, that I always get more stressed and more despaired over those trials in which I have absolutely no control.  I'm sure that comes with be a recovering control freak.  I finally figured out that God is going to see me through the ones I have no control over, and He uses those to bring me closer to Him and to teach me to trust Him.

Life is so much easier for me when I give Him the wheel. 

Today's prompt was:  If you could meet your sixteen-year-old self, what would you tell her?  I would tell her to learn this lesson early and save yourself a lot of heartache!  Control is not all it's cracked up to be.  Don't sweat the small stuff!  Look for the value in all things and learn to ask for help when you need it.

Blessings,
Penny

P.S.  I would also tell her that she is a loveable woman full of mercy and grace!