Hello everyone and I'm sorry to be late. Friday I volunteered at the Middle School in the morning, worked for school for two hours in the afternoon before helping out my daughter's teammate with a ride to the swim meet, helping as a timer at the swim meet, then taking my other daughter to a school dance.
And if I sound like I'm complaining I'm not -- it was just my life on Friday. In fact, it give me a good start for my reflection for Lent. See, I learned years ago, when I was a single mom, to be grateful for my aggravations. Especially during this time of year, I'm trying to remember daily how blessed I am to have these aggravations.
Anyone remember the shipwreck off the coast of New York more than ten years ago that killed and injured dozens of Asian people trying to sneak into the U.S.? Those who survived were imprisoned. I was working the newsdesk the day that happened -- yet another weekend of overtime I was working for the summer, trying to make ends meet to pay the mortgage. I felt very put upon. It dawned on my that day that there were women my age on that ship; women who were willing to risk their lives for the PRIVILEGE of my mortgage. They paid to be crammed onto an unsafe ship for the mere chance of being able to work overtime on weekends and pay the bills. I clearly remember thanking God for my "problems" that day.
A second epiphany for me happened on the way to work one morning when Emily and Rosie were very tiny. It was a typical early morning with toddlers; the kind where you have to gently wrestle them to the ground to put on socks; feed them; make special day-care lunches with no-choke sized food; label their diapers, etc. Rosie had grape juice that morning and threw it up in the back of the car. So as I'm driving to work, I started cursing my life again; my circumstances; my problems.
As I drove from the day care center to my office, still muttering profanity about my situation, I saw something that shut me up forever: another mother from the day care center, transporting her toddler to school for the day. But this mom is confined to a wheelchair; has no use of her legs and little use of her arms. Her little girl sat on her mother's lap in this motorized wheelchair, zipping down the sidewalk, holding her lunchbox.
I promised God that morning I would shut up already.
Now, I must confess, I fall into the trap of getting hyper-aggravated and feeling sorry for myself when days like yesterday befall me. Life is aggravating. People are slow at the grocery store. People drive like idiots. Teenagers forget to tell you when the dance ends.
I'm trying, though, during this Lenten season, to continue to give thanks for my problems. God hasn't given me any problems without giving me the means to solve them. My aggravations are blessings, and I'm trying very hard to remember to give thanks for them.
Blessings to Everyone,
Mary
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