Surviving the Season

Well, this week has been... ummm... interesting. Mike's sick again (and I hate it for him, because there is nothing like being sick without knowing the cause, as it makes you feel helpless and vulnerable), and this has been the week of issues. Filed taxes, and we owe. Yay. Makes me so ready to mail a check... NOT! Students are cranky, kids are cranky... Mike and me... CRANKY. So like no other week, today is wonderful if for no other reason than it is FRIDAY.

But I heard something today when I was listening to my TD Jakes podcast that moved me to tears. So, I thought I would share it with you all (if for no other reason than to have someone else to cry with). Dr. Paula White was speaking about how S. Truett Cathy was on the brink of financial downfall, how he was in a hospital, with not enough insurance to cover his medical expenses or much-needed treatment, all while grieving the relatively recent loss of his two brothers to a plane crash (they were all flying in to attend a business meeting with Truett). How it was there in that hospital room, at one of his bleakest hours that the idea for Chick Fil A was born... how it has become one of the largest and most successful businesses in existence -- all during a time when so much was upon this man that he should have been knocked down. Dr. White, summed it up with this: "The conspirators can come to you and they can take a lot in your life... but they can never take your dream! As long as you have a dream you have a destiny!"

That spoke to me. I have so many dreams... don't you? I spent a good part of yesterday feeling sorry for myself... wondering why it was that every time we moved to go forward we get knocked back six paces... and I just wanted to crawl into a hole and wait for it all to pass, even if I knew it wouldn't. I prayed last night to find an answer. This morning, it was on my heart to listen to the podcasts. I prayed again to see the way more clearly, and I listened. I am so glad I did.

You know, there is always going to be some kind of storm. That's the way life is. Maybe for some of us it will be the finances. For some of us it will be medical issues... for still others it will be emotional pain. But you know, if Spring teaches us anything, it is that flowers can't bloom without the rain. I am a rose in a garden of prosperity and happiness. I have to trust that my day to bloom is coming -- and yours is too!

So it is Friday. Strangely, I am energized, rather than fatigued. I am ready to chase a dream, to fight for my abundance and prosperity. I have a dream, and I refuse to let it go. Check back to see our family journey into a new and better season.

Spring BREAKAGE

So it is March... typically referred to by us educators as death March... since for so many of us, the time between Holiday break and Spring break is often a push to the finish with few days off -- and you end up so tired at the end of it, you truly feel like you're gonna die. And thus, it is around this time of year that finds me in need: in need of rest, in need of patience, and possibly, in need of an intervention.

Lots of things are going on right now. Kiki, my youngest little girl, turned 4 yesterday. She is getting to be such a big girl. As a family, we spent the weekend trying to make her feel as special and loved as she is. I was a little sad to mark the day though (and no, not just because it was Daylight Savings and I lost sleep!). Kierra is likely my last baby. I don't know how she has grown up so fast! I remember just giving birth to her... just being pregnant with her... just finding out that there was a little miracle in my body. We had wanted another... but despite trying we weren't getting pregnant... with others all I had done was think about a baby and POOF I was preggo that cycle... but even after two years I was nowhere near it. I had just accepted a mentor teacher position at a local middle school, had just given up on the idea of having another baby when, after a three-week-long traveling adventure that took us as far west as Minneapolis, we found out we were finally expecting. That pregnancy would be a challenge, but Kiki wanted to be here, and she made it! She was the proudest four year old EVER! Between flower picking, movies, and a very special day at church and at home with the family, she was just tuckered out! It was awesome to see.

Everyone in the house seems to be suffering from allergies... which is never fun. Poor Mike has no voice left... and the older two kids are hacking and sniffling. Kiki is stuffy and hiving up some still... Zyrtec is our friend.

With the perpetual illnesses, the burnout and the fatigue, I know that I am in need of a BREAK... before I crack. Thankfully, spring break is coming for our schools at the end of the month.

Writing is going... well, it is going. I keep stopping and starting... getting new clients that seem promising, and having projects put on hold... I am OK with this even if my pocketbook is SCREAMING. I have promised myself that I would not sell myself short this year. This means not hanging onto clients who want to pay beer and chips cash for champagne quality. It has mean taking a hit to the wallet some... but I have a pretty impressive writing portfolio, and it is time I get what I (and my time) are worth. I love teaching, but there it is no secret that my ultimate goal is to be home more -- or at least more available for them. I am thinking about looking into virtual or telecommuting positions ini teaching or consulting. Wish me luck!

So, there it is... a peek into the life of a Wannabe... how's it going for you? I would love to hear from you! Drop me a line and let me know how it's going in your world!