I've always been pretty flexible throughout my life, both physically and mentally. So, when I take a look around at my family right now and realize how so much has changed- and I don't really see an area that hasn't changed in the last 6 months-I wonder if my flexibility is enough.
An old shoulder injury has been flaring up once again and it has been particularly bad for the last 24 hours or so. Simple things like getting dressed, brushing my hair, or driving are proving to be painful to say the least. This is not the time for such an injury to be rearing its ugly head! The girls are going into tech week for Oz and I have tests this week and next, again, as well as a couple of papers and more than one project due. Also, it's Homecoming Week for the DQ complete with the big football game on Halloween night after a rehearsal (we'll try to squeeze in a few trick-or-treats on our way to the game), and a few last minute minor alterations to a dress for the dance that we purchased this summer (on clearance of course, and boy is it cute=). This is definitely not the time that I would pick, especially since I have been without much of a community physically surrounding me during these tumultuous times, but then again, God's plan is so much greater than mine.
Today I realized something while in the midst of all the rushing to finish one school project today after class, scoop of Mo from school while dropping off the form for Mijo to enter the gifted program, shoot an email to the casting director for the next play to squeeze in the girls' audition between scene rehearsals and costume fittings this evening, go through school papers and dole out snacks, finish making dinner and packing it up for the 3 kiddos and I to go to rehearsals and auditions, making sure everyone had homework and books packed to work on inbetween (I'm stressing out just typing this), as well as making it into the car with everything and everyone ready in order to drive the girls' to rehearsal on time. I realized that in all this everday busyness I haven't been doing my physical therapy exercises for my shoulder! These exercises are designed to SLOWLY stretch the muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding my shoulder to strengthen and loosen them so as not to be so tense that they are tightened against my inflamed joint. They are also to train some areas and retrain other areas surrounding the joint to work in unison and to help my shoulder not carry so much of the load.
Over the years due to our life circumstances, I have been left to "shoulder through" most things that come our way. I have even crawled under my husband's car while very pregnant to check for leaking brake fluid! These times left me strong and competent to "shoulder through" a lot of what comes my way, both physically and figuratively. They have also created in me an independence from others and a complete dependence on God for which I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven. But lately, with all these changes, I've been wondering if I'm still strong enough for it all and how I'm going to get through it. When I realized today that I hadn't been doing my shoulder stretches, I also suddenly realized the parallel between my shoulder pain and my attitude lately to all the changes in my life right now: I need to be stretched like I've never stretched before!
Much like my physical therapy exercises for my shoulder, this is a slow process of stretching by God to teach me and my family not to be so tense during these changes. We are each being trained and strengthened to support and aid one another and to function in unison-an answer to my prayers of so long. So, while it is painful at times I also know the end result is for the benefit of the whole. What a beautiful picture for God to paint for me in the midst of the chaos and the pain! He has reminded me, once again, that He truly does give us Just Enough Grace for the circumstances of our life when we trust Him (OK, that is a shameless plug for my friend Heather's book but I really wanted to thank her for allowing God's grace, truth, and love for all of us to reflect in and through her life. When I look at her life, it is Jesus that I see) and He has reminded me that His plans are not mine, but are so much greater than my own!
My kiddos got me good/bad last year, depending on how you look at it. Towards the end of a typical at home school day I would usually send one of them to grab me a diet coke from the fridge. Anticipating my usual request my kiddos utilized their lunch break and used a thumb tack to punch a tiny hole at the bottom of a can of diet coke and drain it. They then refilled it with water and sealed the hole with a bit of clay. Knowing it was April 1, I figured they had shaken the can or something when they all eagerly went to get me the can of soda at my first request, so I cautiously opened it and when nothing exploded I gladly took a big swig of the icy cold...WATER! Not what I expected. So this year I had to get them back. And I did! It was later in the evening so they all figured mom was going to let it slip by this year, but no, I wasn't. I pulled out my mom's infamous "sponge" cake recipe (literally a sponge covered in whipped cream) and voila, I had 3 very fooled kiddos, the youngest of which cried because she was soooo disappointed she wasn't actually getting cake (no worries, I had some pound cake ready instead to go with the strawberries)=D
Mijo attempting to cut the sponge cake for me
Mo right as she realized it was a sponge and right before she started crying!
Identifying the sponge!
A very frustrated DQ, who was not amused that her mom had bested her for at least the 3rd time today.
Same DQ when she realized she couldn't really eat the sponge cake or the whipped cream!
