Blessings of the Week - vol. 16

Another quick, fun and busy week has gone by... filled with blessings all the same:

-1-

Finding our Six Flags Reading Tickets. Yes, I had lost them (for the second year in a row). Yes, I am far from the perfect mom. Yes, I knew better than to mention Six Flags to my kids for fear that they would know the full measure of my imperfection. I spent much of the past few weeks tearing the house apart, organizing and cleaning, always hoping/praying to come across those tickets before the Aug 5 date my friends had set. Unbelievably, on Tuesday afternoon, I found them... in the exact spot I've checked numerous times. So, we went to the park on Wed, and had a fabulous time! Now, that's a blessing!

-2-

Being Ready - A Week Early. We are ready for the first day of school. The school room and the living room bookshelves are organized. The lessons are planned. Library books are ordered. Printouts are printed out and filed in the appropriate folders. I am ready. And I still have a whole week left to relax and enjoy "summer vacation!"

-3-

The Aug 29 Race Deadline. I am getting there... this week, I was able to run 2.5 miles every day. Which means that I have 3 more weeks, and only just over half a mile more to add to my running time. But that race is a huge motivator for me... it gets me on the treadmill nearly every day. And my running time has made a very big difference in my life. I am so calm on the days I run. I yell so much less. I feel so much less stressed. I can handle whatever comes my way (whiny kids, plumbing issues, lots of meetings, even extra business trips on DH's calendar) in the peaceful way I had always dreamed of.

I've often said that I want a glass of whatever it is Michelle Duggar is drinking. I have only 1/6 the number of children she has, and I'm a screaming mess most of the time. Turns out, all I really needed was to run until my body gave up in exhaustion, and then let the adrenaline and endorphin rush carry me the rest of the way through my day.

I still don't like exercising. I still have to talk myself into getting on that treadmill. But, man, I am so grateful for it... I like this Jen so much more than the lazy Jen. She's just a lot more pleasant to be around.

So, I am very grateful for the blessing of this race deadline. The deadline, coupled with my pride, gets me moving every single morning, even on those days when I am feeling really lazy.

*****

In what ways has God blessed and motivated you this week?