Waiting is the Hardest Part!

Waiting.....seems like we spend most of our lives doing it.

It's painful, sometimes anxious, sometimes exhilarating......but it's still waiting.

As I write this, I am waiting too. Waiting to take a trip, and waiting to hear some important news. Today, as I rush around to get things accomplished to take the trip..(welcome to a mother's world!) I realized that during the waiting periods of life, I have accomplished the most breakthroughs and developed the most insight. It's like God needs us to wait.

I remember waiting for holidays as a child. It was so hard to wait until Santa came. However, the anticipation was almost better than the Holiday. We prepared for the day. We put up the Christmas tree and nativity. We baked yummy cookies and went to parties with friends. We sang Christmas Carols, wrote cards, and shopped for family. Then at my house, we all went to Midnight Mass where a child led the procession, caring baby Jesus because he had finally arrived!

I so remember the preparation like it was yesterday.....

Today, my waiting is not as magical. I wait for a check to pay bills, for the children to finish their activities, for my son to finish therapy, in line at the bank (grocery store), for someone to call me for a job interview. It's all waiting....

Waiting is still a time for preparation. As I wait today, I have contemplated how I could make this waiting productive. I have chosen to reflect on all things in life that have gotten me to this point. I realized how life has taken me so many places that I never thought I would go....... and much of that has happened during the waiting.

I doubt that I would enjoy when things turn out if I didn't have to wait. I hope God prepares my heart for the impending news so that I can find joy in the outcome either way. Waiting is a natural part of life hopefully it will become easier and more productive for us all!

Let's go on Vacation

Those of us who do Biomedical treatment with our kiddos understand the tremendous work it takes to keep them going. There are honestly some days that I would like to throw in the towel and start over...

Although the road has been long....with no end in sight....it has ultimately been a blessing.

DJ now lives more in our world than his own. I can even joke with friends about his idiosyncrasies. I honestly know more about trains than any parent should and definitely more about autism and biomedical treatment than I would care to.

Still if I have learned anything, life is a journey. I appreciate DJ's milestones more than I would have if he was neural typical. He has taught me to live in the moment and appreciate the infectious joy and energy that radiates from him.

I write this as I prepare for our family vacation. A time to slow down and get away from the pressures of daily life. I am excited to have this time to reflect, refresh, and regroup for another year. I hope all of you get the same chance too.

What's the Rush?

Whew...today has been a long day! So glad to have a chance to sit down at the computer, get on Facebook, play some Farm Town, and Blog!

The other thing I always do in the evening is talk to my best friend Pam. Tonight we were chatting while computing (as always) and I told her how excited I was to have called Time Warner and increased my Internet speed. A few months ago, I cut back some of my services to economize and the Internet got hit too......(just another causality of the economic crisis!)

Then we got to talking about dial up. I remember how excited I was the first time I heard the whir and static of the computer connecting. Close your eyes and remember that unforgettable sound!! The world was now being accessed right from my house. Now, getting access wasn't a quick process. In fact, I usually went and made myself a cup of coffee while waiting just to connect. Still...I was connected...it was magic!!

Now....fast forward to 2009.

I have been so annoyed the last few months because it took me so long to download photos and manage multiple sites at the same time.

The magic of having access is gone. Replaced by impatience and frustration. The computer has lost it's initial mystique. Oh, I still could not live without it.....but now it irritates me sometimes. I don't often think about how far technology has come to allow us instant digital access.

What happened...and what's the rush?

It was fun to reminisce about old times with my friend. I am glad my computer has progressed from the first Apple IIe that I first used at my Mom's school to my laptop I use today. Today is a good time to live in too....and when I slow down my access speed, I can actually remember that!

Where's the Beef?

It's happened again....The old commercials are back. I was saving this one for today because it was also rattling around in my head yesterday too. Guess I'm feeling Retro these days.

Again for you younger folks this one was put out by Wendy's during the 1980's. Three grandmas are discussing the fluffiness of a particular competitor's bun. They lift the bun and after gazing at a particularly tiny hamburger one grandma says. "Where's the Beef?"

For those of you who would love to go Retro yourself today you can visit youtube your self! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbm0EuJQkQc

OK, so what's this ridiculous commercial have to do with life.....

How much of the activities and distractions that we all engage in are "FLUFF"? I am constantly ignoring my spouse and children and God for the computer, television, and cell phone just to name a few. In this era of technology, it has become increasingly easier to stay connected without actually connecting at all.

I'm not saying to ditch all the techie gadgets in your home (good luck getting my computer and cell phone!) .......but maybe we could concentrate a few hours each day on the beef in our life. When was the last time we prioritized our life around the people we love.....not the stuff we have to do?

I think for tomorrow I might make a conscious effort to rise early and talk to God before the phone starts ringing and the day gets away from me. I am also going to spend at least fifteen minutes with my husband in the morning before the little guy gets up and chaos ensues. It's not much but at least I can start the day out with beef and not bun.....

Time to Make the Doughnuts

I am dating myself by remembering the Dunkin Donut commercial from the late seventies. For those of you younger types this poor man kept getting up to his alarm clock ringing until he didn't know if he was coming or going... In fact, he met himself at the front door as multiple copies of him stumble around saying "Time to make the doughnuts".

I have included the youtube site for those who don't remember or would like to visit memory lane!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwfrBbNo5Jg

Today I felt like Fred the Baker. I cleaned: rabbits, cavies, house, laundry, toilets, children, yards.....only to know that tomorrow I will get the glorious privilege of doing it all again. I will even get to do it at my Mother's house and my church. Time to clean up everything...Time to clean up everything...

This would be a depressing story except that Fred the Baker made the doughnuts over and over so that his customers would have a variety of fresh doughnuts every time they came in. That is the jest of repeating the same tasks over and over.... because we care!

We do these monotonous tasks so that those folks depending on us will have what they need when they need it. Things have to get done...that's just life. However, do we do them with a stale coffee attitude or a pink frosting and sprinkles one....

Today, I was stale coffee and cardboard doughnuts. Tomorrow, I think I'll choose pink frosting and sprinkles...what will you choose?