Stress and Thankfulness

We are smack dab in the middle of renovation 2.0 on the Trail.  (If you've been around a long time, you might remember our kitchen renovation.) After what seemed like a slow start, things are moving along quickly and our addition before Baby Boy arrives is looking like it could (fingers crossed) be done, in fact, before Baby Boy arrives.

If I'm being completely, 100% honest, the past few months have been a bit above and beyond my normal able-to-handle-stress capacity.  There have been family situations, this sweet pregnancy, and the renovation that has proven to make my body more than shut down a few times due to stress.

This pregnancy has proven to be a wee bit more difficult than the others with aches and pains and sickness that I am not accustomed to because I never experienced it with my other two.  This is all, of course, completely normal, and my little brain and schedule have needed to adjust to these changes.  The renovation, as glorious as it is, has also caused some unforeseen stress that has not helped my body process changes well.

I have been reminded by friends, family, and my adorable, hard-working husband that this will all be worth it and I will be so happy this spring when it's complete.  They are all right of course and right to remind me of the light at the end of the tunnel.  My tribe's good reminders and my God giving me overwhelming grace everyday have helped me to try and find the joy and goodness in these long days at home in a construction zone.

As I write this, my babes are both 'sleeping' in their rooms as sludge hammers and drills power through the walls right beside their heads.  They have been the real troopers through the past few weeks.  Sleeping through the madness, playing in a limited amount of space, having some of their favorite toys removed because we just don't have the room, and loving me despite my shortcomings.  They have a great example, of course.  Kevin has been picking up the slack, getting up with sick babies, and helping me as much as he can when I am down and out.  God knew what He was doing when He created this man of mine.

As this season of dust and sleeping in a construction zone and constant decision making continues, I want to forge in my heart a mantra of thankfulness that will carry me through the long days without water or electricity and nights in the basement when I hear every pipe creak and I convince myself someone is upstairs so I make Kevin get up and make sure our babies are safe. (This is the truth.  Have I mentioned he is a good man?)

I am thankful for my family situations as complicated as they are because I have a family to love and know God is working in them and using it all for His glory.

I am thankful for this sweet baby boy growing inside me everyday because new life is such a precious miracle from God.

I am thankful for this renovation and the opportunity to create a home where our family can grow and Kevin and I can raise our babies in a place that has history and such a good good future.

When I meditate on the things I am thankful for, the stress seems to slowly melt away and these good things come into my vision, reminding me about the goodness and joy of this life I am so blessed to live.

  

What are you thankful for today?