Worriers Anonymous....it's a real thing!

Sometimes you just have one of those days....and YES, I do want to complain about it! Yesterday we found a hole in our wood floor that could indicate termites, today our car had to be towed to the dealer for mechanical issues, this afternoon we got a red light ticket in the mail with a whopping $490 fee for doing a rolling stop for a right on red AND to top the day off our dog had to undergo a SUPER groom and flea bath because she somehow ended up full of those pesky little buggers!

It was definitely one of those days that will make you feel like you could have at least two glasses of wine and not feel bad about it! I think I can safely say that I am ready to say Goodbye to 2012 and Hello to 2013. 2012 has been one of the most challenging years of my life and sometimes I just have to remind myself to put things in perspective. I don't think it's a stretch to say that often times life will just literally kick you in the ass and the stress you feel in those moments is so intense it feels like it will take you down! I've certainly been no stranger to those moments this year.

So, the day is winding down and I am thinking that there are two things I need to get better at. One is prayer and Two is reading scripture. It's funny how I always try to alleviate stressors myself through deep breathing and quiet, taking a "time out" and slowing down for a couple of minutes (which, if you know me is not something I usually do..I don't really go slowly...anywhere.....ever HA!). All those things are great but usually the stress is still there. Tonight, I read Matthew 6:25-27 and it REALLY resonated with me. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"

That's pretty powerful stuff. First of all, totally TRUE-we cannot add a single MINUTE to our lives through worry and really, what does worrying solve? NOTHING! I am a big worrier, I am sure my fellow worriers can relate, I almost feel like if I don't worry about something NOT happening and then it does happen then I didn't worry enough to prevent it....WAIT...Who's on first?? Seriously, it is SO ridiculous! I just googled worrier to make sure I was spelling that right and Worriers Anonymous popped up...clearly, this is a problem with a broader audience then even I expected.

Ok, so back to the verse. We're told that birds neither sow nor reap and yet our Father feeds them and of course we are much more valuable then they. I was reminded once again that I cannot change anything by worrying and God is sufficient for all our needs. That's a pretty tough concept to grasp in the digital age where self help is around every corner and just a few clicks away on your MAC or PC! We've got these every day stressors...learning how to be parents, things going wrong with the car and house and trying to balance working with being good parents and then there's the under current of the BIG SURGERY looming for Canon in January.

2012 has been a little rough but it's good to take a step back and revel in all of the GOOD God has done! He brought our sweet Canon through so many challenges....and yes, some of them I did not have the foresight to worry about! Now, we are blessed to wake up to this smiling face every morning!

 Canon Joy is doing awesome and bringing us happiness, laughs, love and joy every single day! On January 18 she'll go in for open heart surgery at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and although we are nervous we know that God has His hand on her and will bring her through this just as he has brought her through every other challenge she has faced! YUP, she's a rock star!

So what's REALLY important? God, Family, Friends, Living in this wonderful FREE country and taking time every day to ENJOY your kids. That last one is much harder then it sounds! You want to enjoy and soak up every minute but life just gets in the way. I try to remind myself everyday to just slow my roll and enjoy Canon discovering new things, like eating rice cereal for the first time!