Sally was the lonely mallard hen that showed up in our pond when we first moved in. She was awesome and I saw her as a gift. It took me back to the days when Bryn and Reed were itty bitty and I found myself wondering what I was supposed to do with them at 9am and they'd been up so long already that if felt like the day should be close to ending but it was merely just beginning. Remember those days?
Well, ducks were my answer! We had a pond in a nearby neighborhood and we spent hours upon hours feeding them along with the "turlies" and "bishies" (turtles and fish for those of you who need the translation). The ducks were my saving grace during a time when I felt a bit overwhelmed.
Getting back to Sally, she flew away after only a few weeks. I was sad because I had high hopes of her finding a male friend and letting us enjoy their babies come spring. But life goes on, with or without ducks.
Life goes on and so do those ugly feelings of being overwhelmed. In light of being transparent, I'll admit that our move hasn't been the easiest thing for me. Some days I'm fine and others I struggle to be content. It seems this move has highlighted many of my not so pleasant personality traits, namely being impatient.
I was sitting in bible study last week and the question was asked, "What's God doing in your life right now?" I gave it some thought and suddenly it hit me...ducks...
What's this have to do with God's work, you ask? I see it as his promise to me. He's telling me he carried me through those times of feeling overwhelmed when Bryn and Reed were little and he's going to carry me through this season of life as well.
I snapped these pictures this morning after I took the kids to school because I need a visual reminder of how God's the only one who can make the leaves change colors. When I'm frustrated that my bathroom paint colors haven't been selected, I need to turn my focus elsewhere. I need to focus on the beauty that's currently surrounding me and not get bogged down about the mildew we spent the weekend scraping out of our shower.
It's been awhile since I've offered to pray for you. I've let this aspect of my blog slip and I shouldn't have. So, if you're feeling a little overwhelmed or you too are struggling with being content, leave a comment or send me an email and I'd be honored to lift you up. (dfrieling1@gmail.com)
6 comments:
what a beautiful heartfelt post!
Love this post! Reminder of what is good and perfect in our lives. Please pray for my husband. We are in WAIT mode for a Doctor's appt about a health concern. Tough week!
Thanks for sharing and thanks for praying!
Wow, you are incredibly perceptive! Your beautiful foliage and ducks are much better reminders than a sticky on the mirror, too! :) You're the BEST, impatient and all!
This makes me smile soooo much because I feel the same way about bunnies! I've written a post on them, too! Isn't it crazy how God uses His creation to remind us of His promises? He's so awesome!
-Bonnie @ Revolutionaries
http://www.revolutionariesblog.com/2012/05/bunnies-of-hope.html
As much as I LOVE change, and enjoy the challenge of making a new space a home for our family, I have forgotten each time we've moved (this is the 5th house we've owned) how L O N G the to-do list is to get to that point. Every.single.time. And as much as I say "we'll get to that eventually", when enough things pile on that list it makes me feel a bit out of control. Not enough money, not enough time, not enough brain cells...not enough, not enough. The literal definition of discontentment, no? It's a horrible, ugly place to be. Not only do I hate being there, I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for ALLOWING myself to be there in that deep, dark abyss of suckiness. The only thing I've found to be helpful is to stop fighting it, get the pity party over, and then LET GO.
{It's so easy to say, isn't it?}
Ahhh yes. I know that place you are at, all too well. It has afflicted me off and on ever since we moved here (even though I'm grateful for this house and the opportunity to make it our own!) I will keep you in my prayers, my friend, as you get settled, really settled, in your new abode Everything in time.
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