“God already knows what we are made of, but perhaps He wants us to learn what we’re made of. I think that we would all agree that we learn more from our tough times than from our easy times.” -John Bytheway

Wow.

Today has been another one of those days. This week has been weird. Two days ago was one that qualified as all sorts of bad stuff hitting the fan. The first part of the day was great & in the afternoon everything just broke loose. Including the skies. I was subbing a class at the end of the school day during which a supersized storm hit. We had to make sure we didn’t let students leave the room because of lightning strikes not far from campus & the torrential rain & hail that fell in a matter of 30 minutes was INSANITY. Further up the hill we had a tornado (A TORNADO!!) which is not something that happens in the sierra foothills, touch down & rip trees apart. It was just crazy & that was just the beginning of a nerve-fried rest of the day. On my way home I passed an accident that I could have been part of if I’d left the school 5 minutes earlier & then I passed a tow truck pulling a car up from a cliff that it had apparently gone over in the rain. Once I got home we found out that our house had FLOODED. Not throughout the entire downstairs, but all the way through the living room, entry way, closet & den. Basically across the whole front of the house we had a stream of water pouring in, soaking multiple rugs, my record collection, shoes, all the stuff in the closet, etc., etc., etc. There was a lovely 6 inch long earthworm that had managed to get swept into the house waiting to greet us along with the rest of the chaos. After that, it was just little thing after little thing, but when you are that fried from all of the “bigger” things, those things feel gargantuan. We hung up rugs in front of our brand new wood burning stove with industrial fans blowing on them & Cora almost stuck her fingers inside but Noah saw & stopped her right in the knick of time. No pun intended. After lots of other little things including our ear-piercing smoke alarm going off while I took our burned brussel sprouts out of the oven, we decided to just go outside. In doing so we let the girls puddle jump & play in the mud & piles of hail & in the process they became wet & cold & more upset. So we went inside in tears & headed up to read & go to bed. After everything, Noah & I both said it felt like we had just lived through a whole week, not just a few hours. Oh my goodness, if only it could have been a Friday.

With all that being said, I slept GREAT that night. Ha. I was so exhausted from the stress of those few hours. It gives you perspective on people who undergo stress like that as part of their jobs each & everyday. I applaud you, if that is your situation, because I could not handle it. I was NOT designed for high intensity.

Anyway, the next afternoon was WONDERFUL. It was a complete opposite experience of the day before. All of us were full of peace, tired, but full of peace. The girls both took extra long naps after doing really well during our school time in the morning. I was able to do a great workout, read my Bible, sip tea & watch Andy Griffith with Noah. We had a delicious & easy dinner & I even managed to make a few loaves of zucchini bread. The girls had their baths & we got to enjoy our nightly worship time as a family. It was a true gift after the day before.

Today has been a bit more like Tuesday, but my nerves don’t feel raw yet. What I have realized as the last few days have unfolded is that life is nuts sometimes. It’s not always predictable or easy. But ultimately, it’s still our decision to pick which pair of glasses we are going to look through at the world around us & see it how it is, either with all the bad, or with the good thrown in too. What is wonderful in getting to look back & see the good things that come out of flooded houses & almost chopped off fingers. It makes you laugh (a little) & makes you grateful. I am grateful to know that the rest of our house didn’t flood, that Cora still has all of her fingers intact, that our smoke alarm works INCREDIBLY well, that we had food to eat & even burned brussel sprouts can taste good. I am grateful that we can go outside whenever we choose & that our girls can laugh & get soaking wet while puddle jumping & that we can walk down our lovely street with neighbors & chat about life. We REALLY are blessed friends. Truly.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -Confucius

As for today, I am claiming that I WILL see the good. I will not let circumstances rob me of my joy. I will smile; I will laugh; I will rejoice. Because life is quite the ride & today I want to remember as one that I chose to conquer with hope & peace.

If you are having one of those days or weeks, take heart. I’m right here too friend. And when in doubt, bake some zucchini bread & watch Andy Griffith. It DOES MAGIC. Remember it’s your choice which glasses you put on to see today with. Here’s to today!

“If we could all just laugh at ourselves, in hard times or good times, it would be an incredible world.” -Jena Malone

Cheers,

Katie.