What a week. Finances and a teething baby have made this week more than stressful. It seems to be that way for most everyone I talk to. My prayers go out to everyone who has sickness in their family, who is sick themselves, who is mourning the loss of a loved one, who is being struck with financial burdens that they didn't expect.
I'm not one to blame Satan for my problems, but I think he is having a field day with our emotions, trying to get us to live by them. I encourgage anyone reading this who had a hard week to take a deep breath and thank God for it. It'll make you stronger.

Yesterday was my husbands birthday and we went to see a movie in a real theater for the first time in about a year. Big thanks to Micah for babysitting at the last minute. You rock my friend.
We went to see "The Pursuit of Happyness." It's one of those movies that you can't stop thinking about the day after. It was amazing and I think everyone should go see it or rent it as soon as it comes out. It is a story of how desperation can assist us in overcoming anything. Lack of resources, money, education....I found myself becoming mentally tired just watching one mans struggle to succeed in a world that isn't fair. The fact that he had to take care of not only himself but his 5 year old son in the midst of poverty and homelessness was just heart breaking to me.

When Jason and I worked for the Salvation Army, we got to see first hand the poor within our own city. I remember becoming very emotionally involved with a family in our homeless shelter in Greenville, SC. The husband stayed in the men's shelter which was 60 beds in a large room and the mother with her 3 children (ages 3,4 and 5) stayed in the family shelter where they shared a room with a couple of other women and had to be out of the shelter between the hours of 8 and 5. This encouraged the women to look for work, but this woman didn't have that luxury with 2 children younger than school age and one in kindergarden...so they would sit at a picnic table on the parkinglot under a tarp day in and day out. For about an hour a day the whole family would gather under the tarp and play. Then the two parents would kiss eachother goodbye and go to their seperate shelters. She would try her best to entertain the kids and her attitude was phenomial in the begining. After weeks of this I could physically see her spirit dying in the expressions on her face.
I remember going home to my apartment at night praying for them and praising God for my blessings.
I'm not arrogant enough to think that God put them in that position just to give me perspective, but it did none the less.
I often wonder where they are now.

So at the end of a long, LONG week, God has once again given me a gentle reminder that I have SO much to be thankful for. Even though there's little if any money left after the bills are paid, God has provided my husband with a great job and the abilities to excel in his field. He's given him the ability to make good decisions and effectively provide for his family. Though we will have to do without some things for a couple of years, God has given us the resources for me to be with my Son everyday. Our home may be an apartment but it's consistent and warm and it has everything we need.

At the end of a long week there's nothing I hate more than someone deminishing my struggles... afterall, sometimes you just need time to wallow in the garbage that life dumps on you, but it does help to take a deep breath and focus on all that is good around you. I hope this brings encouragement to people who need it at the end of a long week.