Punches

This blog is going to be real so you've been warned.  When I think about this past year I think of a boxer who starts out strong but continues to take punch after punch.  Every time, he gets himself back up, dusts himself off and has a few moments of clarity before he gets another punch....didn't see that coming.  Mike's job change started out the year and that is proving to be an uphill battle with enough punches to render you unconscious.  Don't get me wrong, the work is there but it's too much for one person to handle.  It's discouraging, stressful and it's really hard to see how this will play out.  However, Mike and I still believe he's been given a rare opportunity and we try, oh how we try, to be thankful in all things.  But I digress.  My grandpa died in April.  My sweet grandma died Labor day weekend and although it really was a blessing, it was still a blow.  I dreamed about my grandma last night and when I woke this morning I wondered if I had tears on my pillow from being so sad.  I sustained my injury this summer.  The second punch came with the blood clot and PE, followed by the third punch, my clotting disorder.  Jay suffered a concussion in September and we are still waiting for him to be cleared.  I found out last week that I passed on my clotting disorder to both boys.  What that means exactly, I'm not sure.  Certainly there are worse disorders to pass to your kids but it's still a disorder I had hoped would remain with me alone.  Last week my internet went out and it didn't get fixed until today (9 days later).    Losing my internet may seem trivial and maybe it is but when your job depends on the internet and your are the primary person supporting your family, it tends to make me a wee bit stressed.  And so my friends, my life right now is just hard.  It's uncomfortable, monotonous, worrisome and unpredictable.  In between punches I've been able to catch my breath and gain some perspective.  I am holding on to three things right now.  I know God is good.  I remember I told Him repeatedly I would trust Him and I remember how my heart felt that Sunday morning when I heard the words, "Cornerstone Custom Carpentry."  I've seen how God can take situations that seem impossible and make them possible.  I'm so far from perfect and I struggle each and everyday to keep these three things in mind but they are what holds me together during the punches.