At the Risk of Sounding Negative...

Hundreds of facebookers have been using the month of November to focus on Thankfulness.

It makes sense.  I get it.  It is Thanksgiving after all.

I love all the posts.  I really do.  I read them almost every day and many of them have served as great reminders for me of ALL that I am thankful for.

But.....(you saw that coming, right?)....lately I have been facing several things that I am not so fond of.  Nothing terrible or life-altering, just not so much fun.

Like....

PANDAS.  Not a fan.  I'm never exactly sure what is going on in my little guy's body.  He is a bit of an emotional wreck lately.  The tics have not set in as of yet, but December has typically been a very iffy month for him.  Also January....February....and March.  It could be a long winter.

Papers.  I have been writing papers during my free time, my not-so-free time, and in my sleep.  I am SO ready to be done, but alas, I have 12 of them left.  Yes, 12.  Three more (8 total) due by Dec. 19, and 9 more due by April 1.

Legos.  OUCH.  Enough said.

Children Fighting.  Love the children.  Hate the fighting.  And the picking, irritating, egging on, and one-upping.  I had very lofty expectations that my children would be kind and encouraging to each other, and, at times, they are.  But other times... they wear me out.

I started writing this post two weeks ago.  (Remember those papers?  They sort of get in the way of blogging.)

The past two weeks my pastor has had sermons on none other than...."Being Thankful in all Circumstances". 

Imagine that.

God and that sense of humor of His.

So I will try.  I truly am thankful for my children....and legos for them to play with.....and to have the opportunity to be in grad school. 

But PANDAS....

I have some serious work to do.

The Most Unpolitical Political Post Ever Written

I am not a very political person.

I completely understand that this is not something to be proud of.  I know that it is my responsibility to stay up-to-date about what is going on.  I try to read enough to stay in the loop, to be able to formulate a relatively informed opinion, and to make sure I am supporting those who I want representing me.

This is not fun for me.  It takes a significant amount of effort, and frankly, I wish it were okay to just ignore it all.

But it's not.

So I attempt to be quietly aware.

'Quietly' carries significant importance when it comes to politics in my world.  I am related to several people with some very staunch political viewpoints.  This would not be a problem, except that I am related to some other people with equally as strong completely opposite viewpoints.

I am guessing everyone faces this in one way or another.

It doesn't really phase me.  I love them all (the people, not the viewpoints).

But I still choose 'quietly'.

When it comes to political parties, I wish I could pick and choose my favorite things about each party and vote for the candidate who fits all of THOSE criteria. Who doesn't wish that.

To be honest, I wasn't thrilled about either candidate.  While the role of president is obviously significant, I am pretty sure that one human in the White House isn't going to solve all of our problems.  I am also pretty sure that our entire future isn't resting on the shoulders of one individual.  And while I understand the sadness of a candidate losing, or the joy of a candidate winning, I am pretty sure that the blame for whatever has happened or will happen cannot be placed on a solitary person.

A few more things I feel relatively sure of....

• If each father and each mother governed their own family with integrity and honesty, this nation would be a much better place.
• If each boss treated his/her employees with respect and fairness, this nation's work ethic would be considerably improved.
• If each human being accepted the responsibility for his/her mistakes, the judicial system would be able to function as it was originally designed.
• If each family who was able would take care of one homeless person or one orphan, two international epidemics would be significantly impacted.
• If each person who was able would feed one hungry individual, world hunger would come to an end.

I have no intention here to sound preachy or judgmental.  I am simply thinking out loud and speaking to myself as much as anyone else.  I am overwhelmed at times because I have no power in and of myself to make any significant change. 

However....together....we really could make a difference.

So now what?

I'm not sure.