THANKFUL THURSDAY - Here Comes That Overwhelmed Feeling Again

Isn't life just too crazy sometimes? Seriously! My life feels overwhelming just now what with my Dad's illness, the boys' transition to kindergarten, impending re-surgery for the boys, job possibilities to consider etc. etc. etc. blah blah blah. Right? We all have these tangled webs, these unmade beds. My webs are certainly tangled... not from lying, as the old proverb goes, but from LIVING! And these days, the beds in my house are all rather unkempt! I personally hate getting into an unmade bed... but here I am! My Grandma Bea used to say, "you made your bed, now lie in it." And so I do! I love the bed I made for myself. Truly. I wouldn't trade any of this for the world (though I might switch around the timing). This is the life I was gifted and it's wonderful. It's just that in our lives we don't get to choose when the proverbial [stuff] hits the fan. So, along with my unmade beds there's a tornado blowing to boot.

Fortunately, I do get to choose how I deal with the resulting chaos. I could hide under that unmade bed and ignore it all or I can make decisions, take action, move forward, be proactive. So that's my tact:

[1] I'm grateful for my computer and the Internet that puts so much incredibly pertinent information at my fingertips making it easier (note: I did not say easy) to find supporting research to help me make the most apropos educational and therapeutic decisions for my boys... who, for those of you who don't already know, happen to have been graced with an extra 21st chromosome. Having the research and knowing the law is half the fight. (The other half is convincing the committee.)

[2] I'm thankful to the decision-makers who selected me to participate in an extraordinary [and free-to-me] 2-month Lay Advocacy training program offered by the Long Island Advocacy Center so that I may better learn and apply the federal and state laws governing special education as I pursue the best course for my beautiful children and help others as they choose their best course.

[3] I'm also thankful to be thought valuable and knowledgeable enough to even be considered for a job helping others apply the laws pertaining to special education as they navigate through the labyrinth that is their school system in pursuit of appropriate services for their children with special needs. Bad timing for me but I'm honored to have been considered. Until my timing improves I'll have to go on advocating as a lay person.

[4] I'm unbelievably grateful to have the choice NOT to work right now in favor of focusing on my children, and my crazy unmade beds and the coinciding windstorms.

[5] I wish I could spend a few hours relaxing in a hot spa-tub full of bubbles with dimmed lights and a flat screen TV playing a mindless romantic comedy to lose myself in. Mind you, there's no way any of that's going to happen any time soon (not to mention the fact that I don't have a spa tub and there's no flat screen TV in my bathroom... LOL). That's why I am incredibly thankful for the luxury of my hot, daily, 2 1/2 minute shower and every moment of warm and cozy sleep that I manage to steal at night. That's as close as I'm gonna get to the above dream... and I am ever so grateful for it!