Something New

It just hit me. This crazy idea that I probably shouldn't have to implement, but will, because Lord knows my heart needs it. It hit me just now as I was thinking about going back to work tomorrow after this Thanksgiving break. I wanted to post a picture to my Instagram to convey how truly unenthusiastic I am about getting back to my normal schedule, but then I reconsidered. How often do we- actually, just make that I- complain via social media about my daily struggles? How much more do I complain about these struggles to other people directly? I'm not talking about real heart-breaking, life-changing, let-me-share-my-heart-so-I-don't-implode struggles. What I'm talking about are the everyday complaints. "It's too early." "It's too cold." "It's too hot." "I don't wanna (fill in the blank)." My blanks are usually a combination of "go to work, do school work, do house work, do anything that I just really don...

Have you ever heard that cliche Christian phrase "I'm too blessed to be stressed!"? I've always kind of smirked at it when I hear it, thinking it sounds a little too good to be true. How can someone truly not be stressed simply because they have a lot of blessings? I don't think there's anyone out there with no stress in their lives. I was thinking about the reversal of the phrase this past week "too stressed to feel blessed" and I realized that this is too often my own attitude towards life. On many days, my life can feel heavy, hectic, busy, and far from "blessed." It's those days when I wake up feeling sick, when I have an argument with my husband, when my students at work are disobedient and wild, when I have mountains of work to do, when my house is disorganized the day before an event I'm hosting, when I am consumed with anxiety or thoughts about the people I've lost, when prayers don't seem to get answered. Please tel...

Hey there, blog world. It's been a while. I have been contemplating starting a blog again and tonight just seemed like as good a night as ever to re-start Something New.  Only a few new things have happened in the past 3 years...just kidding. Let's just call this time in my life transition central. Good transitions, wonderful transitions even. But change is hard, regardless of the beautiful implications they may have. Have you ever been there? New job, new life stage, new house, new friends? All at once? Beautiful, wonderful transitions. This is where I am right now. I just moved into a condo a year and a half ago with more space than I have ever had to myself with an amazing husband to whom I have only been married to for a year and a half! I moved across the state and started a new job. I love my life, but stress is not far from me at all times. I have suddenly become someone who stresses out about dishes being left in the sink, the laminator at work not being hot enoug...