*seeking Peace in a storm

I've been busy...and by 'busy' I don't mean a couple of things here and there, I mean, every single day, overloaded with to-do lists or meetings or appointments, blah blah blah! And with my husband going off to work 9 hours from home for 2 weeks at a time, I'm learning that this Super-Mom business can be handled with more grace, both for myself and for my family (and others). You see I am a 'DO-er', if that makes any sense to anyone. Normally, when I set out to do something, it gets finished. The task is completed and more often than not, it is done ahead of schedule! But not lately! Example #1: I started a Bible study prior to vacation in July. Started strong. I even stayed up to date while on vacation, which is a feat in and of itself! But then I got home...back to work (which had piled up while I was away), and reality and exhaustion set in (probably stemming from the longest 30 hours I have ever spent in a car, driving from California to home in ...

It's that time of the year again! This is such an exciting time to me and always has been. I remember as a child that I couldn't wait for school shopping- I love school supplies, new pens and paper, crayons, markers and notebooks. But when I was a kid I did not like shopping for school clothes.  I grew up in a family of 6; I was child #2 of 4, with an older sister and a younger sister and brother. My parents did not have a lot of money, so they mainly focused on making sure we had all of our school supplies and then two, maybe three new outfits and a new pair of shoes. And of course, the three sisters shared clothes when possible. I dreaded going into the department stores and watching my parents flinch at the check-out register, both because of the high total and the fact that such a high amount bought so little for 4 growing kids. I remember one year in particular: 7th grade. You know that awkward age-nowadays we call them 'Tweens'. It was a very tig...