Does everyone have a touch of Control Freak in them?

I try not to be one, but I am.  I cross the line.  I've been slowly learning  this and battling with this, but recently God has lifted the heavy burden I've been carrying around of  feeling responsible for the outcomes in life.  I love my kids. I want them to be successful in friendships, sports, academics, their pursuit of God, and growing character. I want them to be happy, be nice to each other.  I want them to do their house chores right. Somehow I got myself too tangled in and felt like a failure when they were not happy, or getting along with each other for too many days in a row.  I beat myself up when they were slacking off on chores or school work.  I questioned my "mom abilities" when larger problems would occur and the weight was draining me day after day.  I want my husband to be happy when he comes home from work.  I want him to work less, eat  better, sleep more, and enjoy his family.  I felt burdened with the ponderous task of making all these things happen in his life.  What a joy it  has been these past few days living without this huge and impossible assignment (which I unintentionally appointed my self).  What a joy to wake up knowing that I live and breathe...love and teach, discipline and guide, play, cook, clean and work  by the grace of God and it is for Him that I do it all.  With this in mind, I do not have to carry the burden of the outcome!  And if I can't make everyone happy, it's okay now.  It reminds me of  that very awesome song from R.E.M.  It's the End of the World as We Know it.....and I Feel Fine.  

Around the World in 180 Days!
This year we are traveling around the world for geography class and have enjoyed spending time in Mexico, Brazil, Norway, Canada and Germany. The homemade pretzels were very fun to make but quite tricky! Dropping a doughy pretzel into boiling water for 30 seconds and then retrieving the slippery thing to bake turned out to be the hardest part. We put the odd shaped ones on the bottom of the pile!

No one really liked the kraut very much.

Fresh Air and Foxholes

Last year was the hardest year of my life.  Sometimes nothing more can be done but to dig a foxhole, gather your supplies and fight your enemy and hope for reinforcements or at least a supply drop so you can keep up the battle.

Perhaps I could have come out sooner, but I think I may have adjusted to forgetting I was even in a foxhole -- mistaking it for "life as I now know it".

Part of what I now want to do is get some joy back into life, creating space for it and trusting God a little more to do battle for me.

Thousand Miles blog will hopefully record many of these times as I breathe in some fresh air with people I love and take up some personal interests  for myself that I have laid aside for much too long.

Living life on purpose does take some effort, but the reward is worth it.  I'm breathing better already just talking about it!