Stressing and Blessing

This weekend was a rollercoaster-ride of emotions.

Thursday morning our car started acting up.
Thursday night my in-laws came to help get it (temporarily) figured out.
Success with the car (temporarily).
Also Thursday night, my father-in-law had a minor stroke.

Friday morning my mother-in-law took Dad to the hospital.
Friday evening we had a great time with friends (Joe and Ruth).
Friday night Joshua's younger brothers stayed with us.

Saturday morning I spent thrift-shopping and making cookies with another amazing friend, Sara.
Saturday afternoon I worked at the library.
Brothers stayed with us again Saturday night.

Sunday morning we went to a Methodist church (for a class Joshua's taking).
Sunday afternoon we visited Joshua's parents at the hospital.
Dad is doing a lot better--walking with a walker, talking almost normally, moving more.
Sunday evening we went to see Puss in Boots (funny movie :) ).
Sunday night we did homework and played cards with Ruth and Joe.

And now it's Monday, and I'm drowsy from sleep deprivation all weekend, and stressed because the house didn't get clean like I planned for it to.

It was a busy weekend--stressful things and fun things to counteract the stressful, but no time to do much housework or homework.

In it all we were blessed.
In it all God taught me so much (selflessness, the value and importance of family, more lessons on priorities, how amazing our friends are, the incredible blessing my husband always is, etc, etc).

Life is so fragile.
The future is so elusive.
Our plans are so futile.

God holds all things together.
God knows the future.
God's plans will come to fruition.

Sometimes it's just hard to trust, to remember that.
Worrying seems so easy.  But it doesn't do any good.

Trusting is so hard.  But it's the only thing I can do, sometimes.
Prayer is so easy, and it does so much good!
I've been doing a lot of that this weekend.

I'm ooking forward to Thanksgiving break--a time to rest, to catch up on housecleaning, to relax with my husband, to see family, to remember all we have to be grateful for.

Family!

This is the Ramsey family!!  My in-laws, three brothers-in-law, Hubby and me.  :)

We celebrated Father's Day together yesterday.  I think it was the first Father's Day I wasn't with my Daddy and I missed him a lot, more than I do anyway.  But it is a blessing to grow closer to this second amazing family God has blessed me with.  Dad R. is a pastor and psychologist, and he is an amazing spiritual leader for his family.  Mom R. is an incredible cook and one of the strongest and kindest women I know.  She and my mom are my two greatest encouragements in terms of this whole homemaking thing.  I've learned a lot and am still learning from both of them!

Having grown up with only one brother in the family, it's been fun to see the interaction between three and four brothers (eldest brother lives a couple hours away).  They all treat me like a princess, being the first and only (so far) sister in the family.  I've wanted a big brother since I was about six years old, and it took me a while to figure out that being the eldest, that probably wouldn't happen.  Well, now I have an awesome big brother and two more amazing younger ones, who (along with my biological brother) have an impressive talent for making me laugh!!

I've bragged on hubby before, but it's easy to see where he gets his good looks, his strength, his sense of humor, his kindness, and his spiritual maturity.  (Not to mention a lot of other amazing qualities.)  I am more in love with my husband every day!!