Suffering and Hardships

Currently Reading: Completely forgot that I'd won Night Owl Romance's weekly contest! I received a package in the mail yesterday and thought 'Finally! Bound Brits is here!' Nope, it was Saskia Walker's book, Reckless. Read the first two chapter last night while waiting for my Tylenol PM to kick in. And I'm up to chapter 18 on Sandeflay:) Sleep deprivation and the Olympics are cutting into my 'free time'...or should I say naps are taking over!


Forgive me if this is long. My QT this morning was a reaffirmation of something I've known for two or more years.

I've stated this before, but don't know if it was here or on my website last year. It bears repeating: How do you react when hardships come your way? Do you scream? Play the blame game? Or do you suck it up and learn something from it?

Sometimes our personal hardships show others how to deal with issues, or to at least recognize the signs and avoid it altogether. Sometimes we discover that our suffering was actually a blessing in disguise...we were being protected from something unforeseen down the road.

My husband's reaction is to get depressed, blame others, and yell. These past two years have been an eye-opener for my teens, that Dad isn't always right. A few weeks ago, my oldest son K attended a youth meeting on parenting tips. And when I asked if there were any he'd like to pass along so I could improve, he told me I basically was doing everything right; it was DAD who needed improvement!

It's not just others who notice our reactions; our kids are 'recording' everything they see, and will use the information later, be it by copying, or doing the exact opposite. I've tried to instill WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) whenever a problem comes up, whether it's financial, spats with friends or neighbors, or even simply respecting the rules.

And I'm not perfect; I've slipped up here and there and later regretted my actions. But a sincere 'I'm sorry; forgive me' usually sets things back on track.

Olympic Update: I'm three days behind. The only thing I've watched is Michael Phelp's interview with Bob Costas Saturday?? And was keeping track of Walsh-May's Beach Volleyball match during the litergasm chat with Ashley and Katie. And yes, I managed to stay awake, but the chat took a bizzare turn and my brain was too tired to keep up.