Kind of down-in-the-dumps

Last week a random stranger, a middle aged woman working at the pediatrician's office no less, scolded me for shaving my daughter's head for the summer. Really???? I wished I was witty enough and bold enough to come up with something snarky but instead I started crying.

Speaking of crying, I have been doing a lot of that lately. My floors, which were only supposed to take 4 or 5 days to complete, are now going on two weeks. Now keep in mind there is no furniture in my house except for crammed into bedrooms and on the porch. No tables, no couches, nothing. Just bare, untreated and unsealed concrete. Because of the water used to clean the floors and the fact we had to remove all the baseboards we are now learning that in addition to replacing the floors, we are going to have to repaint all the walls, replace ALL the downstairs carpet , and replace all the baseboards (several of them crumbled while we were trying to remove them). There are permanent spots all over the concrete, from some chemical reaction that took place seemingly from whatever the last people used, which may or may not be hidden when they try to re-stain tomorrow. I have been without a way to cook for almost two weeks, and I've been dragging my neverending piles of dirty laundry every couple of days 20 miles away to my sister's house.

Thank you dear sister.

NOT to mention, our sofa and a living room chair, that were outside on our covered porch, have been chewed to shreds by our very sweet but very destructive dog.

The thing is, it bothers me how much this has affected me. How SAD, how down in the dumps I feel over it. How upset and cranky I am. It is nothing life-threatening, nothing urgent. They are just floors after all, just baseboards, just a couch. The couch was old anyway. The carpet needed to be replaced anyway. Why can't I do like my mom suggested and set up the camper stove and pretend we are camping out? It doesn't bother my husband or kids, so why does it suck all the joy out of me?

I had a talk with a friend today, and I told her what my life is like right now, and I told her how bad I felt for all my grumbling and complaining over it. After all, don't people live with far fewer conveniences and with far more stress than this? She said the magic words, "Oh that would drive me crazy! I don't know how you are holding up." Thank you dear friend, that is exactly what I needed to hear. I am not crazy after all.

I got the sweetest care package in the mail yesterday, from a person that I do not know in real life but she still feels like a sister to me. She knew some of the struggles that I have been having lately, and she sent me the sweetest note along with a box full of her "favorites". Favorite magazine, favorite book, favorite chocolates, favorite snacks, favorite lipgloss, favorite nail polish, even her favorite toothpaste and mouthwash! Amazing what kindness like this can do for one's spirits. Thank you, friend. I feel your love. :)

I know I have so very much to be thankful for, my wonderful Saviour, my sweet family and wonderful friendships. I don't know how people make it without them.

I am praying and asking the Lord to give me a new attitude. (And Lord while you're at it how about a new floor, new baseboards, new carpet.....and a new couch to snuggle my new son!)