Ups and Downs

OK, so I was strong at first.  It really is just STUFF, and we really are fine.  But as time unfolded, so did reality.  

Reality is that it is really annoying when someone comes and takes your stuff away.  It is annoying not to have a frying pan at the moment or a TV to watch in the treadmill room.  

And it is even more annoying that the insurance company and police need you to list EVERYTHING, item by item.  Not just "75 DVDs", "toolbox full of tools" or "Calphalon pots".  Nope.  Specific DVD names, specific tools and how many of each, or which specific set of Calphalon and the size of the missing pots.  But they also want to know when you bought them, how much you paid for them, and how much it would cost to replace them now.   Sure, you could be haphazard and not stress over your estimates.  OR, you could be a perfectionist like myself trying to find exact matches of what is missing somewhere online and stressing over making your estimates as good as they can be.   Better yet, you could be a married couple representing each of those personalities and trying to work together for hours at a time.

Our list so far is over 150 items long, and replacement value will probably be well over $15,000.  Do you know that I kept onto way more receipts than your typical person.... right up until we were moving and I'd never needed them?!?  AHHH!

I don't know for sure, but between the burglary, the bump in the road for the adoption, and a few other pieces of junk lately, I'd say there must be something pretty good and God-filled on the horizon that Satan really wants to distract us from.... perhaps it's my upcoming journey on "The Ride" or perhaps something amazing is going to happen regarding our first child or maybe it's something we haven't even dreamed about yet.

I think I'll try to remember to start my prayers this week with something along the lines of... "God, please help me hear your truth and recognize the lies in my head.  Thanks for the zillions of blessings in my life and the people in it.  Help me not to get bogged down in the negative thoughts and feeling overwhelmed.  God, intelluctually I know that EVERYTHING in my life is in your hands.  Help me to feel that emotionally and to truly let you hold it up for me without trying to do it myself.  I'm going to fail every time, God.  But you will never fail.  Ever.  Thanks for that, and thanks for being stronger than I could ever comprehend.  Amen."