Stuck between a rock and a hard place

Have you ever thought that the world would be a better place if everyone just thought they way you did? I thought this yesterday...a lot. Some people baffle me. I cannot understand why they do what they do! It's hard when those people make choices that affect you. You have no control over how they think, process or react and yet, sometimes, you are stuck with the outcome. Let's face it: being stuck, sucks!
The nice thing is that we really do have a choice. We can either roll over and accept whatever it is these others do or say or we can choose to not allow another persons choices/words/actions dictate OUR outcome. This is hard. I cannot tell you how many times I have faced another persons choices affecting my world. It's hard. But, I can choose to not let it affect me. I can choose to control my own outcome.
Yesterday was a hard day. I faced another person's choices directly affecting my family. It was a hard place. I felt stuck. But as the sun rose and my thoughts cleared, it became obvious that they cannot control MY outcome, only I can do that.

Fear.....

I was sent an article about fear. I would love to take credit for these wise words of wisdom....but this article is definitely worth a read.

http://lysaterkeurst.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/A_Moms_Greatest_Fear.pdf

I think it speaks to a lot of us!

Peace, It's a tricky little thing sometimes...

Isn't peace supposed to be this "zen-like" feeling that encompasses you when you make the right choice? To those of us who live in the world were worry and stress play a lead role in our day to day (most days), peace can sometimes be, well, tricky. For example, when my almost three year old started a new preschool, I knew in my gut it was the right place for him at the time. Some would say I had a peace about my decision. But what about those times when you don't recognize peace; when you can't see it or feel it. What about those moments when you are given peace and because it's been such a long time since you have felt it, you don't even realize it's there?
This week (heck, the past 3 years) have been a roller coaster, to say the least. Peace has not played a lead role. It's been a time of learning, growing, crying and healing, but I would not have mentioned peace before this week. I have recently gone through a life altering, life changing event and, honestly, had no clue what to expect. Whatever it was that I "thought" I expected, certainly didn't come out that way. All of my ideas, all of my assumptions were blown out the window. I knew what I thought I needed to feel. I knew what I expected myself to feel. But none of that was coming. Nothing I anticipated happened. So what WAS/AM I feeling?
A good friend has been walking this path alongside me for the past several years. At one point, in passing, she mentioned that perhaps this unknown "feeling" I was dealing with wasn't unknown at all. Maybe it was as simple as finally feeling some peace about this roller coaster I call life. Maybe I wasn't recognizing...peace.
I sat with this for a few days. OK, I wrestled with this for a few days. Peace? About this? Peace about the outcome of this roller coaster path? Huh? Maybe she is right. Perhaps I am at peace with everything. It's funny how something that we are given and reminded of daily, is so hard to see, and dare I say, accept, sometimes. Doesn't John 14 tell us not to let our hearts be troubled because He has left peace for us? How, then, is it so hard to recognize sometimes?
I don't know the answer that question, but I do know that peace is given to me, I just have to realize it.