Overwhelmed

Today I cried during my massage and could not understand why my body was responding with tears. All day I felt overwhelmed but I kept excusing the feelings and thought I was just tired and I needed to handle it...Why do we as woman take it all on? Especially at Christmas? A time when we should be focused on preparing our heart for the season of celebrating the birth of our savior...Seems each year for the past years, I find myself up to my eyeballs in busy when really I should take everything OFF of the calendar and be thankful for, and humbled by God's gift to humanity.

As I have taken some time to reflect this evening, I realized that I had a right to my feelings of "overwhelmed". This day has been difficult and was full of many emotions. Today is the anniversary of my mother's death, a death  that changed my life. I have missed every day since she died 18 short years ago. I finished a large project that which involved the delivery of 65 Christmas baskets, I talked to my 35 year old daughter about genetic testing due to her breast cancer, and listened so I could offer encouragement about her upcoming chemo therapy which starts this Friday. Food was delivered for the staff Christmas party which is this Friday evening at my home and I cleaned up from the "making" of the 65 baskets. I talked to a good friend of mine whose daughter in law is having her baby one month early to prepare her body for the removal of a tumor from her lung, next week...I completed paperwork necessary for a loan on our school, and I answered several emails. In and between all of that, I forgot to eat, and so was my day.

I am ending my day with a quite moment and re-prioritizing my day tomorrow. I am going to take some "down" time, and I am going to eat. I may cry, but think that I will feel differently by making the choice to think about what is important.  I am thankful for these moments of reflection.  God has given me much comfort after having such a day.

Are you overwhelmed? Stop, take time, take a breath, and pray. I am humbled by each new day I am given to re-evaluate and start fresh.  Tonight I have moved from being overwhelmed to being thankful!  Thanks be to God!