I'm blessed to be a mom of four~ 3 boys and 1 girl~ they are the treasures of my heart.
What joy they have brought to my life!
and oh, what worry!
From day one our children are a mixed blessing. They fill our hearts to the very brim with love, happiness, hope and dreams of their glorious futures. And they can paralyze us with worry.
The world is perilous and isn't it our job to divert and shield our children from peril? How much we desire to protect our sons and daughters, to wrap them in a cloak of safety that is impenetrable. How impossible our task.
Worry is an issue I have had to face and attempt to conquer. When worries come (and they do) I ask myself~"Does my anxiety accomplish anything good?" The answer is always no. I try to steer my thoughts toward things I CAN control. I think thoughts of gratitude. I brainstorm on activities I can do that are positive. I do not always succeed, but like most things, the more we do them the more naturally they come to us.
Lately, I am struggling with fears that my son will do something that could jeopardize his future in the Navy. As he jumped on the neighbor's trampoline the other day I thought~"Oh, no! What if he gets hurt and is medically disqualified?" When he gave a ride to a kid that I know has smoked pot before I thought~"What if they get pulled over and find pot on this kid?" When my son slacked off in school I thought~"What if his grades aren't good enough and he loses his chance to become a nuke?"... and on and on...
There is so much at stake.
But I remind myself that this is HIS life, his journey. I tell myself that what is supposed to happen, WILL happen. I breathe and pray and think positive thoughts. AND I tell my son to take it easy on the trampoline, to be careful who he associates with, to do his homework~ to keep in mind what is at stake... and then I try very hard to let it go.
For me, gratitude and faith are the antidotes to worry.
~most of the time~ ;)
~♥~
You echo my sentiments exactly! As my "poolee" son, Nate, does his physical training in readiness for USMC boot camp, my thoughts race about the things that could go wrong from now until then (and *during* boot camp, too - there's always the fear he won't make it through). But, I realize I need to let my worry go and let each day unfold as it comes. We don't know what tomorrow will bring anyway...all we can do is prepare ourselves to have the best attitude possible! Good thoughts going out to you and your son....
ReplyDelete:) Barbara
Thank you, Barbara~ It is hard not to fret when you know your child wants something so badly and you feel it is the right thing for them. I pray for peace of mind and the grace to accept what transpires. Hope things progress positively for your Nate and my Ian.
ReplyDeletehugs~Dale ♥