Serenity Now....

About six weeks ago, our basement backed up with raw sewage. It is the second time this has happened and is due to lilac bush roots, of all things. Apparently their roots are threadlike and extremely invasive. And it doesn't help the case that we have them dappled throughout our yard. They are lovely, they smell heavenly, but I'm ready to rip them all out with my bare hands...can you tell I'm more than a little frustrated?

So my dear husband has been working day and night to get things cleaned up. That has entailed ripping out carpet, old tile, and laying concrete. We figured while we were at it, we might as well paint the basement and really freshen up the look. So in the last couple of days he has primed and painted the walls with the help of my charitable-with-his-time-father-in-law.

Thankfully, there is a little path cleared for me to get to the washer and dryer in the midst of all of the chaos. So two days ago, when I went to turn on the dryer and it didn't work, I was...perplexed. Hmmm, was it the plug? Was there lint in the trap that was messing things up? I don't know; I'm not dryer technician, but I knew there was a problem.

Dh checked it out last night to come up and break the news that he was going to have to take the whole thing apart. Deep breath. At which point, I told him, nope...we don't need another project. I will take everything to the laundromat.

This morning I woke up feeling a bit of despair. This is a slippery slope for me. One of my greatest weaknesses is negative thinking. So, I got out my Joyce Meyer book, "Power Thoughts" and read a chapter. There she was talking about how we can choose our own thoughts. So, instead of bursting in to tears, I chose to come and write in my blog...to tell you about my struggles today, but to cheerfully commit to remaining positive.

Retraining our minds to think healthy thoughts is tough, at least it is for me. It doesn't come naturally. Sometimes I want to wallow in my own misery. Or I allow myself to be overcome by extenuating circumstances. Sometimes, quite honestly, it feels as though I am clawing my way back to the light.

But not today. Today, I will smile in spite of my frustration and my dirty clothes...a small thing in comparison with those who are really suffering. I will choose not to be overcome by things that are out of my control. And to help me in this process, I will probably say the serenity prayer at least one hundred times:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Have a deliberately wonderful day, everyone!