The Balancing Act

This is how I feel right now!

I've had a rough few weeks. No need to mince words or sugar-coat things. I've tried to be quiet about it all, but if I'm honest, I've really really not liked life the past few weeks. But sometimes there is nothing we can do about that. We just need to 'suck it up' as my daughter likes to say, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Yes, this is a real undoctored photo:)

However, one thing I've noticed in my life is the balancing act that God seems to favor in our lives. Meaning - when things are really bad, there always seems to be some small silver lining or two to get us through. Do you notice that too? Case in point: amidst all the turmoil of my current personal and professional life, God sends a few bright spots to balance things out:

The bad: the economy continues to slam my business and every day I wonder what bad news I'll get the next morning.
The good: Last week I had three invites for articles, stories and one radio interview about my business. Out of the blue. When I most needed it. I'll keep you posted about when they will appear. My favorite interview was with Art Throb. I can't wait to see the story. The journalist was fantastic.

The bad: I've had a longtime friend decide to cut me out of her life for good. 'We're done.' (her exact words.)
The good: I've had two long-lost friends contact me this week with a wish to have me back in their lives. Out of the blue. Completely unexpected. I never thought I'd ever heard from them again. Sooo.very. happy.

The bad: My desire to write has been zilch since I've been back from Russia and I struggled for motivation to post about what's important to me.
The good: Somebody nominated me for that Circle of Moms thing and I somehow made it into the Top Ten. This was the perfect motivation I needed to keep speaking, and keep the story of the orphanage alive. And it will only continue because Circle of Moms is interviewing the Top 25 this week and will be posting out links to their 6 millions subscribers.

By James Christensen, one of my favorite artists.

A few other things that kept me afloat this week:

Resolving the yucky giardia infestation after several weeks. (joy!)Seeing much more of my students and my returning staff. (bliss!)
Finally getting a logo for my company after 22 years, thanks to the positively amazing George Courage! (HALLELUJAH!)

So, you see, God seems to send little reminders of His love and care for us no matter what. I've had some scary news about my pending adoption, too, and yet God also chooses to bless me with a peace about it. I'm trusting Him.

So, keep your heads up, friends. We have a God who adores us and sends us countless reminders of his Love if we just remain open to them. Keep on the lookout for the reminders in your life today. I'd love to hear about them.

My company's new logo. Isn't it lovely?