Where Are You Being Cared For?

When I returned home recenbly from my daughter’s college graduation, my husband and I discovered that our washing machine had died. As had the refrigerator. (The fridge had been going before I left, so this wasn’t as much of a surprise, although it was a frustration.)

So, it being Memorial Day weekend, we decided to go check out the sales to see what we could find. We came home the proud parents of a new washer, dryer and refrigerator.

Three days later, our new babies were delivered to us. Happily, I set about playing house (enjoying cold food and ice, and washing and drying several weeks’ worth of laundry). On Friday night, my husband discovered a big puddle in our garage, and we traced it back to the kitchen under the refrigerator. We had a flood on our hands. Uh-oh.

My life suddenly became consumed with learning all about what happens when you have a flood in your home. (Particularly in South Florida where the humidity and heat is so high.)

Three weeks later and we’re still getting the estimates for the repairs to the kitchen. I am astonished at how much brain energy something like this consumes!

Christina and her mama.

Last weekend, my daughter had her bridal shower, in Maryland where she lives. And another wedding gown fitting. Way cool, and way fun. A delightful break from the past few weeks, and a soothing balm to my soul to spend even a few more days with her.

Here is where I am right now with this whole kitchen issue:

I feel blessed, very blessed, to have found a wonderful contractor to help us through the process of drying and now restoring the kitchen.

I feel blessed to know that Sears is intending to handle the flood damage repair costs with integrity and grace.

I feel blessed to participate in this celebration of my daughter’s life, to be a part of it, and to know that she wants her mama there by her side as she moves into this new phase in her life.

I don’t always feel present to these truths, however. There are times when I feel frustrated, annoyed, and just plain MAD that this (or something else) has happened. And when I do, the process of shifting my emotions (or my focus) is often challenging and time-consuming.

I want to stay feeling peaceful and blessed most, if not all, of the time. Yet, when I start to complain about what has happened – whatever it is – I begin to feel more and more frustrated.

This, then, becomes a no-win situation. Because, as you know, where ever your attention and your intense emotions are, you are creating, whether it is something you want, or whether it is something you do not want.

My challenge becomes to re-focus my attention onto what I want, not what I do not want, so that I can create what it is I want into my life.

My homework for you: take a look at your life and answer these questions.

Where are you challenged – and blessed – in your life?
Where are the challenges you are dealing with being handled with integrity and grace (not just by you, but also by others)?
Where are you being wanted and honored by others?
Where are you being cared for and guided by Spirit?

Are there areas in your life where you are busy complaining, and as a result, creating more mess … and missing the blessings?

If you will choose to shift your thoughts to focus upon the areas where you are being held, where you are being cared for and where you are being guided by Spirit, you will see those blessings more clearly. If you will choose to shift your thoughts to focus upon what you do want, rather than what you do not want, you will begin to create it more and more quickly.

For me, this happened last week when the tile guy came out at the suggestion of the contractor. He checked the tile for damage (which was not apparent to the eye, by the way). As he tapped each tile, we could hear which ones were damaged from the water. I would never have known about this had it not been for the contractor.

Relief and gratitude filled me as I realized that even in the midst of this frustrating experience, I was being taken care of.

So again, I ask you: where in your life are you being held, being cared for, and being guided as you move through your frustrations and challenges?

If you look, you will see. I promise.