“Dreams can become realities if we choose to stay awake long enough.” ~M
Photo found at: weheartit.com
Month: March 2016
Him vs. Her – The little things
Do you ever find yourself getting frustrated by the annoying little things that your spouse does? And do you allow those things to become bigger issues than they really should be?
I can think of a zillion times when my husband and I have fought over the most pointless things. For example, I used to get mad at him for leaving his dirty clothes all over the bedroom floor. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but when there’s a dirty clothes hamper two feet away, it just seems lazy and almost disrespectful to assume that your wife will pick them up and put them in the hamper for you.
Fortunately, I don’t get mad about the clothes anymore. I do however still get upset when he leaves his size 14 shoes in the middle of the bedroom at night. I mean… who wouldn’t trip over those bad boys in the middle of the night on their way to the bathroom? It’s like he’s setting a trap for me to fall and break my neck! I wonder… is he secretly trying to do away with me? I’d like to think not, but seriously… little things like this can be the cause of some hefty arguments, and a whole lot of late night swearing.
I also think that at the root of every small disagreement, there usually lies a much bigger problem that has yet to be brought up. All it takes is that one little annoying thing that he or she does, to eventually fuel the fire. Oh I hate it when that happens! And when it finally does, one of us is usually regretting the little mishap that started the explosive reaction in the first place.
Our biggest petty disagreement in recent years has been the thermostat. I like the house to be warm and hubby likes it cool. I grew up in sunny California and so I don’t think my body has ever really acclimated to the weather here in Wisconsin. I know this is such a trivial thing to fight over, but I have gone to bed mad at him on more than one occasion, because he didn’t want me to change the temperature on the thermostat. What gets me the most, is when he denies he has changed the temperature, even when I know he has! Why lie about something so insignificant? Oh he can be so sneaky sometimes!
We have now made an agreement, that I am the “official” keeper of the thermostat. Since I’m home more often than he is, we agreed that I should be the one regulating the temperature in the house. I actually think it was my final threat of going to a hotel to sleep for the night, which finally convinced him to let me have my way. I was very serious at the time and since I’m so stubborn, he knows that when I threaten to do something like this, I may just do it! Thankfully he puts up with my obnoxious behavior and has a very forgiving heart. 🙂
Now that we’ve been married, forever… we often find ourselves looking back at a lot of those trivial moments and we can actually laugh about most of them now. Of course back in the early days of our marriage, we really had a hard time letting go of such unimportant things and our marriage really suffered because of it. We’ve definitely learned how to compromise more, and although I still have my hormonally challenging moments like any woman, his response to my moods has changed for the better.
My husband no longer reacts to my stupid remarks the way he used to, he lets me have time to vent my frustrations and he doesn’t try to remedy the situation. Instead, he just simply listens and tells me he’s sorry. I am amazed by how he has learned to stay calm and not overreact to the stress that I’m feeling. By him being the more level headed person, it calms me down and then I find myself able to let go of the issue and move on more easily.
I feel blessed that after all these years of marriage, I really can’t find too many things that frustrate or annoy me about my husband. Yes, he’s the typical guy with enough burps and farts to clear an entire room, but at the same time… he’s also the one God chose for me to spend the rest of my life with, and honestly… right now, I couldn’t be happier.
Is there anything in your relationship that causes you to feel frustrated or annoyed? And if so, have you found a solution that works for you?
Cartoon found at: nickandzuzu.com
Fear of failure
“The fear of the unknown often holds us back and it’s because of this that we often lack.” ~M
Photo found at: destinationdreamsanddogs.com
Think positively
“Perspectives on life can be both good and bad, let go of the ones which make you feel sad.” ~M
Photo found at: momandthepoplife.com
The world needs your compassion
I was recently talking to a friend about children with disabilities and immediately my mind was flooded with memories of the past. During my high school years, I had a friend who had foster children in her home. Most of the children had disabilities and were very hard to care for.
When I would visit my friend after school, there was always a new baby or child to be cared for and I fell in love with each and every one of them. I remember one boy in particular named Jeffrey. The poor child suffered from Elephant Man’s disease. This disease causes horrible tumors to form anywhere on the body and gets worse as the person gets older. Because of this, there was little hope of Jeffrey ever becoming adopted; the medical expenses alone were just too much for anybody to manage.
Jeffrey had been a child who had lived on the streets since the moment he was born. His mother suffered from a mental illness and his father had Elephant Man’s disease just like Jeffrey. By the time authorities noticed his family was living on the streets, the situation was dire and Jeffrey had many siblings who were sent to foster homes as well. None of the children had ever been properly cared for, because the parents could barely take care of themselves.
When my friend’s mother took in Jeffrey, he could barely talk and mostly just grunted when he wanted something. He was extremely hyperactive and threw tantrums if he didn’t get his way. It was so hard for him to communicate his needs to her because he had never been taught how to. As difficult of a child as he was though, they loved him well and he began to thrive in their home.
If memory serves me correctly, Jeffrey was five years old by the time somebody decided to adopt him. Jeffrey was going to need lots of surgeries because of his medical condition and so there was no possible way for my friend’s mom to adopt him. The medical expenses were just more than she could afford. So with much sadness, they had to give Jeffrey away, after taking care of him for several years.
Thankfully the couple that decided to adopt him, could afford to take on the responsibility of his medical expenses. They were never able to have children of their own and when they saw Jeffrey, they immediately fell in love with him. Fortunately this story had a very happy ending, but there are many children out there who don’t have anyone to care for them and who never get adopted.
With that said, I would like to encourage each and every one of you to make a pledge to help a child in need. It doesn’t take much, to make a difference in a child’s life. I sponsor a child through Compassion International and I have found this to be a great organization. We are supporting our second child through the program now, and oh what a blessing it has been! Both of the girls we decided to support are from Uganda.
Our first child (Nalule) eventually grew up and had to leave the program. I cried when I opened our very last letter from her and saw a picture of her sitting behind her brand new sewing machine. She had been able to buy the sewing machine, because of our last financial gift that we had given to her. We hadn’t given her much and yet she was actually able to start a business with our help. I was overwhelmed and excited to know that we had been able to make a difference in the life of a girl, who might have otherwise ended up in whole different situation. It was hard to let her go in God’s care, but after seeing that last final picture, I knew she would be alright and I know without a doubt, that God is still looking after her.
We are now supporting a little girl who is 6 years old. Her name is Joy, and we get letters and drawings from her quite frequently. It is so amazing to watch these little ones grow and it’s nice to be able to send letters of encouragement to them. So please, if you will, consider helping a child in need. Whether it be by adoption, foster care, a program like Compassion International, or some other avenue, please help if you can. Give up your coffee a few times a month and think of supporting a child instead. It doesn’t take much to make a huge difference.
Quote found at: feednations.com
Photo found at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Putting My Feet in the Dirt 