Encouragement Teamwork and Awareness

What a weekend!  My guys and I enjoyed a wonderful family outing on Saturday.  You may be jealous when I tell you that it all began with a round of injections.  Ah yes, the family that gets flu shots together...  Well, hopefully we'll be the family that doesn't get sick this year.

My boys were very brave.  O was actually a bit frightened and has the typical needle phobia, but he got through it like a champ.  M hopped up in the chair with a smile on his face...  It crumpled slightly when the needle came out.  Absolutely no tears were shed this year.  After my little men were finished, I  went 3rd.  You'd never believe how terrified I used to be of needles if you had seen me relaxed and without hesitation.  My poor husband went last and was almost as unafraid as our sons.  What a bunch of troopers we were!

Running errands and working on a halloween costume for M took up the rest of our Saturday.  As we flipped between the NASCAR race and UofM vs M State game, I felt very content.  Activities of Autumn have a calming affect on me.

Sunday brought organized chaos in our home.  Resorting and cleaning of the boys' playroom took more time that I'd care to admit.  It did however leave us with fewer toys and more space.  Everyone in the family pitched in and many hands did make light work.  The boys agreed to put their toys away in their designated places from now on.  Laughing to myself here.  What an amazing job my boys did this weekend!

It's awesome how much can be accomplished when working together as a team.  Without the help of my 3 men (big & small), it would have taken countless hours to achieve today's goal.  Encouragement and a desired reward can also go a long way.  If you are faced with a challenge, put a little carrot out in front of yourself.  Marmaduke the movie, a treat, & root beer worked for our little guys.  My reward, besides a little less work on my own plate, was "Date Night" with my husband.  Laughter and smiles all around!

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Many of you already know how important domestic violence awareness is to me.  The month of October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well.  If you know of anyone who needs help, please encourage and direct them to:

Common Ground Sanctuary

Toll Free

248.456.0909

800.231.1127

HAVEN

Toll Free

248.334.1274

877.922.1274

http://www.domesticviolence.org/

If you are in danger,call 911, your local hotline, or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at: 

1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.

Trust me when I say that it's not always cut and dry.  Living with abuse takes a toll on the souls of the abused and those who witness it.  It's never as simple as walking away.  Have compassion and refrain from judging those who live with abuse.

"Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks (fiction) showcases a domestic abuse situation within the novel.  While every abuse victim's story is different, Nicholas Sparks was able to capture the guilt, strength, compassion, fear, and many other emotions abusers often go through.  I admired the fictional portrait that Mr. Sparks painted, but also how the reality of actual situations was woven into the canvas.  It's an amazing book to read and I encourage everyone to pick it up. 

The Big Catch

The end is near!  The end of Summer that is.  *sigh* Oh how it makes me sad.  Until the last few years, this feeling has not hit me in the way that it does some.  I'm not a Summer girl, in fact Autumn is my favorite season, and my kids were too young to be heading off to school.  I was simply unaffected.  When my oldest was exactly one year from beginning Kindergarten, it hit me.  It hit me that I had just enjoyed the last unattached Summer, as the following Summer would end with an attachment  to a first day of school.

Summer is like a fish on the line.  Once it's hooked, you start to reel it in.  There's so much fun and excitement as you begin pulling it through the water.  You make a myriad of plans, because you are certain this is going to be the catch that tops all catches and you want to enjoy every bit of it.  You could mount it and make sure it's beautiful for everyone to see, or get every piece of "meat" out of it that you could possibly enjoy.  Of course, this fish is the largest to hit the scales, so there is plenty to go around.  As you continue to reel in your award winning fish, you start to see that it's getting smaller.  That can't be true!  It can't possibly be getting shorter each time I reel in a little more of the line?  You attempt to ignore the thought and throw yourself into the entertainment of it all.  All of a sudden, that champion bounty is right in front of your face!  But wait!  It's just a tiny trout and you know that you must let it go so that it may grow.  Hmmm... maybe next year it'll be big enough to hold onto.  You try to let go of your disappointment  and realize the best way to do so.  You pull back your fishing pole and send out a new cast.  Within seconds, you have a bite!  Your expectations are high as you begin to reel in the next big catch... Autumn!

Are you sad to see Summer go, excited about Autumn's upcoming arrival, or full of mixed emotions?  Did you get everything out of Summer that you planned or hoped for?  What is your favorite season or do you live in a climate where the change of seasons isn't reflected in the scenery?