Worry, fear, and joy

Mothers, does the worry ever end? Is there ever a point in your child's life when you can sit back and say, "pfew, now I can relax."

I'm guessing not.

After losing my first baby to miscarriage, I spent a lot of time during my second pregnancy willing the first trimester away. And, while I did feel some relief at twelve weeks, other worries soon crept in. Then, I couldn't wait until she was born because then she would be out here safely. I quickly found out that it is even harder having them on the outside. Out here, they can be separated from you. There are multitudes of things that can happen to children. SIDS was next on my worry list. And so on and so on. I have to end this cycle. I have been doing a lot better lately and I think that some of my issues (OK, maybe all) are due to me not fully trusting God and I need to. We can never make sure our babies are completely safe. Sure, we do what we can and avoid risks, but there are no guarantees.

Even though there are so many terrible things that can happen, we are not meant to live in fear. I heard this quote quite some time ago and I want to share it with you because it is true. If anyone knows what they are talking about in this department it would be Corrie Ten Boom.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. -- Corrie Ten Boom

I would also add that it empties today of its joy. It is hard to be joyful when you live in worry and fear. My big step lately has been shutting off Laney's Angelcare monitor. I know that God will watch over her and I have to trust Him and not my monitor.

We're not all worry though. Like how I just changed the topic there? I'm not great at it, I know. Anyways, we have been playing outside as often as we can. Winter is just around the corner. With that can mean a fair amount of time couped up indoors and so we must make the most of autumn. And, getting outside often means a random ensemble of non-matching clothes. I won't try and blame Laney's outfit on Mike.

Do you live in a warmer climate? If so, do you sometimes wish for a proper winter. Those of you who have winter like we do, how are you preparing for it?