Monkey on my back

So those of you who know me know that i am one chapter away from finishing my dissertation. This has been one of the longest journey's i have ever been on...and i am soooo over it. Writing used to be fun until grad school. Now...not so much. Still, i REALLY want to finish! So, tonight i'm trying to write but find my mind wandering to all the places it should not be. This is therefore a short entry. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as i attempt to WRAP this up. i want this monkey on my back so i can fully enjoy my life :)

Things are not always what they appear to be...

I have scoliosis. I was first diagnosed when I was 13. Two surgeries and more than 20 years later I always find it interesting that people do not 'know' about my condition. You see, most people look at you from the front. They observe your face and eyes and sometimes your teeth. Rarely does someone observe you from behind.

As a person with scoliosis I often find myself looking at people's backs. Are their backs straight or curved? Is one shoulder higher than the other? Do they have a scar that peeks out from their shirt? See I know first hand that things are not always what they appear to be. If you look at me from different angles you will notice the scar that runs from my neck to my bum or the slight pull of my shirt to the right. The people who really know me know that sometimes I am in pain, that I don't wear certain clothes because they don't fit my back like I want and that I know when it is going to rain based on how my body feels.
In order to really understand life, or people, you have to look at things from more than one angle. As a result, I try to ask questions before I jump to conclusions. I am also working hard to learn how to seek to understand instead of always being understood. But more importantly, I'm trying to let people's experience tell the story of their lives instead of using my opinion to make judgments.

I could say that I would have been this way naturally but I know deep down that if I didn't have scoliosis I would not be this way. Having scoliosis taught me about life at a young age and has hopefully taught me that in order to live life fully I need to look at how our life experiences shape who we are. So today take a second and look at your situation from a different angle. Hopefully you will see something that you missed before and you will be reminded that things are not always what they appear to be.

On the road

I'd have to say that as much as I love livving in Houston moving here has been very difficult for my family. My son had to switch schools during his senior year of high school and my daughter had to adjust to a more challenging curriculum. And, to top it all off, my father-in-law died just six weeks after we arrived.

Now, two years later we all seem to have hit our stride. We are all on the road to our destiny! I must say that after all of the stress and emotions I'm glad to be off the bumpy road. But, as a parent of teenagers I have also learned to go with the flow. Everyday brings new and exciting challenges!! My teenagers are awesome human beings who are trying to find their way through this maze called life. Like their parents my kids are discovering that it is not as easy as it seems. I pray that they will never give up on trying to be people of great moral character. That they remember to play hard they must first WORK hard! And I hope that they always remember that no matter what silly or awful mistake they make we will ALWAYS love them.

Thankfully I'm on this road with an amazing husband. I wouldn't want to be on this road called life with anyone but him. Because he follows God I follow him. It's that simple.

Here's to hoping for an awesome weekend. Don't drive too fast!


-- Post From My iPhone