A personal note today
My apologies for the late entry of this blog post which I should have been posted earlier. Needless to say, it is often challenging to manage my practice, family, and social responsibilities and to do an effective job in all areas…..thus, the late blog post 🙁
Initially, I had planned to write an update on my weight loss efforts over the past 4 months but realized I have shared enough about this subject. I can say I am still on the path toward healthier living and have continued with regular, more vigorous exercise, while also being careful about my dietary habits. But I still indulge in my favorite snacks, sometimes more often than I should. This has become routine for both me and my family and it warms my heart to see us exercise together.
Patience and forgiveness
Traveling with my family this weekend to a soccer tournament in Jacksonville has taught me a lesson about patience and forgiveness that is worth sharing. My son lost his soccer uniform (the week prior) and ended up at this tournament with his old uniform. The conflict was that his old number from last year was on another player’s uniform, so we had to modify his uniform with duct take over one number. It all worked out, but we still have the dilemma of the lost uniform for the current season.
Teaching our son about personal responsibility has been more of a challenge than I have imagined. Considerations of having him pay for a new uniform (if necessary), keeping him out of a game (as a consequence), or losing another privilege have all been considered.
While it is sometimes difficult to implement consequences with our own children, it is necessary and will hopefully teach a life lesson.
It’s time to be humble
Another challenge for the weekend was learning a lesson in patience as we waited for clear skies to emerge from stormclouds, lightening, and thunder. It is humbling to remind ourselves that we are not in charge of circumstances outside ourselves. If we surrender to being in the moment and learn to “go with the flow”, things usually work themselves out.
Last weekend taught me a lesson about forgiveness, letting go of expectations, and learning to take responsibility for my own part in family disagreements. Oh, so humbling indeed.
Hope everyone had had a good summer and kids are successfully back into the swing of things in school.
Linda Cook, LMHC
Image courtesy of Radu via creative commons license.
