I'm on a fun trip with my sweetheart, and we decided to take some time just for us after a very busy month!
So much going on, but the highlight was that our son Matthew was just married to his sweetheart, Kaitlynn, on the 8th. It was such a beautiful wedding! I stayed up two nights to find special photos of Matthew growing up for his wedding because, during my last house move, I put them all on hard drives, and now I know why they call them that!!! It’s stupid-hard to find anything on them!!! (next project🤦🏻♀️)
I’m so grateful for those photos though because I found some incredible ones of my son as a little boy and also my other children that brought back so many beautiful memories, and the great blessing God gave me to be their mom❤️
Having a wedding is one of my favorite things in the world. Now that my son has found his perfect match, it’s all the sweeter. But even the easiest wedding comes with a long list of details, and I’m not even the mother of the bride, who has most of the responsibilities. Even if I am managing the ones I need to do, it can be an overwhelming mom’s job!🤣 Which, truthfully, can feel much more overwhelming than my real working job. ☺️Handling all details with the least amount of carnage is the goal, and showing the most amount of grace possible is the illusion! 🤣
Job one was finding places for all of my very large family to stay. Did I say I have a large, LARGE family— and nine grandchildren?
Fortunately, my oldest son’s in-laws, especially Kelly Olds, who I have known and loved since we were very young girls, have a home close to where the wedding was, and they were so very generous to let some of my children stay there with them. (Like I said, big family not enough rooms 🤣) The best part was seeing all the cousins have fun together… nothing better‼️
Job two was helping everyone decide what to wear. 😳 The first rule of airplane travel is to put the oxygen mask on yourself, then your child. The reason is simple: if you can't breathe, what good will you be to your child? In my opinion, moms could use a little more of that thinking all around 😂👌 We manage so many details for others that we risk plowing straight into a wall without the perfect dress! (Pictures are forever)
Thank goodness I started looking and decided on my dress the minute I heard about the wedding. I knew if I waited, I would end up putting holes in a hefty bag or showing up in one of my 70s disco gowns 🤦🏻♀️ (not a great option) because I’d run out of time. For those of you who follow me, you’ve heard me mention Griselda, who travels with me on the road and takes care of all my costumes, alterations, etc. Well, she came through again for me!!! THANK YOU GRISELDA!!! You're the best☺️
So that left me time to help everyone else in our family find clothes for the wedding. My granddaughters were adorable in their matching dresses 🙌 They loved wearing them, but their personalities shone through when they chose their foot attire! 😂🥿 👡👢🎉
Being surrounded by my grandkids is my absolute happy place, which is one reason I’m home more now. I want to be a physical presence in their lives, so when they’re with me, I’m determined to be absolutely present! It's sweet when they introduce me to their friends; they say my grandma is a famous singer and start singing “Meet Me in Montana,” and to my grandson’s school is singing “I’m a Little Bit Country, Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll” … They’re adorable!!!!🎶🥰 But the best introduction is “My grandma is so fun to be with” and “When will you come visit me again,” and my little Olive said, " Grandma, when’s your next show? I want to sing with you 🙌😘 These precious babies bring clarity to my chaos. I still have a busy life to live, but now my priority is to stop and enjoy them and their precious lives🥰💕
“Being a woman in today’s world is challenging we cannot let it take priority over long-term goals, families is everything, but your #1 should always be your sweetheart.” (My Mom again! ) She and my Dad were inseparable and quite the team!🥰💕
This is how I have found to handle a million pieces in my life and remain lucid… I think anyway🤣
1. Stop and breathe.
Before doing anything, I put both feet on the floor. I breathe in slowly for four counts, hold for four, and breathe out for six. I do this three times. I don’t have to solve everything right now; I only have to calm down enough to think.
2. Empty your head.
Okay, obvious laugh here: my head is already empty. 😂
Laughs aside, I write down everything that is swirling in my mind. My Mom taught me that. I don’t think about it too much; I get it out of my head and onto paper. Once I can see it, it becomes a list—not a crisis.
3. Choose one small thing.
I ask, “What is the smallest useful thing I can do right now?” Start the laundry. Answer one email, clear one counter. Forget the entire mountain; climb one step. Then choose your next step.
You are not failing because you feel overwhelmed. You are simply trying to carry everything at once. Put it down, breathe, and pick up one thing at a time.
Where’s Waldo??
Lastly, look for a blessing. I found mine last night when I was really letting myself become overwhelmed. Steve could see “that look” on my face. He walked over, took my hand, and said, “You got a lot done today.”
When I started to object, he began listing everything I had accomplished—things I had lost sight of. I really had done a lot, but sometimes I can forget to see it all because I let everything that still needed to be done cloud what I had already done.
The point is we are enough when we need to be. Nothing is perfect, but the effort is worth it.
So now, or for the rest of this month, I won’t be posting because I’ll be away. (with my sweetheart 🥰💕) I know I have missed a few of my #Sundaymessages but wanted you all to know you are in my thoughts and prayers… after all, we are all family because of our magnificent God. And for me, that’s the greatest #SundayMessage that could ever be written, right‼️😘