Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Followers

Wow! Just a few days up and I already have followers. Now I can start my own religion and collect money to pay off my student loans. It'll be kinda Catholic but we'll have priestesses. We could use names like Grace, Sofia, Glossolalia... But then again I'm Jesuit trained and they have really high standards even for heresy. (You'd be amazed. If you're going to commit heresy in one of your papers it had better not be accidental and it had better be good. You'll still fail but at least the remarks won't be as scathing. For example: "Excellent reasoning. Unfortunately you have just negated the existence of the Holy Spirit." Accidental heresy: "Your logic is unsound, the premise weak and your examples unhelpful." ) I don't think I have the energy.

Today was one of those days when all I had to look forward to was bedtime. Yes, a day full of baby vomit, diaper leaks, tantrums, and several changes of clothing (theirs and mine). A good friend of mine recently visited and told me what a wonderful mom I am. I replied that it's easy when you have a friend who is happy to help with the kids and bring food and coffee. It's nice to know that I don't come off as some sort of psycho mom but I'm not sure I deserve all of her compliments. She never had any children (a bit sad because she would have made a great mom) so she had a lot of questions for me. Now, I'm not trying to build myself up. I'm not trying to sell anything but some of my philosophy as a mom is a direct result of my theological studies. If you've read this far I'll share with you what I've learned without having through academic humiliation. And it's free! The bad news is that you've probably heard it all before. Theology that isn't practical is a waste of paper. If you use these techniques rest assured that you're living a mystical experience. (My definition, of course.)


Friend's question: "What do you do when you feel like you're going to lose it?"


Answer: 1. I take a deep breath ask myself if 'the worst' is happening. Am I watching something horrible happen to my babies? Is something horrible happening to me in front of them or keeping me from caring for them? No? OK, I can deal with the situation.


2. Thank God that "the worst" isn't happening and start counting my blessings. There are lots of these.


3. Ask God to help me discern the best thing to do in this particular situation. 


4. Ask God to compensate for my inadequacies.


5. Thank God for the moment because I'll NEVER get it back. One day I'll miss cuddling my newborn even if it happens to be the 7th time I've gotten up that night.


This really works for me. I think it's because it releases me from thinking that I'll never get any sleep or that my baby will never stop crying. Eventually we do get sleep and babies do stop crying. Pray through your pain. Not only is it a reminder that 'the worst' isn't happening, it also keeps us from creating it.


In this illustration conflict has been healed by asking God for His intercession. That, Ladies, is a mystical experience. You didn't know that you were that good, did you?

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