It’s been a really busy week! We got home from AKSARBEN Sunday evening; I picked up a virus and was sick, so it was a miserable trip home. However, Morgan’s heifer, Mayberry, was the Reserve Champion Simmental Heifer, so Sunday was a good day. The kids’ team also won the fitting contest on Saturday evening! They were first among 16 teams, and it was quite an accomplishment. They worked together very well. That’s one of the neatest things about 4-H and showing cattle–the learning to work together aspect.

The week was very busy for everyone. Tim had some sick cattle so had to treat some every day. He works so hard to keep them healthy and it’s really discouraging when they’re sick, and especially when they die, as several did this week. He and the vets think they got ill in part because we had several heavy rains and cool nights, and hot days, and the abrupt change in weather was too much for them. Thankfully, they all seem to be getting better.

I did a book signing in Norfolk, NE, on Thursday. It was fun! I met several new people (one man was sooo thrilled to meet a “real author” and I was honored that he was that excited!) and saw some friends I’d met at previous speaking events.

Next Monday I speak for a local Compassionate Friends group. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child, and I pray that I will have something helpful to say to the group. When doing the research for my book, What Should I Say? The Right (and Wrong!) Words and Deeds for Life’s Sticky, Tricky, Uncomfortable Situations, parents who had lost a child shared some of the helpful, and hurtful, things others had said.

On Friday I speak for a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. I belonged to one of the first MOPS groups in Columbus when  our kids were young, and made friends through that groups who still are friends today. The friends I met in MOPS, and experiences I had there, were the inspiration for Home is Where the Mom Is; A Christian Mom’s Guide to Caring for Herself, Her Family, and Her Home.  I’m really looking forward to speaking for the group.

Last night and this morning I was just overwhelmed what things I had to do–bake for a bake sale, clean various (well, ALL) the rooms in our home, work on my talks, do laundry, send a few cards, prepare for the talks, download pictures from my camera and get them printed (I got the camera in March and haven’t gotten any pictures developed yet!!!), do some paperwork for my nursing job, steam cleaning the carpet . . . posting on this blog, writing the newsletter . . . I was really feeling overwhelmed! Finally I just started writing down everything that I needed to do, and felt a little more in control of the situation. Somehow having a list helps me to see what things are priorities (baking, as the bake sale is TODAY!), and what is not (cleaning!). I’ve been feeling overwhelmed for a few months now, and am praying about and trying to figure out what to cut out/rearrange, etc. I don’t know what it will be yet, but of course have several options and I think over the next few weeks things will become clearer.   

I certainly don’t mean to complain about all that’s going on in my life! For the most part it’s good . . . it’s just been a tiring few weeks and I don’t like the feeling of being out of control of what is going on. However, I know God is in charge, and he knows everything that is happening, and for what purpose . . . and for the most part, the things that don’t get done today will wait until tomorrow. I am very blessed with my family, my home . . . my whole life!

Now, I need to get a load of clothes folded and the kitchen cleaned up, and a few more things done in the next few hours because I have a very important thing to do in about 2 1/2 hours . . .  meet Cody and his girlfriend at their school and take some Homecoming pictures!