Tuesday, August 18, 2009

It'll Be Great If I Can Get Through

So, we've found a new place to live. Great, except we can't move in until a few days before the lease on our current place expires. We really were hoping for more time, but there's not much we can do about it. I just keep reminding myself of how wonderful it will be after we move to keep myself going.

On top of this, the girls will be going to public school this year, and we're trying to finish up the paperwork/school supplies/new clothes issues. I'm finding it very stressful, not to mention how early the girls will have to get up to get to school, plus the packing lunches issue. I hope this truly is a break for me this year like Mr. BTEG wants.

I'm having health issues that need additional testing to decide how bad they are. At this point, I may be anemic, which is a wonderful state to be in when you need to pack up all your belongings and move. I'm not exactly worried about the health issues because they aren't deadly, but the additional distraction and possible fatigue are unnecessary!

I'd like to think I can keep blogging through all this but I probably won't. Hopefully if I don't blog soon I will be able to come back when things calm down to let you know I've survived!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Friday, August 07, 2009

I Iz Edumacated

My good friend Elephant's Child suggested I post this on my blog, after I shared it on Facebook. It's got a limited shelf life, since it is a house for sale, but I decided it was indeed good enough to pass on to you, my readers.

First of all, I must tell you that the realtor's page where you will see this is NOT the realtor who has this lovely home up for sale. However, I can't find the house yet on the actual realtor's webpage. If it shows up, I will pass it along. Anyway, go here and search for this MLS: 3055743. You should see the house in question. Click on the link, then read the description. Yes, it has a beautiful finished basement, complete with "naughty pine." We are becoming a nation of semi-illiterates. I see so many mistakes like this everywhere! It's humorous and sad at the same time. Also of note is the HUGE number of abbreviations used in this text. Yes, realtors use abbreviations all the time, but I think there is an extra-large (or should I say xtra-lg) number here. Non-homeschooling parents, please pay attention to what your kids are learning in school and shore up their education when needed! At least, parents who *aren't* semi-illiterate.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Book Review: I Trust When Dark My Road

A Lutheran view of depression, by Todd Peperkorn. I can't give this book the kind of review it probably deserves, since it is written from a pastor's point of view as well as a Lutheran one. He does make excellent points about a pastor's particular burdens that can exacerbate depression, even though I've never lived them. As a layperson who has dealt with depression, I think his descriptions of what depression does to your mind and body are very good at conveying the issues to someone who has never had clinical depression. Clinical depression is so much more than "feeling sad" and Pastor Peperkorn illustrates how this mental illness can take over your life, robbing you of your ability to appreciate the many blessings you have and your ability to enjoy and grow your most important relationships.

I wish I could have tried the two weeks away from duties and responsibilities that Pastor Peperkorn experienced. I ended up hospitalized as a last resort, not seeing any other alternatives. While it did help ease my overwhelming desire to end my life, and the new medication prescribed by the hospital psychiatrist has helped me manage my bipolar symptoms, it was largely mind-numbingly boring and in other ways difficult to live through.

Like Pastor Peperkorn, I received help from several great people during my recovery. I was blessed that my pastors knew that my mental struggles did not stem from a lack of faith, and that my place as a saved and loved child of God does not depend on my feelings, nor my ability to perfectly execute my vocation. Indeed, if one were to take a single thing away from I Trust When Dark My Road, I believe it should be that no matter how dark the road may seem, God is there providing for us. The intense suffering can go away, but God never will.