If my plate is going to be full....

then I want to eat off of THIS plate!!!

I think I've been living life in a bit of a fog these days. There seems to be so many things going on lately. Yes, we began school 3 weeks ago and we're doing well in that area, but there are other things in my mind which are starting to consume what little space there is left up there in my head...and believe me, there's not much space up there!

My Dad isn't well. They don't know how long he has to live, but he certainly won't be around that much longer as hospice is helping to care for him. On top of that, I got a phone call yesterday from the nursing home where my grandmother is. She is my Dad's mom, and she turned 100 this past April - amazing huh? The nurse called to say that my grandmother isn't going to live long since she's no longer eating or drinking. The whole thing boggles my mind. I'm trying to process the whole thing with my Dad, and now my grandmother is going to die as well. I have to be honest...I was never that close to her so emotionally I'm not as upset as you'd think, but it's just one more thing dumped on my plate! I am the youngest grandchild and I am the one who is having to deal with her on top of being solely responsible for my Dad. Makes total sense doesn't it?!?

Besides those major things, I haven't even thought about much else. It seems from my blog that all is well and we're doing great, but frankly it's not all fun and games. I try to post the fun things we do because it makes me feel good and it keeps us on track. Knowing that through all of these trials around us, we are trying to live a happy 'normal' life.

One of my best friends had a baby 2 months ago and I've hardly had time to see them. I also am the president of our homeschool group and I'm not yet mentally prepared for this school year. We had a leader's meeting and are planning for it, but I have to try to get through things with my own family before I can totally be on board for these other moms.

Anyhow...I just got to thinking about all of this today as I was in the nursing home feeding my Dad some lunch off of the big white plates they use. (He managed to eat 6 spoonfuls before giving up. That was a good meal for him.) I looked at the plate and thought "How sad it is that at the end of their lives, these dear elderly people have to eat off of cold ugly looking white plates." That's when they should be living it up and celebrating the life they've lived. Their meals should arrive on fine china and beautifully patterned dishes. No, it's not practical, but it sure does sound better.

One verse that is really getting me through all of this is:

'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ' II Corinthians 12:9