Good afternoon! It surely has been a busy week! Nathan generally rides with his work partner, H, to work everyday. Since they both live in Tuscaloosa & commute, they share a State car to go to work. When one of them has to leave early but the other can't, then the one that has to leave early drives his own vehicle to work. Well, it's Thursday, and today is the first day this week that Nathan has actually ridden w/ H to work. It's been "that" kind of week! :) But not a bad one, unless you count the hours that I *haven't* slept well this week. But as of today, I'm feeling better & no longer counting those hours. :)

(disclaimer -- bear with me till the end of this post before you fuss... :)

See, I guess it's just human nature to worry -- and I come from a line of worriers (Christopher, my brother, & I had a conversation about worrying not long ago...and then Sarah, my sister, & I had a similar conversation not long after that, so I've come to the conclusion that worrying must genetic...but I digress...) Anyway, everything has to be "just so" in this process and lately, I've been worrying about a lot of things, whether all of our documents are just right, whether or not we'll be able to pay for all of this in the end...things that I know God will help us take care of, yet I worry. So amidst all that worrying, a couple nights ago, I sat up reading on our "personal" CHI website about what to expect during travel, court in Russia, etc. I guess because I've never traveled out of the country (except for Canada, when I was in highschool -- but that was nothin' back then), the section on travel just really freaked me out. I let it stew around in my brain for too long without talking to anyone about it, which made for a couple of very restless nights.

Then, last night, I took some Benadryl b/c I've been stuffed up the past couple of days and I hoped it would help clear me up (and a side benefit - maybe help me sleep, too!) Before I went to sleep, I finally 'spilled my guts' to Nathan...he & I talked about and prayed about my trepidation with customs, etc. (see, he went to Paris in highschool, so he's had experience w/ traveling - as a civilian), and I found that it's really nothing to worry about! Guess what? I actually slept soundly last night! Had I talked about it SOONER...maybe I would've gotten better sleep over the past few nights! I guess it just really took a couple days for my feelings to take on words. I don't know, but I'm feeling better (I think the Benadryl probably had an effect on my sleep, too, though I sure was dragging this morning!!). Also, when we travel, I've been told that the CHI Russian staff is just fantastic & adopting parents never feel alone or left behind while in-country.

See? I have nothing to worry about. I have an awesome God, a fantastic husband, a very competent adoption agency, and other wonderful people who care about and pray for us.

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

--Matthew 6: 25-32

Here is the same verse, written in Cyrillic -- I thought you all might like to see it written in the Russian written language. (I can't take credit for any of this -- thanks to www.bible.com for the translation)

Посему говорю вам: не заботьтесь для души вашей, что вам есть и что пить, ни для тела вашего, во что одеться. Душа не больше ли пищи, и тело одежды? Взгляните на птиц небесных: они ни сеют, ни жнут, ни собирают в житницы; и Отец ваш Небесный питает их. Вы не гораздо ли лучше их? Да и кто из вас, заботясь, может прибавить себе росту [хотя] на один локоть? И об одежде что заботитесь? Посмотрите на полевые лилии, как они растут: ни трудятся, ни прядут; но говорю вам, что и Соломон во всей славе своей не одевался так, как всякая из них; если же траву полевую, которая сегодня есть, а завтра будет брошена в печь, Бог так одевает, кольми паче вас, маловеры! Итак не заботьтесь и не говорите: что нам есть? или что пить? или во что одеться? потому что всего этого ищут язычники, и потому что Отец ваш Небесный знает, что вы имеете нужду во всем этом.

Матфея 6:25-32

See? Nothing to worry about -- a quote my mom always helps me recall, when she knows I'm worrying about something: "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles...it empties today of its strength!" and that, my friends is absolutely true! So...no more worrying! :)

Labels: Worry and Apprehension