Too Blessed to be Stressed

I'm not going to lie... I had one of those weeks this week.  You know... the kind where you just feel like you're about to break out in to tears all of the time.  And, to be honest, I did on several occasions.  But, as I sit here tonight on my couch, I'm seeing things differently. 

When I got home today, I grabbed the mail.  In that stack of catalogs, doctor bills and household bills I had a catalog from a company called World Vision.  For those of you who haven't heard of them, they're amazing.  Our family sponsors a little girl in Africa named Wanzia.  And we hear from her every month and get updates on her regularly.  Anyway, I toss the catalog on the table and make a note to myself that I'll take a look at it after I get the boys to bed.

And, I do...  Wow.  I am completely ashamed of the "Woe as me" attitude I've had these last few days.  This catalog shows ways to help these needy families all over the world.  For example, I can purchase a goat for a family and provide daily food for them... milk, cheese, etc.  For only $75.  I mean, really change someone's life for that amount of money.  It just floored me... they  just have opportunity after opportunity to help these poor people out for small amounts of cash... buy them a cow, or chickens or Bibles.

I guess what I want to say sounds kind of cliche', but we really are blessed.  Even when things are bad, we're still blessed.  I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, if I'll have a comfortable place to sleep at night, or if I'll be able to keep mosquitos carrying malaria off of my children.  Yeah, things have been bumpy for the Smyder family this past year, but we've got nothing on those that really experience true suffering daily.

Thank you Lord for all you've given me.  Please forgive my unthankful and listless attitude at times.  God is good and life is good.  Appreciate it.  Enjoy it.

Half Time

Well, Greg has made it half way through his chemo.  We're anxiously waiting for his PET scan this Friday.  That scan will tell us how much progress the chemo has made in getting rid of this ugly cancer.  I'm praying for wonderful results.  I know he is, too. 

I'm also excited that we are on the downward slope of this whole process now.  Maybe I'm jumping the gun a little when I say that, but I just know that God is going to make good things come from all of this. 

The boys are doing great.  Blake is just growing and changing every day, and Kyle is constantly making us smile with his fun little personality.  My family is indeed one of my greatest blessings. 

I guess that's all I have to say for now.  Sorry it's not a fancier and more entertaining blog at this point.  I'll do better next time.  ;)

Peace Out!

Is It All a Conspiracy?

Okay, I'm not trying to be one of those "nut jobs" out there that preaches that the government is out to get us.  However, I have to wonder some times if they ever really take our best interest to heart.  My suspicion is NO!  With everything that has gone on with Greg for the last couple of months, I have really begun to research what we would call today America's standard of living.

My dad was a great resource because, to be honest, he's always been a hippie at heart.  He never really left the sixties behind.  For years, he's been talking about the food that we eat and the things that we use to clean our house and what we use for personal hygiene.  In the past, I've just kind of shrugged it off thinking that "they" wouldn't let us use products that are slowly killing us, but now I'm not so sure.  So my "Yeah right, dad" attitude has done a complete one-eighty.

When I expressed my interest in this topic to my dad, he told me about a few documentaries to check out.  We started with one called Food Inc. (shocking!) and then followed that with Super-Size Me (disgusting!).  I have never learned so much in a four hour period.  I sat there with my husband and wondered what we had been doing to ourselves all of these years.  If you haven't seen these programs, here's the basics of it:  Due to America's I Want It Now and Cheap attitude, our quality of food products has spiraled downward very quickly.  Most people don't care to think about it I'm sure.  But have you ever wondered how they can afford to have a hamburger on the dollar menu? Or why chicken McNuggets have the shape that they do?  What is it that you're really eating?  I think you should take the time to find out.  I'm glad I did.

After I saw what was happening behind the scenes, the panic sort of set in.  I became paranoid about every bite I put in my mouth and every thing I gave my husband and kids to eat.  Some how, I felt personally responsible for everything that passed through their lips.  I knew I had to do something about it, but I felt helpless.  Where in the world do I start?  Amazingly, there is a growing population of people out there who feel the same way my dad  and I now do.  Our family went to a farmer's market in McKinney today, and we were able to purchase meat that had actually lived on an honest-to-goodness farm!  The produce was beautiful and there were lots of options.  I have to say some relief washed over me as we stood in line to make our purchases today. 

We can change this.  I'm not going to be blind about it anymore.

Nothing Special

The Smyders had a great week.  Greg recovered well from this last round of chemo and is now back to his wonderul self.  It's so great to see him like that.  But I have to say, there are times it's bitter-sweet.  I see him playing with the boys and running around the house and for a few minutes I forget what we're going through. Then it crashes back in to me again.  Don't get me wrong, I know we're going to beat this, but it's a tough journey getting there.  I hate to see him sick and down and out.

As a family, we went to the Wylie East Raiders first varisty football game.  It was tons of fun.  We got to see a lot of our former students, and it was greater because they won.  Kyle really enjoyed being outdoors, watching the game, and talking to all of the kids.  They were all so sweet to him.  I'm sure Blake enjoyed it in his own way, too.  Though he slept through most of it.

Saturday night we went to a southern gospel concert at our church.  It was so fun, and to be honest, it really ministered to me.  There's something about that type of music that really touches my heart. 

Overall, things are good right now.  We have another full week ahead of us, and unfortunately, Greg is facing another chemo treatment this weekend.  On the upside of that, he will have an extra day to recover because we are coming up on Labor Day weekend.  Thank God for the small things.  :)

I've always appreciated the time I have with my family, but it seems more so now since we don't get to have "nice" weekends all of the time right now.  Keep those prayers coming! Three more weeks and Greg will have reached the half way point in his chemo.  Here's hoping for tremendous news!

Welcome Back

Well, today was our first official school day of the new year.  I didn't know how I was going to feel about things starting over again, but after day one, I have to say that I am super excited about some of the things I'm seeing at Burnett.  Meeting the kids is always a joy for me.  I love seeing all of the different personalities and hearing their stories.  I have people tell me all of the time they can't believe I teach junior high, but I couldn't possibly picture myself teaching anywhere else.  Burnett is just an amazing place to be.  I guess that's why I've stuck around for eight years now.  Hard to believe....

On the home front, the Smyders are doing well!  Greg had his fourth chemo treatment on Friday, and to be honest, I was really worried how he would manage at work today.  I knew he was doing a great job when the kids starting trickling in to my class and talking about how funny he is and that they think they're really going to like his class.  That told me that despite everything he's going through, he's still Mr. Smyder, and glad to be with those kids.

The boys are doing great.  They are back at the sitter's during the day.  I know Kyle was super excited to go back and play with his friends.  It's always hard leaving them.  Those first few weeks, I have a hard time because I got accustomed to spending so much time with them, and by the time I get home everyday, the time I do have with them just flies by.  But, as far as working moms go, I couldn't be doing a better thing.  I get so much time off with them.  I really am blessed.

The next few weeks will be an adjustment, but we Smyders always adjust well to change.  As usual, just rockin' and rollin' along!

Peace Out!

Back to School

Well, it is officially the end of summer.   It's unbelievable to me how quickly the time has passed us by!  For starters, Blake is now 9 weeks old!  It just seems like yesterday that he made his first appearance.  He's growing like crazy and doing new things every day.

Kyle is doing great, too.  He is learning new things, and as far as his mama is concerned, he's one of the smartest two-year-olds on the planet!  He can now count to 13, and he can also tell you all his letters upper and lower-case!  I'm hoping to tackles the United States map with him next.   Too many kids these days don't know geography and I don't want my son to be one of them.

Greg has been through a ton this summer, but he's doing great as well.  I think he's ready to get back to work and return to some sort of normalcy.  We are SO excited that he's not coaching this year. Our wonderful adminstrators were able to work that out for him, and it's such a blessing.  Not only will this help him while he's going through chemo, but it also allows him more time to just be a daddy, and I know he's excited about that.

As for me, I'm about to start my 8th year of teaching.  Wow.  In so many ways I still feel like a kid.  But, looking around this week at inservice and all of the fresh faces, I realize I've got some experience and time under my belt!  I still get excited every year about meeting new kids and starting over.  Junior high kids really can be great, and they are a big part of what makes my life meaningful.

So Monday we start a new year.  A year of new possibilities, of new goals, and new relationships. 

Life-Changing Moments

The older I get, the more I believe that there are certain key moments in people's lives.  It's those moments that completely change your outlook on life, and completely rock your world.  The hardest part is when you're utterly blind-sided by the circumsances, and are left in kind of a silent stupor not knowing up from down. 

If you know me at all, you know that I married the most amazing man a little over three years ago.  It took me a long time to find him, and I've been so happy since we've been together.  In the span of those three years, we've created a little family, and we truly have been content.  Basically, we were "bee-bopping" along enjoying all of the blessings that had come our way.

Then, our world was rocked.  Just two days before the birth of our second son, Blake, Greg found a lump in his neck.  Within hours, he had been sent to the hospital and we were facing the c-word: Cancer.  Something like that is hard to digest to begin with, but to add on top of that the birth of our son and you've got one crazy roller coaster of a ride. 

I cried.  I cried for my husband and the fact he was facing 6 months of chemo.  I cried for Blake because our son's birth was surrounded by this scary and uncertain time.  I cried for myself.  Mainly because I felt sorry for myself.  Why was God doing this to us?  I was finally happy, and He was messing that up.  Or, so I thought at the time.

We are a few months in to this process now.  Blake arrived safely and is very healthy.  And Greg will be completing his fourth chemo treatment on Friday.  Even though we aren't through with this valley in our lives, I've already changed as a person.  I see how well my husband reacts to this situation, and he made me want to be a better person.  Through God's help and with the support of our families, we're going to come through this okay. 

I tell you that story to say this:  Don't sweat the small stuff.  I know that's cliche, and we've all heard it before.  However, many of the things that I thought were so critical and important have paled in comparison to the well being of my family.  Appreciate each day you're given and celebrate even the smallest blessings.  They are what make life a joy.