Keep on keepin' on...

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you can't even get started with your to-do list?

That is how I felt yesterday.  Thankfully, my parents made an impromptu trip to Ohio to drop off the decorations from the reception and the gifts we had received from our guests at the wedding.  We stayed up way too late opening gifts and even enjoyed some leftover wedding cake midway through the process.  However, when I awoke yesterday morning and after my parents departed for home, I felt too overwhelmed to do much of anything.  My brain could comprehend the fact that there were three weeks' worth of mail to get through, that we have a list a mile long of thank yous that need written (and please don't get me wrong, we're SO beyond thankful for the generous support of our loved ones!), errands that need to be completed (changing my name, getting a new social security card/driver's license, need to move my office at work, find a plumber, I need to take inventory and do some organizing of school supplies needs to be taken, we need to officially become parishioners at church, human resources paperwork needs completed/dropped off, etc. etc. etc.)......ah...but my body felt too overwhelmed to even start to tackle this to-do list.  So I have been feeling a bit paralyzed and unable to get anything done but I know I will.  Adam suggested I start small and cross off the lesser important items but in my mind, it is all equally important and B-I-G.  I did still go to Adoration last night which helped because on Monday nights we attend 9-10pm adoration at a local chapel.  While praying there I was forced to slow my thoughts down and really take stock of all that had occurred over the last couple weeks.

Forget about the house that isn't put back together yet due to some of my items still being in storage five hours away from here.  No need to think about the broken dryer or the garbage disposal that isn't working.  Who cares that the dining room light fixture isn't exactly my favorite and the kitchen wallpaper doesn't have to be removed right this second.  Noooo, all of that pales in comparison to what happened on May 23rd!  Through the incredible blessed sacrament of marriage, Adam and I pledged our lives to each other and became husband and wife.  This amazing man of God, Rams loving, sometimes goofy always charming character is my guy!  He will lead our family, provide for us, and help with the day to day ins and outs in his own way.  For some reason, he has found me to be suitable to be his wife.  Amidst the constant go-go pace (until I crash and burn as I'm currently in the middle of), trying to squeeze everything in to too little amount of time, he has found something in me that he liked enough to take me for better or for worse (hopefuly better though!).  :)

Praise God for bringing us together from such a large distance (2,000+ miles away) back in fall 2013 and for seeing us on through until we were united as man and wife ten days ago!  Last night, as I looked over and saw my husband kneeling in prayer, I was SO overwhelmed with love and gratitude to God and to Adam (as well as to his family for helping to make him who he is today) for this beautiful blessing.  So many variables were at play to ensure our paths crossed in the first place...what if I hadn't logged into CM when I did on that fateful October day?  What if Adam had never even created his profile?  Oh!  To think of how lonely and less enriching my life would be without having met this man, his family and friends, and to think of not learning from him and not growing closer to God as a result....creates a void I don't want to even contemplate.  I pray that God will bless us with a long and faithful marriage rooted in Christ and one in which we strive to build one another up rather than nitpicking or focusing on flaws.  Lord, please help me to view my husband for the man he is; to honor and respect him; to uphold his dignity; to bring honor to his name and to make him feel loved all the days of his life.  Please shower us with loving mercy and graces that will strengthen and fortify us through the challenging times and hurdles we may face so that we can seek to shine your love and compassion through each of us!

After prayerfully considering all that I would like to attempt to tackle on today's to-do list that was really yesterday's list, I am reminded that God is not necessarily calling for perfection but that He asks of us to trust in Him and to be faithful to His ways.  It is my hope that I keep on keepin' on and not become so overwhelmed by it all that I get lost in the details and forget to appreciate and be grateful for the little things for they truly are those ~ the housekeeping, the loose ends at work, the errands ~ that actually do lead up to the big picture of living out our vocation of man and wife to the best of our ability.  I hope we're the kind of married couple who can always display hospitality and act as a harbor of sorts to others.  So what if our home doesn't look like it walked off the pages of a home improvement magazine.  I certainly hope that regardless that we can also be a light that shines in hope and love for others to also bask in the warmth of as well.  With God lighting that flame, I hope this new vocation of ours can shine forth...even to 2000+ miles from here to our loved ones on the West Coast!