Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Construction Ahead

I live in an area where there is ALWAYS road construction going on.  I'm not sure how it works, but they just can't seem to get the roads repaved, widened, or repaired fast enough.  It can be very frustrating for drivers when they see "Road Construction Ahead" signs.


 Usually those signs mean that things ahead are bound to be inconvenient and delayed.  In some cases, it even means your entire trip will be rerouted.

Sometimes when I hit construction I get tense and frustrated.  I feel anxious.  I can even feel angry!

But sometimes I turn up my music, sing along and enjoy some new scenery.

Unfortunately, I usually choose the first option. 

Last night I had another dream.

I went to see my friend who was performing in a show.  Afterwards, I went to find her to offer my congratulations on a job well done.  When I got to her, I was pleased to see that her mother, who I hadn't seen for quite a while, had also been in attendance.  The mother asked how I was.  I realized she didn't know anything of my adoption adventure.  I told her, "You must not have heard, we are in the process of adopting three kids from Ukraine!"  She looked at me and said, "Wow!  That must be quite an undertaking.  I hope you are enjoying the journey!"

When I awoke with that comment still burning in my mind, I realized that I have, as of late, experienced a complete shift.  I have not been enjoying the journey lately.  I've been stressed and emotional.  I've been feeling doubts that we can ever reach our goals.  I've been feeling overwhelmed and completely clueless as to how to move forward.  I've been completely stuck!

So this morning I decided I needed to put on some different glasses and stand back and view this experience a little differently.  I decided that I needed to take the advice of the mother in my dream and ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

Because the fact of the matter is, there is a lot to celebrate.  There are a lot of good things going on here.  We have gotten a lot of support.  We have raised a lot of money.  We have made new friends.  We have received sweet messages and notes filled with love and encouragement.  We have witnessed miracle after miracle.  Lots and lots of little miracles.

So today I want to focus on that.  Because I'm tired of focusing on the delays and inconveniences of life.

Instead I want to focus on the potholes filled, the sidewalks created, the detours discovered.  I want to focus on the miracles.

I can feel that there is lots of construction going on.  Construction with my life, my family and especially with ME!

And as with all construction, I'm excited to find out what the finished product will be.

But in the meantime, I will enjoy the process.

1 comment:

  1. Brought tears to my eyes Shelly. You're doing amazing! I want to help more, how can I?

    ReplyDelete