PMS and Bee Stings!!??

Years ago I made this really dumb statement to my husband, are you ready for this one?......"I don't think PMS really exists, I think it is all in a woman's mind." Can you believe I would say something so insensitive?? You must also know my husband pretty well and know that his mind is like a steel trap to know how much that statement has come back to haunt me as of late. Well, four children later, I am singing a new tune; I don't know anything more about PMS now than I did then except that right around that time of the month I get down right mean, mean, MEAN!!!


This morning (Sunday) of all mornings to wake up feeling grumpy...............as soon as I open my eyes I hear my sweet princesses fighting, whining and fighting some more in their bedroom. I make some grunting noises and hope that Daddy is feeling up to the call this morning. He doesn't make a peep. Now I hear them picking on our poor, sweet chocolate lab-mix Lexie who has been FORCED by my eldest to sleep with her. Last straw...........that's it I am up and watch out because Mommy is grumpy............."girls, pleassssseee go downstairs and quit fighting!" I send them off as I stomp back into my room and huff down heavily onto the bed..........GUILT sets in and now I am really getting mad at myself, mad at EVERYONE! I glance at the clock and figure out, okay maybe 15 more minutes to pretend to sleep (while stewing) and then get up and get ready for Sunday School and Church. I know deep down I really need to be on my knees asking the Lord to forgive my horrible childish display........but NO I justify my actions because well, I
didn't sleep well and so on...............

That's pretty much our morning until we whisk off to church, with hair bows and smiles plastered on all our faces..........especially MINE! Pretty much through out our drive to church, while at church and our drive home I am continuing my pity party to which Andy asks if everything is okay, "I'm fine" I say with a little smile. This happened to be the kind of day that I was quiet grumpy instead of complaining grumpy, poor Andy and children, hmmphh!


Okay so fast forward to the afternoon, children sleeping and Andy and I head outside. He decides to mow the grass and I sheepishly follow him because he has just told me he has had about ENOUGH of my bad attitude, which I totally do not blame him, I am surprised he put up with me for so long.


I sit down to feel the warm sunshine and look out to watch my sweet, loving , patient man push the mower around! I stand up to put Lexie on her lead and "owww, oww, oh my goodness, AAHHH" something has STUNG me through my crocs (Tracey another reason NOT to wear them, ha, ha)..............I jerk my shoe off and pull out the stinger, which my sweet neighbor tells me later you aren't supposed to do and sit down on the steps and cry and cry..........it HURT. Now I've been stung before, but not in a very long time. This time though this stinger pierced my heart and conviction seeped through to me as quickly and as hard as the pain throbbed through my foot. I told the Lord right there how sorry I was for acting like the biggest baby ever and please, please forgive me AGAIN for acting this way and treating my family so horribly.


I don't know if the Lord "allowed" that bee to HOP into my shoe and STING the fire out of my foot or if it was just a coincidence, but in my little pee-brain head it seemed like a pretty obvious lesson to me, one I don't want to repeat anytime soon.


I found myself thanking the Lord more often the rest of today and finding the joy in things He has given me:


a loving, supportive husband who always challenges me to just BE


four healthy children;


a daughter who challenges me to be STRONG


a daughter who challenges me to LOVE


a daughter who challenges me to LAUGH


a son who shows me how to fall down and get right back up with a SMILE


I am so THANKFUL that I have the family I have always "dreamed" of having and the kind of life that many would love to have!!!


Thank you JESUS!