When Your Schedule and Life is Interrupted

Today I am going to talk about what to do when your schedule and life is interrupted, whether by sickness, a family emergency, vacation, or the holidays. All of these instances have occurred in my life just in the last six weeks!

Mrs. Marlene Evans was the Dean of Women for Hyles-Anderson College for many years before her death from cancer in 2002. She also founded the Christian Womanhood magazine which is my favorite magazine. She was a very wise woman. I never met her personally, but have read her books, watched videos, and have listened to tapes of her speaking. One of the things she taught was when you can't do it all, focus on these three things: Food, Path, and Clothes. Don't worry about anything, or much, else.

In light of this, make sure you have groceries in the house and someone is able to fix meals. If you have to resort to open-a-can-of-something or throw-something-in-the-oven, that's ok. I realize that small children can pose an additional challenge. It's ok to get the pre-sliced apples and the chopped carrots. Takeout is ok sometimes, too. The important thing is to make sure your family gets fed.

Path.....that just means make sure that people have a pathway to walk from one place to the other. Don't worry about the dust collecting over everything or think about how the floors need to be vacuumed or mopped. Remember, whatever it is that is going on is temporary and these tasks will still be there.

Thirdly, keep the laundry up enough so that everyone has clean underwear and something to wear. It's ok if your little one stays in her jammies all day long or wears her favorite overalls or every day for several days. Sometimes not having to make another new decision can be a relief.

When Gracie was a newborn, we had nursing issues and she lost a little bit of weight (which, it turns out, is not uncommon nor anything to be very concerned about). I remember wanting to cry when the pediatrician said that we should supplement with formula until her weight picked up. She also said, "This is just a bump in the road." She was right! It wasn't long before Gracie picked up weight and became a little "chunky monkey." I've thought about that saying off and on since then, because it is so applicable to many events that happen to us. It's another way of saying, "This, too, shall pass."

As an addendum, the above is talking about our important role as homemakers. As much as possible, do not neglect Bible reading, prayer, or church attendance. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is my strength. Staying connected to God brings Him joy and gives us strength.