Our Landon will be six years old tomorrow. He was born exactly 2 years and one week after his brother, Robbie. To say our lives haven’t been the same since Landon was born is an understatement! Our world was turned upside down on March 28, 2013. We were very thankful to have a healthy, BIG baby boy…but had no idea what obstacles were on the horizon. Complications at his birth caused a number of health problems for me requiring lots of help, medication, and surgery. Then fast forward a couple of years down the road to Landon’s autism diagnosis. We faced all the complex behavioral and developmental issues that accompany autism along with many more neurological, genetic, and developmental tests. Add speech, occupational, and physical therapy to that along with trying to be parents to two other kids! I homeschooled the older two children on top of that!

If you would have asked me before having Landon what the “hardest” disability to work with was, I would have told you “autism, hands down.” Working with children and adults with autism while I was working on my speech therapy degree was always the hardest to me. 

The autism patients I had in school had tantrums and meltdowns, and sometimes were aggressive. They were repetitive and were basically in their own little world and got pretty upset when I tried to enter their world to work with them! One of my patients in particular was a huge, grown man whose favorite thing to do was listen to Neil Diamond. We had to listen to several Neil Diamond songs every time I worked with him and if we didn’t he got very upset! I was the only one in the room with him and at the time I thought, I hope he doesn’t try to kill me during speech therapy! So…I had some valid reasons for feeling the way I did about autism!

So back to Landon. Life was hard! Landon never slept well until he was 4 years old. He was up all hours of the night jumping on the bed, banging on the wall, tearing up books, toys, furniture, you name it. He threw tantrums and was aggressive and would hit and bite all of us. He couldn’t communicate well with us. Life was pretty miserable back then!

Thankfully God started answering some prayers! We moved and got Landon in a wonderful special needs preschool. We met a wonderful family in our new neighborhood whose oldest adult child had autism. Their daughter ended up being Landon’s babysitter! I’m not saying that everything suddenly was perfect, but we were getting the help for Landon that he needed. After trying probably a dozen different medications for Landon we finally found two medicines that help him sleep and calm him down enough to actually listen and learn now. 

I can’t say I understand exactly why everything has happened the way that it has on our journey with Landon, but I think it has made me a better person. I definitely have become more patient. I know so much more about autism now and actually enjoy learning more about it. Whenever I see a child with a disability now, I almost feel drawn to them. I wonder what life is like for them. I feel compassion for them and their families. I’m not saying I’m a perfect person, but I hope I’m a better person, a more selfless person because of the journey with Landon. I understand more about unconditional love, love that isn’t earned or based on behavior, but just given. Landon has shown me that love really is the most important thing.

Your friend,

Tiffany

I Corinthians 13:3-7

3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body [a]to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [b]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [c]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I went to a speech and hearing continuing education conference in February. One of the classes I attended was on Social Communication. Social Communication is NOT the use of social media, but rather traditional face to face conversation/interaction with others. Unfortunately, the decline in traditional communication due to the increase in social media, texting, gaming, etc. has had some very negative repercussions on the emotional and mental health of adults and especially children and teens whose brains are still developing. 

The presenter who spoke listed several studies linking decreased traditional communication with increased rates of depression, suicide, anxiety, and other mental health problems in both children and adults. It was very interesting to learn that even MRI brain scans of children who were gaming/using social media, etc. for multiple hours a day verses kids who did not differed. What the researchers found were structural differences in the brains of the two groups. The following article: Teens: This is how social media affects your brain, by Susie East, for CNN, lists similar findings:

–Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, What’s App or Twitter, the way you communicate with friends today is changing.

Keeping in touch is no longer about face to face, but instead screen to screen, highlighted by the fact that more than 1 billion people are using Facebook every day.

Social media has become second nature — but what impact is this having on our brain?

Reward circuitry

In a recent study, researchers at the UCLA brain mapping center used an fMRI scanner to image the brains of 32 teenagers as they used a bespoke social media app resembling Instagram. By watching the activity inside different regions of the brain as the teens used the app, the team found certain regions became activated by “likes“, with the brain’s reward center becoming especially active.

When teens learn that their own pictures have supposedly received a lot of likes, they show significantly greater activation in parts of the brain’s reward circuitry,” says lead author Lauren Sherman. “This is the same group of regions responding when we see pictures of a person we love or when we win money.”

The teenagers were shown more than 140 images where ‘likes’ were believed to from their peers, but were in fact assigned by the research team.

Scans revealed that the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain’s reward circuitry, was especially active when teens saw a large number of likes on their own photos, which could inspire them to use social media more often.

Peer influence

As part of the experiment, participants were also shown a range of “neutral” photos showing things like food and friends, and “risky” photos depicting cigarettes and alcohol. But the type of image had no impact on the number of “likes” given by the teens. they were instead more likely to ‘like’

more popular photos, regardless of what they showed. This could lead to both a positive and negative influence from peers online.

Sherman believes these results could have important implications among this age group.

“Reward circuitry is thought to be particularly sensitive in adolescence,” says Sherman, “It could be explaining, at least in part, why teens are such avid social media users”

Social learning

Adolescence is a period that is very important for social learning, which could explain why teens are often more tuned in to what’s going on in their respective cultures. With the rise of social media, Sherman thinks we may even be learning to read likes and shares instead of facial expressions.

Changing the brain

Dumontheil does, however, concur that social media is affecting our brain, particularly its plasticity, which is the way the brain grows and changes after experiencing different things.

“Whenever you learn something new or you experience something, it’s encoded in your brain, and it’s encoded by subtle changes in the strength of connections between neurons,” says Dumontheil.

For example, one study showed that the white matter in an adults’ brains changed as they learned how to juggle over a period of several months. “They found that if you scan [the brains of] adults before they learn how to juggle, and then three months later, you can see changes in the brain structure,” says Dumontheil. 

Time spent on social media could, therefore, also cause the brain to change and grow. 

Here’s some more interesting (and sad) statistics from the continuing ed class I took:

Socially: Teens now spend less time with friends, more time alone in their room, obsessed with staying connected on social media/gaming, like phones more than people

Emotionally: more depression, self-injury, more lonely, fear intimacy, anxious about feeling left out

2 out of 3 teens have an iphone.

Teens check their phones on average more than 80 times per day.

In the United States for children ages 10-14 years, death by suicide doubled from 2007-2014.

In a national sample, only 29% of children reported that their school provided a caring environment.

In a 2016 study, 20% of children are bullied on a regular basis.

I recently went on a mission trip to Honduras with my mom, dad, and daughter. I literally put my cell phone in a drawer and it stayed there all week. With the exception of calling home (using another phone) I used no technology or electronics- no social media, no computer, cell phone, or even TV. You know how much I missed it? None. I did miss my family members back home of course, but I didn’t miss social media, I didn’t feel less connected. In fact I felt more connected. I enjoyed talking with other team members. I loved trying to speak Spanish with the Hondurans. I loved listening to others tell stories about past mission trips or their lives or the ways God has worked in their life. I loved helping to paint a small Honduran church in the mountains of Rio Colorado, Honduras. I loved the one hour bus ride up and down the mountain every day passing out candy or toiletries to people walking along the way. I loved singing praise and worship songs on the bus. I loved giving a few haircuts while I was there. I enjoyed making new friends and getting to see the heartfelt expressions of God’s love in other’s actions whether in construction, praise and worship, photography, teaching, praying, making the kids laugh, and so much more. (See above photos.) I felt way more connected to people than I ever do scrolling through Facebook. In fact to be real, scrolling through Facebook at times makes me feel more alone! 

So what does all this mean? While advancements in technology might be beneficial and convenient in some ways, in others it’s detrimental. My point is I think our culture is mistaken. Relationships/friendships aren’t always helped by technology. Technology isn’t all bad, but it should be a means to an end not the “end all be all”. It’s hurting us and our kids when we REPLACE conversations and true connections with our loved ones with video games, iPhones, computers, and social media. Do Facebook and iPhones really make us “feel more connected” to others? Or do they make us feel more isolated and alone? What about our children? Their brains are being rewired to connect emotionally to a phone or computer game instead of people. I’m pretty sure it’s the same with some adults, too. Okay…yes…I’ll admit it….the overuse of electronics is something I really don’t like and never have. Why? Because to me it takes away from true communication which is what our relationships are made of. This includes our friendships, our marriages, relationships with our kids, and if we aren’t careful our relationship with God. And if we don’t communicate what is actually left of a relationship/friendship? Just a thought.

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

(PS. Special thanks and photo credit goes to Mr. James Flanders.)

Your friend,

Tiffany

When I think of the word gifted, I usually think of an extremely smart person. In school, kids were tested and if they scored high enough, they were labeled “gifted”. They went to a special class and everyone knew they were the really smart kids!! (Now I was friends with probably all the kids who were gifted in my class and they were all pretty nice people!) But I wasn’t in that group. Now, I made good grades…mostly A’s and a few B’s so I was probably considered “smart”…but I didn’t score high enough on the “gifted” test to be in the gifted class. So, I thought I wasn’t gifted and honestly it really wasn’t a big deal to me. But the problem is, that belief was incorrect!

Not to be cliche’, but everyone is “gifted” in some way or another. No really! I didn’t discover until much later in life what that was for me and I’m still learning! God truly did give everyone unique gifts and personalities. Usually when we use those “gifts” we are the happiest and the most fulfilled. Knowing what our giftings are along with our personality type helps us understand ourselves and others better. To me, it seems to help in understanding my own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of others. Usually I find if there is someone I don’t understand or can’t relate to, it is probably because they have different giftings than I do. And that’s okay! There are things I can do well that they cannot!

My daughter and husband both have a lot of leadership and administrative gifts. They lead, give directions, make decisions, and get things done! Sounds good, right? I would rather not have to be the one in charge and make all the decisions! And all is well until all the leading and decisiveness comes across as bossiness! Now before you think I’m picking on Murry and Katie, let me explain.   They are using the gifts they have and my gifts and Robbie’s gifts are really different! Robbie and I are good listeners and are really empathetic. We really care about others feelings and taking care of others and serving others. Sounds good, right? All is well until we get our feelings hurt because we are more sensitive! 

Here’s the thing. Once we understand how God made us, our strengths AND weaknesses, we can then understand ourselves and others better. I’m not saying you’ll like “the weaknesses”. But I think all of the “gifting” knowledge helps you get along with others more. Our world needs a lot more of this, for sure. Another thought to add here is we also must connect daily with God so we are guided by his will, otherwise our giftings and our lives will be self-centered and self-serving.

Our church provides a class to teach you about your spiritual gifts as well as your personality type. You take both a giftings test and a personality test. It is pretty cool what you discover! (I’ve always loved personality tests….my husband is now rolling his eyes.) You can find these types of tests online and many are free. 

On the DISC test, I’m an SC which stands for steady, compliant and introvert. On a spiritual gifts test my gifts are encouragement (exhortation), mercy, and service. On the Myers-Briggs personality test I’m an ISFJ (Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging).  As I’ve learned about all of this over a period of time, I realized why I find purpose in being a mom, homeschooling, writing these blogs, why I became a Speech Language Pathologist, and even why God trusted me enough to give me a child with autism!

God is the giver of all the gifts we have and we need to remember that! With that being said, it is important to remember to use our gifts for Him.

You are gifted! If you don’t know what your gifts are, find out, then use them. Encourage others to do the same. Allow that knowledge to help you understand yourself and others better.

Romans 12:6-8

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Last night I did something that I never believed I could do. I spoke in public. I gave my testimony at the women’s meeting at church. Public speaking is my BIGGEST fear hands down. But here’s the thing. I wasn’t afraid while I was speaking! Oh I’ve had to give speeches and presentations before in high school and college, but there was one main difference…I was terrified to the point of being sick and so nervous I couldn’t get the words out. But last night was different. I prayed and had a lot of others praying that I wouldn’t be nervous and while I was speaking, I wasn’t. Now I am not saying I am a great public speaker. I’m much more comfortable with writing, but I got through it just fine, and I hope it blessed others. That is the whole point really…to be a blessing to others. God answers our prayers…and if He did it for me, He’ll do it for you! Without God I know I couldn’t have given my testimony last night. But we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We can truly do nothing in our own strength! Just like with Moses, God will give us the words to say if it’s something He asks us to do. I truly experienced that last night! In the natural, I’m not a good speaker, but God can speak His words through me. I’m not saying I would ever look forward to opportunities to speak, but God proved to me tonight that He really will give me the words He wants me to say if I’m obedient to His voice. So if God is asking you today to say or speak something for Him, trust Him. He really will give you the words to say.

Exodus 4:10-12

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Your friend,

Tiffany

After Landon’s school open house recently, I was reflecting on how welcoming and caring Landon’s teachers were when we met with them that day. I thought to myself what a wonderful gift they give every single day to typically developing kids and those with special needs. (Trust me, it takes a really amazing person to work with special needs kids day in and day out! They are role models for me.) Anyway, as I was thinking about how much good teachers should be appreciated and honored, my mind immediately went back to my days in high school. I immediately remembered what my high school principal would say every day, every single day. At the conclusion of the announcements, he would say “Teachers, let’s make a difference and be somebody’s hero.” He said it Every. Single. Day. So much so that I’m sure most people weren’t paying much attention to it because it was said so much. But now looking back, I think that statement was probably one of the most profound things we heard every day!

Back then, the principal made the daily announcements over the intercom every morning while we were in homeroom. Principal Bell was a very friendly person who always had a cheerful demeanor and a huge smile to offer anyone! On top of that, he wore a suit everyday, and he had one in every color of the rainbow!! From lime green, to pink, to purple, to navy, to black. Those suits really fit his happy, cheerful nature! Anyway, he passed away in 2007, but his words didn’t. They replayed in my mind just the other day, and I began to think about what a hero really is. 

Many times we think a hero is a famous athlete or wealthy celebrity, but nothing could be further from the truth. A hero is a kind teacher, a dedicated nurse, a brave   soldier, a loving pastor, a dad who jogs pushing his adult special needs child in a wheelchair, a faithful mom, an encouraging principal, dedicated missionaries, etc. 

I have several heros in my life and one of them is my daddy. He retired from the military, but he never really retired!! His passion, what drives him, is meeting the needs of others. He would do pretty much anything to help anyone, and I don’t just mean in words, but in actions. He would do anything from putting up a fence for a neighbor to building a church in the hills of Honduras. He walks the walk. He is a missionary and he and my mom have led short-term mission trips for almost 20 years. That’s what a hero is.

We like what looks glamorous and beautiful. We tend to focus on those and forget the ones who do the humble, simple, things that go unnoticed.  But without the true heros, we would have huge empty places!!  There would be less love because there would be less givers. There would be less true heros.

So, whatever you do each day, reflect on who and what truly matters. Do the truly “heroic” things….even the mundane. It doesn’t matter what your profession is, be the best you that you can be.  Lovingly make a difference and know that you really might just be somebody’s hero!

1 Corinthians 10:31

…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Matthew 25:40

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. 

Your friend,

Tiffany

What is the hardest thing about dealing with an ongoing dilemma that you have no answers for? Is it really not knowing the answer to the problem? Is it not seeing how to get past the storm back into the sunshiny, happy times of life? Or is it feeling alone as you face the problem?

I ponder all of these things sometimes. Having no answers is hard. Not seeing an end in sight is really hard. But the more I think about these things, I realize that to me, feeling alone is probably the worst thing of all.  It magnifies the problem. As long as you know you aren’t alone and someone has experienced what you are going through, or they’re experiencing it with you, it makes it bearable. Does it take the problem away? No. But someone sharing the load is a wonderful thing. It is freeing.  Having friends or family share that burden with you as you face a difficult situation strengthens you to see you through the storm.

The other day I was praying and I said “God, I really don’t know how I could ever encourage anyone else whose child has autism because I don’t have answers myself. I wouldn’t know what to tell them or how to help them.”

Instantly it seemed like God was saying “You don’t have to have the answers. You just need to let them know that they are not alone and that you know what they are going through.”

I can do that! That is actually why I started this blog. I really want anyone who may be reading this and facing something hard in life to know that you aren’t alone. Please be comforted in knowing God is with you in your storm and there are most definitely others who can relate to whatever it is you are facing!  I can empathize with hard times for sure. I understand what it is to face some ongoing health problems. I know what it means to have a special needs child in addition to typically developing children. I may not know you well or have faced exactly what you are going through, but whatever the case, you are not alone! God is with you and I pray that He’ll bring people into your life to encourage and help you! May you always know “you’ve got a friend”.

I am so thankful for the family members and friends who provide help and encouragement to me along the way. They are truly the hands and feet of God to me.  I am thankful ALWAYS for their love. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 New International Version (NIV)

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Proverbs 17:17

17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Your friend,

Tiffany

PS. You may not be a James Taylor fan, but the words to this song are really good.

“You’ve Got A Friend”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dvvJ7MYaK8o

This morning was one of those mornings. Landon had apparently been up half of the night based on the condition we found his room in. It sounds funny, but he didn’t have a stitch of clothes on including no diaper. Well, let’s just say there was a lot of evidence ALL over the room that the diaper had been removed long before we found him!!!

Anyway, this happens at least a couple of times a week. It is frustrating, disappointing, and exhausting. We try to potty train him, teach him to keep his clothes on, etc. So far it hasn’t sunk in with him.

This morning, thankfully both Murry and myself were there. So we both tackled cleaning Landon’s room while Katie watched Landon in the bathtub. 

So we get everything cleaned up and Landon out of the bathtub. In the few minutes between him getting out of the bathtub and me putting his clothes on, he has yet another accident! I start the process all over again. I firmly (but not yelling) get onto Landon. I explain all over again about using the potty, etc. 

As I’m quietly cleaning him up, feeling pretty discouraged, I looked up and Robbie was watching me. I think he had been standing there for awhile. I asked him if he was okay and if he needed something. He said he didn’t. 

I wondered what Robbie was thinking. Maybe he was thinking how aggravating Landon can be. Or maybe he was wanting me to give him some attention. Then I thought maybe he is watching me to learn from me. Am I teaching him anything important right now? Am I teaching him perseverance and patience? Am I teaching him kindness and love? I am far from perfect, but in that moment, I hope he saw those things as I was cleaning Landon up again. 

It made me realize that even though I don’t know why Landon has autism and at times it feels like he isn’t making progress, I’m being watched. I’m setting an example for my other children. I pray I can set a good example for them. Even though I don’t have the answers to why, I pray God will use the tough times for good. May good come out of what seems to be futile. I believe it will. It reminded me of one of my favorite poems. God is in control even if we can’t understand our situation.

Life is but a Weaving” (the Tapestry Poem)

“My life is but a weaving

Between my God and me.

I cannot choose the colors

He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;

And I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper

And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly

Will God unroll the canvas

And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the weaver’s skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;

Nothing this truth can dim.

He gives the very best to those

Who leave the choice to Him.”

By: Corrie Ten Boom

Your friend,

Tiffany

PS.  After all the Sunday morning drama, we got to church and sang the following song. It was just what I needed today. May it be a blessing to you too.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0B_lnQIITxU

About a year ago, my family experienced a very scary event. My then four-year-old son, who has autism, was the culprit. We had just moved to a new house and we were busy. We were unpacking, cleaning, doing yard work, etc. It was a Saturday and my older two children were watching a movie. They were sitting on the sofa and I was sitting by them (momentarily) folding a load of laundry.

After a few minutes, I got up to put away that load of laundry and get another. Landon was wandering around the house quietly and every few minutes I would go check on him. At that point he really wasn’t speaking much and he didn’t actually answer if I called his name. I remember seeing him trying to go upstairs to our bonus room once and I told him to stay downstairs (even though I knew he might not obey.) Murry was in the yard working.

I would fold some clothes and put some away making sure to keep track of where Landon was. At one point the kids asked me to stop and watch a little of the movie with them. I said okay for a little while but told them I had to finish the laundry. 

After a few minutes, I realized I hadn’t seen Landon walk by, so I got up to check the dining room and kitchen. No Landon. “Maybe he’s in his room or in another bedroom,” I thought. I checked and no Landon. Anxiety started to creep in. 

“He’s probably back upstairs after I told him not to,” I reasoned. I climbed up the stairs and looked around. Nothing. Everything was very still. Everything except my heart. My heart was racing by now. 

I quickly came back downstairs and when I turned the corner I saw something that made my heart sink and I felt sick to my stomach. The door to the garage was open and so was the garage door.

“No, no he wouldn’t have opened the door. I don’t think he knows how to open the door,” I told myself. But I knew he was gone.

I ran out the back door to Murry. “He’s gone. Landon’s gone! I found the door open.”

Murry dropped the weed eater and runs to the truck and says ,”Keep looking here while I go check the pond.”

The pond!!! Our neighborhood has a couple of ponds. 

“No, no, no,” I’m saying out loud by now and tears start filling my eyes.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Katie and Robbie are staring at me. I told them Landon was gone. I can’t really remember the rest of what I said except that I was praying out loud and told the kids to pray.

It seemed like time stopped and we were in the middle of a nightmare. There was nothing I could do. I kept running from room to room hoping he would be there even though I knew he wasn’t.

After what seemed like forever, which was actually less than 10 minutes, Murry called. I answered, fearing the worst. He said he flagged down two people who were walking down the sidewalk with Landon. He stopped the truck in the middle of the road and told them we were looking for Landon.

The two neighbors found him walking down the sidewalk. One of them called out to him, but Landon didn’t answer. One neighbor went over to him, and Landon (who doesn’t meet a stranger), went right to him. The neighbor realized Landon had special needs. He later told me that there was another child with autism who lived in the neighborhood too.

They walked back to our house and Murry invited them inside. I was an emotional wreck of course, but so, so thankful. All I could think to say was thank you, although those words seemed very inadequate. The man holding Landon said “I knew he wasn’t hungry because he smelled like pancakes and syrup.” I laughed and said “Yes, that’s what he ate this morning.”

Those neighbors don’t know it, but they were guardian angels that day for our family. When I replay the events from that day in my mind, I know God was watching over Landon and us. Our subdivision is right next to a highway and just across that road is a busy railroad track. If Landon wouldn’t have turned to the right and gone straight this story may have ended tragically. If he would have taken a left out of our driveway he could have ended up at the pond. But God was taking care of him and guiding him to safety. I don’t know what God’s plan is for Landon, but I definitely know He has a big one!!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:11)

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)

Your friend,

Tiffany

My ideal vacation is not going to an amusement park, having a schedule-packed week filled with fun events, or constantly traveling to see new places. Not that there is anything wrong with those things. In recent years, whenever my husband and I have a 2-3 day getaway without the kids, I sleep. Like all night and half the day.

Murry laughs at me because honestly sleeping is a vacation to me. To not have to meet every demand of being a mother, a teacher, a speech-language pathologist, cleaning, cooking, and the list goes on and on. I can finally rest. Not that I mind my “job”. It is an awesome one. But I really have a hard time taking time to rest when I am “on the job”. And as most moms can tell you, they are “on call” from the moment their eyes open until their head hits the pillow at night. I’ve often felt like I don’t have time to rest. Everything won’t get done if I take a break.

Earlier this year I had to slow down a bit though. I had been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue a few years ago. Basically this means your body is on the go so much that your adrenal glands which make adrenaline get burned out to put it simply. I pretty much ignored the whole “adrenal fatigue” thing until this year when I found out that my thyroid was not working properly. After a little research, I found that adrenal fatigue and thyroid malfunction are often linked and usually adrenal fatigue happens first and then the thyroid gland is taxed next.

So, I had to make a few changes. I had to force myself to sit down/lie down more during the day. It helped! I hired a babysitter to help me a couple of times during the week just so I could have a break. The first couple of times she came, I literally drove away, parked the van at my husband’s office and crawled in the backseat and rested for two hours! Just resting some actually helped me feel better. So simple, right?

I think it’s pretty clear that I work too much. I don’t like to think of myself as a workaholic, but maybe I am. But is that the right thing? Yes, hard work is important. But at the cost of your health? Is that what God wants?

The Bible mentions that God the Father rested on the seventh day. He must have known the importance of rest. A story in the Bible that always bothered me was the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was running around trying to make sure everything was done and she complained that Mary wasn’t helping her. Sounds like a valid complaint to me! Then Jesus corrects Martha! Say what? Martha was working the hardest! She was helping the most! But what did Jesus say? Mary had chosen the better thing!! Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him. The better thing was spending time with Jesus. The better thing was relationship/time spent with Jesus. So is relationship and rest with God and family more important than work? Actually yes.

I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. We have to work to provide for our family.  We have to daily care for our family. But are there times where we can stop and spend time on our relationships with God and our family? Those things are the most important.

My mom is famous for saying, “the work will wait on you”. Another good quote she always says is, “the work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you do the work.”  How true those words are!

I don’t have it all together. I am, however, trying to have the perspective God wants me to have. I don’t need to feel guilty for taking a break to rest, to hear from God, or spend time with my family. Those are the better things. Those dishes in the sink….they’ll be there when I’m finished with “the better things.”  It’s okay to rest.

Genesis 2:2

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Luke 10:38-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Mark 6:31

31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Exodus 33:14

14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Your friend,

Tiffany