Turning the corner

Thank you so much for all the sweet supportive emails, comments, and phone calls I got last week. Things shifted quickly once I fessed up. All my other usual coping mechanisms were not working, so I guess I just needed to reach out to others.

We had a really nice weekend. It certainly helped that the weather improved. We just do so much better when we're outside. It was nice to be together as a family without lots of commitments. We did our usual thing... walks, fishing, worked in the garden, checked on the bees, hung out, ate... you know, all the important things.This is a gong garden that we created for kids (and kid-like adults.) Credit for this inspiration goes to my honey. He recycled used tanks, cutting and welding them with a friend to create gongs. He has big plans to make a Japanese style wooden stand to hang them. They actually sound extaordinarily beautiful. I love this new addition to our garden.

I set up a tent for the kids out of an old duckcloth shower curtain. We'll probably need to replace it, but for now it works. The kids had a ball camping out underneath and looking at a stack of new library books. We hauled out a quilt for them to hang out on underneath.

And just finally, I want to share with you what one of my dearest friends emailed to me:

I don't for a second think that your life is without it's ups and downs. It
wouldn't be real if it was. We are all vulnerable. It's part of being human.
It's just harder to accept that instead of being angry with our boss or
frustrated with our co-worker, we are angry or frustrated with our children.
The very being we would easily give our life for is also the recipient of
our anger and frustration, as they are our joy and love. That is the nature
of life and love. Our greatest acheivement is to keep the balance right so
love and joy always out weigh the negatives. It is through these actions
that our children will learn their own coping mechanisms.