This life

My world is chaotic. Always. Overall, it's a  good version of chaos but there are times I am left wondering if I have in fact lost my mind. Reading between the lines, one may be able to determine we've had a teen in turmoil for the last six months. One teen in crisis causes stress on other family members and the journey has been long. Hard and long. The last week or so has shown us there is light at the end of the tunnel and that daughter is sounding more like herself. Praising God. This parenting gig has far more to do with God training me than it does with me training kids, I am afraid. So while we exhale cautiously in celebration of the glimpses we've seen in her, it must be time for someone else to accept the spotlight.  

Erin graduates next week. Greg's parents are coming down to discuss her college plans and when I mentioned that upcoming conversation, she hit me with, "I don't think I want to go to college". Awesome. I kept my cool and very calmly asked about her plan. She doesn't have one but thinks she would like to travel the world, depending on the kindness of strangers to survive. We've heard this "plan" in the past and laughed at our "I" dotting, "T" crossing, uptight first born. She couldn't be serious. Turns out; she was. Again, awesome. Dear God, I pray she doesn't actually share that with her grandmother! It could happen. I am taking her to Ivy Tech on Thursday to sit down with financial aid and to schedule her classes for the fall. The counselor can once again explain how her general education credits will transfer to the University of Louisville in a year where she can begin working on her child development/psychology degree. Once she wraps up high school tomorrow and has the summer to work and play a bit,  I am praying she will be more settled and determined to succeed somewhere other than Subway the rest of her life. I am not judging Subway employees, it's just that I don't want her accepting less than what God has planned for her life because she's afraid of the open world of endless possibilities. 

While celebrating Kate on Friday, Ty informed her he was taking her birthday away because he needs one to turn four. That is our life lately. In the midst of celebrations, there is confusion. We find joy in it all, even if it's through some tears. I am back in the book of James. God has a lot to teach me there. I have noted last year's date scribbled here and there in my bible so I probably need to go back through my journals to see what lead me there a year ago. Chances are pretty strong, it was chaos intermingled with celebrations. Life. It's a wild ride.