"Black Ice" January 6, 2011

Our Kids Looking Extra Sweet After We Had a 2 Hour Break From Them!!

The Blue Table: Erin, Ginny, Ashley, Tammy, Julie & Chiara

The first and third Thursday of every month during the school year is a MOPS morning. For those who aren't familiar, MOPS stands for mothers of preschoolers, and it's a chance for any mom with a child between the ages of 0 and kindergarten to get together and enjoy a hot breakfast, amazing fellowship, and moving speakers. Today there were 2 special things about MOPS.

1. The food was amazing!!! Orange table, you guys out did yourselves. You have officially set the mark to beat. How do I judge this? My plate was full, and there were still more things I wanted to try. I sat down and liked everything on my plate. Fabu!

2. The speaker was awesome. What a truly moving subject that really touches everyone. I sat mesmerized listening to her and her experiences with infertility, and also her suggestions on how to deal with others who've had or are dealing with this problem. I know it wasn't easy for her to share and I really appreciate her doing so for us.

What I really was thinking about today happened before MOPS, though. I was driving to the meeting and I hit a patch of black ice on the road. Anti-lock brakes going a mile a minute, I swerved into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid hitting the car stopped in front of me at the stop sign. Luckily, there was no traffic coming towards me and I was able to safely stop. I then proceeded towards the meeting at a little slower pace.

As I'm driving, a car behind me decides I'm going to slow, and passes me. In my head I'm yelling, "watch out for the black ice!" but of course they can't hear me.

Isn't life like the black ice? Lots of times in my life everything looks good. I'm cruising along, maybe going a little too fast, and I hit a patch of "ice" My ice could be a financial issue, problems with a friend, depression, you name it. I have few options, hit the car in front of me, swerve into oncoming traffic, or go into the ditch. Sometimes, I get my car righted quickly. Other times, I'm alone and lonely in the ditch waiting for the tow truck. So I'm gonna go a little slower from now on, and just be cautious that the black ice might be there. I'll live my life in an intentional manner, and chose how I will react to situations, instead of allowing my emotions and fears to dictate how I'll deal with them. I may not see every patch of ice, but I can try to stop before I go off the road.