Life is always full of change. When I realized that our son had a disability, I had some decisions to make. One of the first questions I needed to ask was, "Ruth are you willing to change?" I had a plan. I had been a stay at home mom (sahm) for 13 years. All three of my children were finally in school. I had envisioned the next few years to be my time. I deserved it, didn't I? I had sacrificed in many ways and given of myself for 13 years. At least, that's how I saw it. I was a pastor's wife and this was my opportunity to invest in the women of our church during my 7 hours of "empty nest" on Monday- friday each week. It was just sacrificing in a different way, right?
I figured out very quickly that there was some changes that had to be made in my life after our son's diagnosis. Did I want him to make progress? Well, I needed to clear my schedule. Did I want to connect with our older daughters? I needed to clear my schedule! Did I want life to be less crazy? I needed to clear my schedule! I could list many things that I took out of my schedule. As I took church and school responsibilities out of my days, I was able to put a few things into my life. I was able to have a family dinner most nights. I didn't rush around and keep a packed calendar. I went to therapy sessions with my son and took care of my home and family. It simplified our lives greatly. I had a little time to sit down and "breathe" each day. I was able to take the time to meet with the Lord because I wasn't so busy. Don't think the early days of my son's diagnosis were a breeze. They were not but the decision to clear my schedule gave me the margins I needed to face the challenges of each day.
In those days, I thought I was giving up so much. I did give up some things I had looked forward to experiencing. I gained so much more than I lost. There was such a peace that came from embracing the difficulties that our family had to face. Making room to have margins in my life by clearing my calendar enabled the stress and anxiety in our lives to be more manageable. I am always a big fan of reducing stress and anxiety!!
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