Denmark!

If you are ever feeling sad...

get to work. I mean it! It works!

There was a day recently that I was feeling really weighed down. I wondered if I was doing the right things for my kids. I wondered if I would ever feel good enough or be sure in my decisions or feel comfortable in groups or.... in any way, improve over who I am now. I was discouraged.

The next morning I got up to my regular routine, feeling just as weighed down as before, when I started ... canning tomatoes with my kids! It was hard work and I can promise you that during that time that I forgot myself and went to work, I ended up feeling better. I was thinking clearer, more reasonably, more able to communicate with myself without feeling weighed down. I felt overall happier being me simply because I spent a day working hard.

A week later, we had a morning in my house. For those of you who don't know my phrasing, that means that it was a trying, hard morning. At breakfast, we had contention. Everyone was sad, or mad, or something. Couldn't explain it, but it was definitely a morning.

Well, we had canning to do again. Peaches this time. And all of my kids were expected to help.

And it was a miracle! They enjoyed it so much! They enjoyed each other so much! After they were done, they were all on their hands and knees with rags mopping the floor, laughing and singing and enjoying it! They had turned it into a fun game, and it changed the attitude in our house.

Hooray for hard work!

Grandma's Stockings made by me!