A Bump in a Road that Taught this Busy Mom a Lesson

It was just a few weeks ago, when I was going to bed stressed out over all the things I had to do the next day.  I had a big meeting with a client, a ton of errands to run, a meeting at the kid’s school, an evening workshop to teach and a long list of emails to write.  My mind was racing and I had a hard time sleeping.

The next morning my daughter came downstairs.  I had everything prepped for her.  Her breakfast was on the table, her lunch was made and her backpack was packed.  I was ready for the morning race to get her off to school on time.  But instead of getting ready for school I was rushing her to the ER.  She came downstairs that morning with her lips blue, having cold sweats and her heart was racing.   After a call to her doctor we were off to the ER with concerns of her high heart rate.

While in that hospital room all I could think about was my baby girl, and praying that everything would be all right.  There she was, scared of all the machines and poking and prodding.  I was so scared for her, but somehow I found a strength I never knew I had to hold back my fear and crazy thoughts and focus only on getting her through this.

That day we were admitted into the hospital for observation.  All the stressing the night before was for nothing.  I didn’t get to run those errands or get to the meeting at the kids' school. I didn’t get to teach the evening workshop or write the long list of emails.  I had something much more important to worry about...the health of my daughter.  That night, instead of stressing over the next day's events, I was praying and counting my blessings.  Blessings that I found even in that crazy day.  I was grateful for the doctors and nurses that helped my daughter.  I was grateful for the Life’s Work volunteers who brought her gifts and crafts that made her smile.  I was grateful for a private room and all the get well wishes we were given.  I was grateful for all the prayer warriors who had my daughter in their thoughts.

Thank goodness my daughter was discharged the next day.  She ended up having a virus and dehydration that made her heart rate so high.  That crazy day taught me a lesson: It is never worth worrying over things that haven’t happened yet.   It’s actually a waste of time and energy.   Instead, when I start to get that little voice creeping in my head with the million things I need to do the next day, I stop myself.  I start to look at all the blessings I have had in my day.  Things that have actually happened and I choose to focus on that. This reminds me of a great quote by Mary Engelbreit "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles, it empties today of it's strength."  Why worry about things that may never actually happen?  I learned to be grateful for the rays of sunshine in my day and to focus on those blessings, because what you focus on grows and that’s what I want more of in my life.

By Juarline Stavrinos