Stuck in the Mud

Off-roading is a highlight of my teenage years. Riding shotgun with my best friend, listening to country music and laughing out in nature was my favorite way to pass the time. And getting stuck in the mud. That was especially fun; it wasn’t up to me to figure out how to get unstuck. I could daydream and crack jokes knowing eventually we would get out.  

It’s said you are only as happy as your least happy child. I’ve been struggling with how to help my unhappiest child lately and his pain had finally brought me to my knees. Screaming inside at myself that I have a toolbox worth of information to solve THIS was not helping matters; my wheels could not spin any more. Shutting out the noise in my brain helped me hear my inner wisdom to call a friend I hadn’t spoken to in a while. She would know what to do.

Amy listened, empathized and shared. She gave me a list of underdog movies and shows to watch as a family. Among them are ‘Gifted Hands’ and ‘Invincible’, the book “Detours”, the names of teenage boys to use as mentors and drivers and a list of sports activities galore. We covered all bases of social, emotional, and physical well-being; the whole child. And we spoke of the unbearable pain of watching your child hurt and the knowingness that our children’s pain is part of their growth. The best thing we can do is love them through it. In her usual way, she had me laughing and back in my place of relaxed passenger shotgun. I had forgotten my own faith ~ eventually we would get unstuck. Cracking jokes and daydreaming would be easier again. “It’s in the middle of nowhere, only way to get there, you got to get a little mud on the tires." Brad Paisley 

In love and light always,

Jenny