The Effects of Stress and the Blessings of God

I can't believe that I forgot to mention a very important occurance when I related my previous tale of woe.

So, I flew into Charlotte, NC on a late evening flight. Mom had to pick me up and then we'd drive the 40 minutes back to Rock Hill where she lived. She had just had her van serviced. Her intent was just to have her oil change and the tires checked, but the kind and thoughtful men at CarMax who were just looking out for her best interest (of course), talked her into the extra special, your-car-will-run-happily-forever-$400-service-job-of-doom.

According to Mom, all the way to the airport, the car acted "funny". All the way back from the airport she and I were both frantically praying for NO RED LIGHTS! because the engine was threatening to die every time we had to stop.

We made it back to her home, but she really needed to take it back to CarMax in the morning because the work was guaranteed and because there ain't no CarMaxes in backwoods Maine.

She left at 6:30am the day we were supposed to load the truck - the truck which we had not yet picked up. She didn't get back until 11:30!

All that time I was cleaning and packing a sweating and praying that everything was OK and starting to get a bit frantic that we wouldn't be able to get the truck there before our loading help arrived at NOON.

Well, it turns out that CarMax (bless their hearts) didn't want to hold her up overly long on that initial visit, so when they didn't have the recommended spark plugs for her van, they substituted some others; Others that were misfiring and threatening to destroy the electrical system of the entire van and kill us all!!!

(I can say that authoritatively because A. No auto mechanics read my blog, so they can't correct my misstatements and B. it sounds wonderfully dramatic!)

BUT, we did get the truck on time, the car IS all fixed, planets did not collide, and all's well as ends well.

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The Physical effects of All This Stress

Just thought you might be interested to know how all this anticipation and planning and fun and excitement has impacted my health...Not that you're REALLY interested, but I want to remember this so I can tell my great grandchildren impressive stories of how I almost died whilst helping Gramma move up to Maine.

I do love drama...

Anorexia. Diarrhea. Canker sores. Chronic insomnia. Racing heart. Numb brain. Itchy scalp. TMJ/ headaches. Bronchitis. Nervous meltdowns where I, who rarely cry, cried and cried and cried and cried. 10 years worth of aging. Exhaustion.

Fortunately, now that the worst of the stress is over, my body is starting to settle down too. My appetite is returning (darn!), I'm sleeping WAY better, the sores in my mouth are almost completely gone, my heart is too tired to race, my brain is starting to defog, and my jaw is beginning to relax.

I'm still dealing with mild bronchitis and an itchy head (curse you, foul vermin!) and some digestive difficulties.

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And now, the best part of all: The Blessings of God. In spite of and in the midst of all the difficulties, God's Hand has been VERY evident!

1.) Mm and I received a financial boon that lifted any stress over all the money we were spending on traveling hither and yon.

2.) Mulletman and Scout had a wonderful trip together without any relational tension. Trust me, that's a BIG deal!

3.) My Mom can be overbearing, obnoxious and/or annoying. I can be callous and self-centered and easily irritated - especially when I have no privacy. In spite of these potential leanings, we got along beautifully. I truly enjoyed her company and we worked well together as a team. We had loads of stress, but none of it was from being with each other! :-)

4.) Notcon4med and JessieU. Nuff said!

5.) I DID find an apartment that was affordable and fairly large, in a safe and convenient part of town.

6.) The landlord fixed everything that I tearfully brought to his attention. (Whew!)

7.) The truck ran GREAT!

8.) The cats survived the trip and are now happy and well adjusted to their new home.

9.) My husband is being very kind and helpful and supportive in getting Mom settled.

10.) The weather was absolutely perfect for the trip - cool and sunny. If it had been hot out, the health of the kitties would have been a very serious concern!

11.) My church came through and so many people volunteered to help with the move that I had to turn people down!

12.) Dawna and family for their help, for supper, for the welcome basket and for the bed.

13.) Mr. Tom being willing to come to my rescue at 6am before a full day of work!

14.) Mom's van wasn't hurt by my unloading faux pas.

15.) The truck came readily out of the muddy yard.

16.) It wasn't Mom and I who were in the horrible accident. (and may God have mercy on the families of those who were...)

17.) The second hotel was SO nice, and Mom got a good deal on the room/breakfast.

18.) A very nice man (albeit a little "rough" looking) rescued us when I pulled the truck and trailer too close to the gas pump and couldn't figure out how to maneuver the rig away from disaster.

19.) Only one item got damaged in the move and it's repairable.

20.) Mom is almost completely unpacked now and will be able to look for a job in this next week.

21.) We were able to get the truck picked up in time after the CarMax fiasco.

22.) Budget DID hook up the trailer and load the van onto it even after they told they wouldn't due to insurance restrictions.

23.) The van never shifted on the trailer.

24.) Grampy didn't fall or get sick while we were gone. (He and Grammy were watching the girls.)

25.) Grammy didn't get lice from the girls!

26.) I cleaned my house before the trip, so it wasn't a pit when I came home.

27.) Mm hates being the center of attention, so he didn't mind having a birthday celebration that was less than stellar.

28.) The girls have suffered absolutely NO negative effects from all this insanity. In fact, they have flourished!

29.) With all the physical problems I've had, I have NOT lost my voice, so I can sing on the Worship Team at church and I can sing at the women's conference with Cherie Adams on November 3rd.

30.) I KNOW that many folks who couldn't physically help us were actively praying for us.

31.) Mom and I never got lost (even though we FELT lost looking for the hotel after the traffic jam) or missed a turn-off.

32.) Now that I'm back I can finally get my new glasses. Bifocals, here I come!

33.) My sneakers are finally broken in.

34.) Oh, oh, oh! I almost forgot. Notcon4med brought her laptop full of tunes with her when we loading the truck. I was grooving to "He took the shackles off my feet so I can dance..." while loading the truck. ;-) That praise music did much to keep our spirits lifted!

35.) I actually feel ready to start school today.


Speaking of school, I guess I'd better get going. The giries and I have some catching up to do!

Thanks to all of you for the hugs and huggles and kind words and prayers!

May He richly bless you all!