- Today there is a funeral here at church. A young man whose father is VERY involved at our church passed away last week, suddenly. I'm not sure on the details, don't need to be, but it is very heart wrenching. I walked by the Worship Center a bit ago and saw the casket with the young gentleman there, with his dad sitting by him, holding his hand. My heart ACHED. I cannot imagine losing a child, at ANY age. My prayers are with the family at this time, for peace, comfort, and feeling the presence of the Lord.
-This past weekend we were able to go down to Stewartville where Jeremiah's brother, sister-in-law and our nieces live. We got to go down to celebrate Hannah and Emily making the choice to be baptized. What a JOYOUS day that was! Ironically (considering the last paragraph), their church is called New Life Church. It was a beautiful morning full of new life in Jesus, celebrated by 4 beautiful, Jesus-loving gals. I cried through the entire service. It was small and intimate and lovely and spirit-filled and overwhelming and blessed. I love our church home and our church family, but it was incredible to be in a small congregation (that was mostly our relative family), worshiping with them. To celebrate the decision that our nieces made to follow Jesus all of their days and to commit that before friends and family made my heart burst with joy.
-The arm. Aphia's arm. Oy. Long story. Broken arm, health insurance not kicked in until June 1st. Still making the choice to choose quality care for her and feeling good about that decision. Praising God for a "minor" break (if a break can be minor) and for a WATERROOF cast. Man, even though it costs more it is SO worth it to get a waterproof cast for a kid. I cannot stress that enough. Knowing that God always provides manna for us, daily bread. Just what we need for today, no more, no less. Praying about being content with that and feeling loved that we are so very cared for by Him.
-Misophonia. Miso coming from the greek "to hate" and phonia coming from the greek "sound"- literally translates to "hatred of sounds." I am diagnosable ;) I'm not just nuts. I saw a segment about this on the show 20/20 last Friday night. I called my mom immediately and told her to watch. She and I agreed whole-heartedly that this describes me, to a degree.
This is what Wikipedia had to say about it:
Symptoms: People who have misophonia are most commonly annoyed, or even enraged, by such ordinary sounds as other people eating, breathing, or coughing; certain consonants; or repetitive sounds. People with misophonia may be diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Though a few sufferers are bothered by sounds they make themselves, most are not. The reactions are completely involuntary. People who have misophonia may also be annoyed by other people's repetitive movements, such as leg-tapping, nail-biting, the rising and falling of the belly, and typing. Sensitivity to these sounds tends to be exacerbated by stress, hunger, or fatigue. The onset of the symptoms appears to have a characteristic pattern, often in childhood just prior to or during puberty. Often there is a single initial trigger (such as a parent's or sibling's noises), after which the triggers expand over time to include both auditory or visual elements. It is speculated that there is a genetic basis for this disorder as the etiological data supports a similar pattern of emergence, but this remains to be determined.
Coping Methods & Treatment: People with misophonia use various coping methods. Most will simply avoid the offending sound by leaving the area altogether, while some will try to block it with earplugs or music. Intense anxiety and avoidant behavior may develop. Some people may feel the compulsion to mimic what they hear. In more extreme cases, sufferers will not socialise for fear of hearing the sounds. It is important to note that sensitivity to the offending sounds is often far more severe when the origin of the sound comes from a person emotionally connected to the sufferer.
Now, I wouldn't say I'm an extreme case of this, but I'm a case that's for sure! It completely explains the fact that I completely failed a Social Studies test in 9th grade because I couldn't read the questions because the girl behind me was chewing and snapping her gum. I thought my head was going to explode and it took everything in me to not turn around and slam her head into her desk. I know that sounds
I knew and know that everyone has pet peeves. I get that. I just thought that mine were really bad and it was just my thorn to bear. And to an extent that's the truth. There's not much one can do about this. I find it interesting when it says that "some people may feel the compulsion to mimic what they hear." I TOTALLY DO THAT! If Jeremiah wants to eat chips while we're watching a movie, it's all good. All I have to do is eat a chip at the exact same time as him, then my own crunching drowns out his and I'm good. I may be completely focused on him and not the movie, but oh well. If someone is chewing gum, all I have to do is pop a piece in my mouth and chew it louder (and I may, just may, chew it really obnoxiously because I'm so annoyed). If someone is tapping their foot, I just tap mine bigger and louder for a few seconds and then I feel better! It's like I just had to "get that out."
I don't feel quite so bad that I literally wanted to punch my brothers in the face all the time, when I was a teenager. It's a medical condition you know. ;) Ok for real. I'm not going to use that as a crutch or anything. It just helps me to recognize that I'm not competely alone, psycho, violent, and that I'm an island of crazy weirdoness.
-D.R. We've been doing the Dave Ramsey, Finanical Peace University class at church for the past 13 weeks. It's amazing. We "graduated" last night. I highly recommend it to anyone at any stage of life, but especially to anyone who is post-high school or newly engaged/married. I feel like it's stuff we all "know" but it gives you the solid, practical tools to put into place in attaining complete financial peace. Do Jeremiah and I have that yet? Not completely, but we will. Of that I'm certain. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. And it's probably one of the only ones I'll run (besides marriage and parenting) that I'll run in my life.
-Garage Sale. I'm having a garage sale with three amazing friends this week. That's a whole lot of work. But hey, it comes at just the right time, when we're about to receive a bill from a certain little girls bright pink cast! Daily bread... He always provides and I love that.
-VBS. It's coming! I love it! I'm overjoyed to be in the position I am and be able to direct a week of pre-school Vacation Bible School! Jeremiah is taking the week off from work again to teach. This year I'm much more prepared than last year and I'm looking forward to being able to spend our afternoons and evenings together as a family on our VBS Staycation.
-My parents. For 13 weeks, they've been attending the Dave Ramsey class with us. For 13 weeks they have come out to our house before class to spend time with me and the kiddos and they always bring us dinner. Have I ever told you how good of a cook my dad is? Well HE IS. What a blessing having time with them each week has been. W.O.W. I'm so grateful for my relationship with them and the love they give to my kids and to me! I'm one fortunate daughter!!
-Babies! I'm so excited for all the babies that are going to be born in the next few months. I get to be a new auntie to my brother and sister-in-law!! But I'm also in thought over friends that have struggled to be mommies and have lost babies along the way. It's a pulled kind of feeling in my heart and head.
And I think that's about all for now. I think I got a lot of it out there. Those are my ramblings for today. I'll leave you with a special benediction: "May the Lord lift up your life!" to which you respond with, "And up yours also!" Bwaaa Ha Ha!!! Peace out.
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