Wasn’t that a Paula Abdul song in the 80’s?

Last week one day I panicked when Brent left for work. Yes, panicked. Not so fearless now, right? All this sickness and death and sleeplessness had totally deflated me and made me feel entirely discouraged. And I was absolutely positive that no one cared (which of course wasn’t true). I needed some support and I felt guilty about it for some reason. I needed someone to come along and help me get back up on my feet; to say “You can do this!”; or perhaps to say “what can I do to help?” I guess I felt guilty because it felt selfish to want that. I admitted this honestly to a friend who told me that it wasn’t selfish. We need people. Everyone single one of us needs someone.

My mom always told me that JOY means “Jesus first, yourself last, and others in between.” If you want to find true joy, stop focusing on yourself. When I was the lonely new girl at school (repeatedly too, because we moved around a lot) she advised that I find someone else more lonely than I and be their friend. Even when I was 7 this advice worked!

So, last week I decided that doggone it I was going to help someone else. Then I realized I was too sick to do that… and cried. (I’m such a… girl!)

But I’m not sick anymore! (YAY!) My goal is to take a meal to one mom each week. I’m starting with the pregnant ones. Who of us hasn’t sat in the middle of our kitchen at 6 pm, round with child, and desperately prayed someone would show up with dinner? =D

Ironically, the first gal I was to take dinner to this week went and had her baby early. (I’d be jealous if it hadn’t been an 11 pound, 2 ounce child! Born at home! Woot!) I’m still taking dinner though, and I get to see a sweet new baby on top of that.

After that I’m going down the list of all three local pregnant moms I know. So, maybe after that I’ll start mailing things to folks. I’ll get some sort of rotation to it hopefully.

How often do we think that we are busier than everyone else? Am I the only one who struggles with feeling like society owes me something because I’ve got all these little people depending on me? Does someone have to be in dire need before I stop and consider doing something nice for them? Shame on me!

Here’s the really great part. No sooner had I committed in my mind, by the grace of God I was going to get my head out of my butt going to look beyond myself and help others… that two folks offered to bring dinner while we were getting over the last leg of our sickness. Coincidence? I don’t think so!

Some  young ladies made dinner for our family and brought it to us at church, and Natalie brought dinner the night before (probably because she’d seen my kitchen and knew there were no clean apparatus for food preparation).

And of course there was the big surprise in the mail on Saturday.

Then today I was having…a Monday moment and Brent brought in the mail. A wonderful sweet card was what I opened. Under a picture of a cute bull dog it said “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP. -Winston Churchill” God’s mercies and compassions never cease, do they? And the one family from church that lives near us has offered to help out a little too.

So I’m changing the mantra. “oooooooo, What have I done for you lately?….ooooooowooooowooooooyeah”. That’s the tune in my head.

I think that this will also help with the “do unto others” problem that my kids are having as well. They will get to be involved in constantly blessing others as we make food together, and whatever else it is we can think of, that might brighten someone else’s days.

My encouragement is to look for opportunities to reach out to others. If you don’t know anyone whose world is falling apart, get creative. Maybe they are secretly struggling. Be somebody’s someone.