Mother of the Stressed

Many in these days are under a great deal of stress. What is stress anyway? I think this to be multifaceted, a painful and difficult phenomenon that is common to most people on earth. We feel stress when duties drag us away from other more pleasurable things, when after a long day at work, you come home to a house full of work, children that need you, a spouse that needs you - aka more work.

We all must strive to remember that there are limits to what a person can do. There needs be a balance between work, play and prayer. But alas this balance is lost from so many lives mine included! Do you think the Blessed Virgin Mary felt stress? Pain, sorrow, joy...yes, but stress? Is stress from God? I've heard discouragement is not of God, but what of stress?

I tend to be a driven person. My husband is a very driven person. Our weekend "getaway" went like this: work until the last second possible, throw the bags packed in haste in the car, drive like mad to the airport, wait and wait in lines there....nap on the flight, scramble for transport to the hotel - check in, get to the room and what? Pull out the laptop and work. Get up around 5 am, work out like crazy people, inhale a bagel, grab a coffee to go and sit in a scientific lecture for hours...do the same for 5 days in a row, grab a late flight, get home late, try, try, try not to be irritable with the kids, get to bed late, get up early, go back to work and wonder, wonder, wonder why am I feeling overwhelmed??

Today I called in sick. I'm not any kind of physically sick, but I'm what you could call, "mentally beleagured" I asked my dear husband this morning "Why is it that so many women work full time, have homes, families and they handle it so much better than me?" (I only work a mere 20 hours a week btw) He chuckled and said "The majority of professionals take antidepressants" You know what? He's right....I don't take any medication and so from time to time I get "stressed out" trying to meet everybody's needs. Thankfully this tends to be short lived, but tough in the midst of it.

(sigh) Lord I pray not for a lesser burden in this life, but rather a stronger back with which to bear it. Help me to find balance so that I may love You, know You, serve my neighbor and You better. Amen+