Treading Water

The winter blahs have hit and it's a bit depressing in my house these days. There are times when I feel as if I'm treading water and trying to keep from sinking.

There are a number of reasons for this. Some of it is the time of the year it is. I crave sunshine and we get very little of it here during the winter. So there is a perpetual gray blanket over everything. Because my vitamin D levels are fairly low I take a supplement each day. I'm not sure that's necessarily helping with my mood, but it helps with the physical aspects of the deficiency. Because it hasn't snowed like it normally does, I've also gotten out to walk and that helps a bit.

Some of the discouragement is for my son who is trying so hard to find work and yet gets rejection after rejection. So he is depressed and anxious which comes often comes out as anger. So we are walking through this depression with him.

And then the other night without thinking I squatted down to get something, felt a jolt in my knee and heard it make a sound. The MCL which hasn't hurt at all in the past month and a half is aching again. Sigh. I'm sitting here with an ice pack on it this morning so that's discouraging.

However, I've been pushing through the gray feeling and taking some steps to alleviate it. I've been taking all of my work next door in the church just to get a change of scenery and I'm finding that's been one of the best things for me. I'm not distracted with other things so have been getting a lot of work done. It gets me out of the house for a while which is a good thing.

Last night I found a box of lights I bought and never used, and I've strung them up. I like them and they make me happy! 

Dan and I get out to walk when we can. Just being out in the fresh air is invigorating. The wind was whipping off the lake so much yesterday that we could barely stand and couldn't hear each other above the roar of the waves.

And I've been praying each morning that God would give me a heart of joy for that day so that no matter what is going on around me, I'm not sinking down beneath the waters of discouragement. And it's helping!

So while things are discouraging, there is hope. There is peace. And I have a deep down joy in my heart that God is bigger than all these problems and He will provide what we need!