Welcome Back!
Last Wednesday I introduced the topic of change and my personal story of how I’ve had to cope with change over recent years. I must admit, the timing of this blog post couldn’t be more appropriate this week, as I am currently dealing with several huge changes in my life. In order to fully explain, I need to pick up where I left off with my story on Wednesday’s blog post, A Season of Change: Part I.
Last year I made New Year’s resolution to begin dating. Little did I know at the time, that I would fall in love, become engaged and be expecting my first child later that year. Talk about mind boggling! But, wait! The plot thickens. So, did I mention that this guy who swept me off my feet happens to be a major in the U.S. Army? Ahhhh…yes, there is a catch.
To make a long story short, I’ve never been in a relationship with a military man before. Over the past few months, I’ve learned a lot about how the military works and what it means to be a military wife. Basically, when the US Army tells you they are moving you to a new location, they are moving you on their timeline, not yours. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!
So, last week, my beloved hubby-to-be received a list of locations with various report dates for his next assignment. This came as quite a surprise to us because the list was given to him much earlier than anticipated. Many of the locations on the list are deployment assignments for Iraq and Afghanistan and others are in the States and Europe . The majority of them have reporting dates of January and February 2011. And wouldn’t you know, that coincides beautifully with my due date. Isn’t that something!
This is one of those instances where I have very little, if any control over the situation. The timing couldn’t be worse for my fiancé to have a new assignment as we are anticipating the birth of our first child. Our only hope at this time, is that he is able to request a one month deferment so that we can stay in California until after our baby is born or that his superior can pull some strings and allow him to remain stationed in California
So what’s a gal to do? Well, since I really have little control over the situation at this time, I have to rely on my tools for coping with unexpected change. Here’s a list of my favorite tools/techniques that I have developed and rely on when life feels like its been flipped upside-down.
#1 Prayer- This is my #1 technique I rely on when trying to face my fears. I especially like this prayer, as I have mentioned in a previous blog post, Serenity Prayer.
#2 Bible – The bible is a great resource for inspiration & encouragement during difficult times. The word of God can be so uplifting. Here’s a website that let’s you search for bible verses by topic. The following link provides some great bible quotes that can be of help for those who are experiencing fear or anxiety.
#3 Books - Another thing I’ve found to be helpful when attempting to face my fears is reading up on the topic. Fearless by Christian author, Max Lucado, is a great read. I found his insight to be useful and encouraging when I was going through my divorce. I highly recommend this book.
#4 Positive Thinking – The power of positive thinking is an amazing thing. Much of what scares or stresses us out can be held at a safe distance if we chose to alter our way of thinking. You always have a choice about how to see things when faced with a difficult dilemma. In my case, it would be easy to dwell on the negative aspects of what is about to happen with my fiancé's new assignment, our living arrangement, etc…, but what good would come from this? Instead, I wake up each day and try to focus on the positive blessings I have in my life. I remind myself that I am healthy, employed, loved & about to be blessed with the greatest gift of all, a child. Reminding myself each day of the many blessings I have in my life, make some of the other challenges seem minuscule in the larger picture of life.
I believe my life has gone through more change in the past two years than it had during the 30 years prior. While many of these changes led to bouts of sadness and confusion, in the end they opened the way for new possibilities and wonderful opportunities that I would have missed out on had I not learned to embraced change and move forward. Teaching myself how to let go and let life happen was not easy and it’s something I will always struggle with. However, relying on these tools/techniques has not only helped me to cope with difficult times, but has helped me to embrace change. I once viewed change as awful, but I now see change as an adventure to some extent. Change doesn’t have to be scary, often times, it’s inevitable so you might as well focus on the positive things that can be brought about from change. Bottom line is that change is a part of life and something that cannot be avoided so if you live in fear from change you are wasting valuable time and energy.
Don’t fear change! Embrace the new possibilities!
I've enjoyed reading your posts. Keep it up! Thinking and praying for you guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
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