finding peace in the chaos

Lately I feel like a huge ball of stress. There's tons of big jobs to do before we leave for Scotland September 12th, and time is dwindling. But sometimes the clouds break and I get a breather: a break from the constant bombardment of experiencing 10 different emotions at once while attempting to get 20 million things done.

Today was no different. I had to retreat to the bathroom at work to have a mini-breakdown and then pull myself together, all in the span of about 4 minutes. But before work I had read something in a little book my friend gave me. It's all about experiencing the joys God intends for us and receiving His strength that comes from being in His presence. This mornings blurb was about letting go of my agenda in the midst of all the stress to rest in His unshakable peace. Even when life is a wreck, I can always rely on the calm that Jesus provides.

On a separate, but somewhat related note, I was getting gas at Wa-Wa on my way home this evening and went inside to buy some Half & Half. The line was super long for Wa-Wa. As I stood there, my mind and body were still for the first time in what seems like a couple of days. I guess I was taking in my surroundings, because the man behind me commented, "You must smile at everything." Startled out of my daze, I replied, "What? Oh, Really? Uh, I guess so." He recounted the people and things he had observed me smiling at while we'd been standing in line. Sounds kinda creepy and stalkerish, but he just seemed like a kind old man. After thinking about it for a second, I replied (since we still had more time to wait in line), "I'm moving out of the country soon, and I guess with all the craziness going on, buying milk at Wa-Wa is something I can handle, and enjoy." The conversation went on for a couple more minutes until it was my turn to pay.

This Peace is going to get me through.