Do you have time for coffee today? I could certainly use an ear. Or maybe a shoulder.

You know, life is not easy these days. Being a woman is a tough job. Yes, of course, I KNOW you invented the job description, being the Original Woman and all, but could you have imagined all those millennia ago what a girl’s life in the 90’s could be like??? Hauling water from the local well is one thing….trying to raise three kids by yourself to be responsible, caring, productive adults in the face of THIS modern society is quite another. (Sugar?? Yes, right here.)

I have Faith. I do, really. In the daylight, when I see my beautiful daughter cavorting like a colt in the Spring sunshine, faith is easy. When the house is clean and the laundry is (almost) done, faith is a piece of cake. But, Sweet Lady, when the septic tank has just backed up and bills are higher than my head, my truck is overheating and I’ve just guiltily chowed down the last of the Ben and Jerry’s, I’m hard pressed to feel your helping and calming presence. Sure, Life is a lesson---EarthSchool. I DO believe that and I KNOW with all my heart and soul that my experiences are teaching me exactly what I need to know for my spiritual progress. But, please, isn’t there some other, less trying method???

(Another cup? Mmmmm…..have a blueberry muffin!! That fragrance is one of your best creations!!)

Through the years, you have been my Friend. A calm center where I could visit, if only for a fleeting second. A reminder that , yes, there IS a reason for the chaos, there is Growth taking place in me. Your lesson plan may be Exploded Septic Tank 101, but from that I take away the knowledge that I am strong enough to organize and handle a crisis alone. It’s one of those important skills for that Single Woman of the Nineties I was telling you about. That leads directly to Self Confidence which is one BIG blessing and is often in such short supply.

Help me to remember that, even standing ankle deep in water, there is a positive. Help me to remember that the tiny blessings count as much as the Knock You Over, Thank You Goddess ones.

Send me grace in those hard times, just enough that I don’t embarrass myself in public, or teach my children that crying or yelling is a way to handle things.

Could I have a moment, now and again, long enough for the scent of the lilacs to register in my overloaded consciousness and long enough to send you a prayer of gratitude…?

Teach me that taking help is okay. Accepting support from someone who loves me is NOT a weakness but another of your gifts and a sign of your continuing care of me. Sometimes, taking help from another is a gift to them, as well, is it not, giving them an opportunity to give out a piece of their heart.

Well, My Love, I have to get to work. I’m so happy to have had a few minutes to talk. We don’t get together nearly enough, You are always in my heart, giving me strength or comfort or peace of mind. One of my blessings is You, My Sister/Mother/Playmate/Friend.