when the going gets tough......the tough go pray

I can't imagine how I survived life before prayer. I really love being a mother but life isn't always covered in chocolate and floating in wine. Life can be, well life. It can also be the most amazing experience you could ever dream of. But for those times when life gets a little tough, there is not a thing you can do but pray. You can pray that it ends, that it gets better , that is goes away (stomach bug or sometimes kids), it blows up , it stops (kids screaming, phone ringing), it moves (traffic), it listens, it hears, etc. I can think of a million things that I pray for. But the one thing that I try to pray for the most if the strength to be what God has planned for me to be and to do so with a joyful heart.
Today we went shopping at the outlet malls for some much needed new shoes. This was a crazy idea. One might point out that I did take all of the children so of course it would be crazy. Actually the kids were well behaved, minus the ten thousand "can I haves". We chose to dine in the food court where we must stand in line and get all of our food and take it back to tables where tired hungry and bored kids are waiting and complaining. Jake decided he wanted something different than everyone else, of course. He wanted the steak sandwich (the one where you have to wait for them to cook it.) First I ordered every one's food, except Jake's, and took it back to the tables. I got everyone set up and went to stand in line for Jake's steak sandwich. When I first joined the line, I was mad, aggravated, irritated, pissy, and grouchy. I stood there for a few minutes stewing in my self pity and then I decided that maybe I should not be acting this way. Lord, please help me to do your will. So, I stood there in line by myself without anyone asking me 'could I have', 'why are we here', 'can we go home', etc. And it was nice. Yes, my chicken fingers were cold and my fries limp but my attitude had changed and I was once again enjoying what God has given me. I always think it is truly amazing how quickly I can forget and remember what a blessed life I have.