Hello Friends! It’s been quite a whirlwind watching the news unfold over this last week. The headlines have been anything if not shocking about the covid-19 virus, an easy opportunity for fear to creep in with so many unknown facts about what the coming weeks could look like for all of us. I know that I don’t typically talk about politics or what’s going on in the news, and this is in no way a post about my thoughts on all that is going, but rather my efforts to stay thankful in a time of uncertainty.

If you could use a little hope & encouragement right now, than this is for you~

For awhile it seemed as though the coronavirus was just a highlight on the news, only impacting those on the other side of the world. Up until last weekend, it didn’t really affect much of our day-to-day, but then we learned, like so many others in our country, that school would be canceled for the next foreseeable future. **Which I am thankful for! And thankful for these steps that have been put in place that keep us all safer right now.** I’ve heard multiple different time frames from friends who live all over, and so we are just taking it one day at a time.

I’d be lying if I told you settling into our new routine was seamless, lol. It was until Day 3 that I finally wrapped my head around this new distance learning program, but I have been blown away by our public school system, and how amazing the faculty and staff have been at preparing for our kids, and reassuring them that this can be a fun new learning experience.

I say this because if you are a mom with kiddos now at home, and still struggling to find routine, take heart you are not alone. Focus on 1 day at a time, and do the absolute best thing that needs to be done that day for you and your kiddos.

Don’t stress over being the perfect homeschool mom, or feeling like things are spiraling out of control. We all need time to adjust, and allow ourselves grace through this transition.

While we all adjust to our new schedules for the next few weeks, there is something I keep turning back to everytime fear or worry try to creep in and consume my mind.

Thankfulness.

I chose thankfulness. When doubt or anxiousness try to creep in, I stop in the moment, and start reciting all the things I’m thankful for. Because fear tells me to worry about the what-ifs of the future, while thankfulness keeps me grounded in the moment, and fills my heart with peace.

I don’t know what your personal faith is, but for me – practicing gratitude instead of giving into fear is a great way to keep peace in my heart and God in control over the things I can’t. 

So if you find yourself full of doubt, or worry tries to consume your thoughts, remind yourself to take control of your thoughts in that moment, and remind yourself of what you have to be thankful for. Remember gratitude turns what we have into enough, and I know in these hard times, whatever difficult situation you are facing, that we can find something to be thankful for.

Here is a scripture verse that I am holding onto this week ~

Don’t worry or fret. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions of praise shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. “

Philippians 4:6