Tuesdays With Auntie Hope

You know what I love about Auntie Hope? She doesn't seem to worry about the little things in life. She could, too, given her situation.

I, on the other hand, have been stressing enough for the both of us. From worrying about gathering documents to apply for our temporary residence visas, to treating head lice, to finances, to the ants I found on my desk... it's enough to keep me awake at night and grumpy during the day. I actually found it hard to be sociable today because the head lice thing is absolutely consuming me with worry (What if it never goes away? What if I have to wash all the bedding in the house every day forever? What if I have to spend hours each day going hair by hair, looking for eggs, and how will I get my other work done?)

As I tried to force myself to have a decent conversation, I suddenly wondered, "If I make to the age of 84, will I look back on the head lice incident and wonder why I worried so much? Will I have amassed enough wisdom by then to "not sweat the small stuff," and will I be more accepting of life's challenges? Auntie Hope is teaching me these things through the simple act of growing old gracefully. I hope I can live up to her example one day.

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" - Matthew 6:27, NIV

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." - Matthew 6:34, The Message