Prayer and Praise

I got home from my trip to my daughter's in Michigan last night.  I hated leaving because it meant 12 hours in a car, plus an evening in a hotel, with my Mom, with whom I don't get along.  I lost my temper with her about a half hour before arriving at our hotel in Pittsburgh.  She accused me of Elder Abuse because I yelled at her.  I simply told her that she totally lacks empathy for me with my mental illness while comparing me with my older, now deceased brother, who had the same mental illness.  According to her, I was never as sick as him.  I told her he's been dead for four years, and since his death, I've been in the mental health ward of the local hospital.

Then, yesterday, another argument occurred about something that happened when I was a teenager.  She insists she was not involved in it, and told me I was lying when I told her she was.  

Mom is bipolar, and so am I.  She is not on a mood stablizer, but I am.  Unfortunately, she and I have never gotten along.  She has admitted resenting that my father treated me like a princess.  The story goes, my Dad took little interest in my older brother and sister, and that changed when I was born.  According to Mom, he said he should have waited until he was in his thirties till he had children, because he treated me entirely differently than my older siblings.  As a result, my Mom favored those two over me my entire life.

The praise is that my daughter and I got along well.  We had no conflicts, and my grandchildren were absolutely wonderful.  My granddaughter, Isabel, is learning to read in Kindergarten, and I had the opportunity to visit her classroom on a special visitors day where she read to me, and then I read a book she had borrowed from the school library.  My three year old grandson, Lincoln, is talking much better than he was in the Spring when I was out there.  My five month old grandson, Franklin, is starting to babble and gurgle, and trying to speak.  He's always happy, and smiling.

Isabel always has trouble at bedtime.  She has a lot of anxiety at bedtime, and keeps calling for her mother or father to come in to her room.  One evening, my daughter was out for a brief time, and I put her to bed, and read her a book, and we talked.  I reminded her of how much love God has for her, and that He promised to never leave her, and that He is always with her, especially at bedtime.  We prayed together and then I left the room.  A little while later, she called me back in the room.  I reminded her that God was with her.  She said she can't feel God there.  I reminded her of His promise, and that He loved her more than I do.  I told her she must trust Him.  She didn't call for anyone else that evening.  Please pray for her to learn to trust God at bedtime.

Also, please pray for my Mom.  She's 86, and has never said that her faith for salvation is in the cross of Jesus Christ.  She is totally ignorant of the Biblical Truths about this.  She says that she can't believe that a murderer can accept Christ and go to heaven.  I told her that the Apostle Paul and King David were both murderers.  Paul wrote most of the New Testament Epistles, and David was the apple of God's eye.  She still says that murderers should never get to heaven.

Sorry this is long.  I really needed to talk to someone today.

Ahh if only family were easier to get along with. I think we all have our trials there. All you can do is pray for her, but yeah that would get on my last nerve and I don't even have any mental health issues so it has to be difficult to deal with.

So glad you had a good visit with the grand munchkins they can sure brighten the day.  I hope Isabel learns to trust in the Lord to watch over her at night. My granddaughter used to have a rough time with that too and finally got to where she would say her prayers and settle right in cause God could watch over her. It takes awhile sometimes and I think it's a stage most kids go thru.

Good to have you back here we missed you!

Patricia, When your mom starts egging you on for an argument just try to remember that just because she's invited you to her "party" doesn't mean you have to accept the invitation. Just don't engage.

I love that and so true we get to choose which party to go to. Good food for thought!

I love that you were able to visit your granddaughters class room. That means a lot to them and she will remember it. My granddaughter, (now 17) when I visited them in Maryland, asked me to visit her kdg. class for show and tell and to wear my paramedic "costume". She was so proud and so was I.

Sue