The Magnitude of Speaking Kindly

Someone once said that my parents wouldn't raise their voices to one another if the house was burning down.

It's true. I really don't think they would. I have never heard my mother and father fight. Earnestly disagree, yes. But they always managed to do so with words, tones of voice, and body language that still conveyed kindness.

Growing up, I didn't understand how drastically different my home was from others in this respect. I noticed that other moms snapped at their children in frustration awfully frequently. But I didn't realize that those moms were the norm and mine was the exception.

Obstacle #1: Selfishness {Masquerading as Perfectionism}

A month ago I was so focused.

I was excited about finding ways to make our home a pleasant place.
I was excited about journaling that journey.
I thought the most important thing in my world at the time was creating this ideal environment for us to live in.Then my priorities were challenged in a big way.

My husband nearly died. I spent just over two weeks with him in the hospital. And he lost his job.

So here we are, a month later. Exhausted. Confused. Trying to catch up and fall back into some routine that resembles normalcy.

Last night I became the epitome of what I'm hoping to avoid.