I am choosing to believe that you have missed me as much as I have missed you.  It likely isn’t true, but perhaps the best part of being a writer is my ability to create my own reality at any given time.

Please let me start by saying that I am so very sorry that I have been absent so long from this writing gig.  I appreciate all of you that have reached out to see if I am okay and asked where I have been and why I **POOF*** disappeared into thin bloggy air.  I assure you that I am fine and that I simply was able to disappear into the thin bloggy air because I myself am so thin and delicate a creature (see above mentioned ability to create my own reality.) I do also realize that there are some of you that are perhaps are just now noticing that I have taken a leave of absence, and to you I say, “I do not blame you, good sir.”

Okay I will stop trying to be chatty and funny now because as we can all see, I am a little out of practice and far too tired to pull it off.  The truth of the matter is that I have been MIA (Missing in Action) because I have been DIL (Drowning in Life.)  Don’t get me wrong, life is good and all that jazz.  There are no major life catastrophes to report or lament over (which ironically is partially also to blame for the lack of writing because lack of material.) It is just that there has been no shortage of life responsibilities; to the degree that I feel like the chick stuck under the elephant in that annoying COPD commercial.

There’s just STUFF (and lots of it, folks.)

For those of you who don’t already know (and those of you who do but that won’t stop me from whining about it,) I have this thing called a job.  And it just happens to be the kind of job that tends to lean towards the mean and demanding side – you know the kind that makes you ready for wine by 2:30 pm and bed by 7:30 pm because there are people talking at you all of the day with all of the feels and they all NEED something and WANT something and my job description apparently includes being the giver of all things to all people at all times.  And now with it being summer selling season and this being Austin (stop moving here already, entire universe,) ‘tis the season for 60+ hr work weeks and boo-koos of stress.

Marry that with the fact that God decided to inform me around the end of last year that He would like me to start taking seminary courses IN ALL MY SPARE TIME and I was like, “For real?” and He was like, “For real.” So now I am for real supposed to be writing a paper right now about Working with Conflicted and Devitalized Couples for my Pastoral Counseling course, but of course I am instead writing to all of you fine folks instead.

Don’t worry, I am getting some fun in.  Just this morning, when I felt completely inept to complete my classwork and talk another client down off the ledge simultaneously, I watched 47 Cat vs. Cucumbers instead.  Yes, I realize procrastination makes things worse – but what can I say… God ministers to me through funny cat videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNycdfFEgBc&feature=player_embedded

In the midst of all of this, I have been struggling with and learning such valuable lessons such as:

• You will die without sleep
• You are too old for temper tantrums
• Mommy can’t fix this you are an adult
• Red wine is not a real form of sustenance

Maybe I will write more about the struggle to find balance and get rest later after I have found balance and gotten some rest.  And maybe by then I will have some real wisdom to share in this department (or maybe not but at least some of you will identify with it and we can ban together in our misery.)  But until then, I did want to say hello to you and let you know that I am alive and kickin’, and over here writing term papers and real estate contracts instead of blogs and witty twitterisms (but feel free to follow me on Instagram @theJesusGypsy for powerful #MuttButtMonday posts because more procrastination.)

I hope to be back to this thing soon, but could I ask that you be patient with– and possibly even prayerful for – me as I struggle through this busy season of the year and of life? I miss our little chats and all the hysterical emails and comments I would get (blog friendships are an introvert’s dream – there’s no need to interact in person, yet I still get to feel connected and snort-laugh.)

I appreciate your patience.  And until next time, friends-  may we all be rested and blested.

To be continued…