I went horseback riding today, something I haven’t had time to do in several weeks. As I gazed at the beautiful fall colors and felt the cool breeze on my face it occurred to me that I hadn’t felt much joy lately. I have been guilty of focusing on the negatives for quite a while instead of the positives. The main reason I’ve obsessed on the negatives is probably because I haven’t made any time for me and what I enjoy doing. Instead, I have been worrying about an adoption, homeschooling five children, and working.

I’ve been really good about telling others, including my now adult son, that all work and no play, make for a dull life. Not only dull, but it also wears you down. When we are trying to parent an adopted sibling group, with their unique individual issues, we need to keep our own emotional tanks full. How can we continue to offer love and encouragement to challenging children if we are not taking care of ourselves?

This morning during Sunday school we read a passage of scripture that said “Be joyful always.” That is when I actually realized that I wasn’t and hadn’t been for a while. Yet, I have every reason to be joyful so I better to start taking my own good advice.

Today was a start on refilling my emotional tank that is obviously depleted. I absolutely love horseback riding. I always return from riding feeling refreshed and happy. As you can see in the photo, the trees are beautiful this time of year displaying their glorious shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple. The weather was perfect today for riding.

I did actually think about inviting some of the girls to go riding with me. We have two horses and a Shetland pony and we enjoy riding together. However, I really wanted time to be alone, enjoy myself, and cheer up so that tomorrow I can be a better mom.

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Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007