It's BAAAAACK....

Yay! My computer has been returned, safe and sound. I did a little happy dance and just pray it holds up for a while this time...at least until I finish my novel!

Yes, I learned a couple lessons along the way, one of which you can read about in my last blog. Here's another lesson I learned (incidentally, both lessons were taught by my 10 year old daughter. That's right - TEN.)

A couple days ago, I stopped by the computer store with my daughter to check on my baby (because they weren't calling me at my required regular intervals of twice per day). They explained a couple of things they thought it could be, both that would require major surgery. When my daughter and I got in the car, I started stressing.

Immediately, I said things like, "What if they don't know what they're doing?" and "What if this ends up costing us a fortune?"

Blah, blah, blah.

My daughter looked at me and said, "Mom. Stop worrying about it." She then proceeded to tell me a story she learned in church last week about faith. She wrapped up her lesson with, "You're supposed to pray, Mom - not worry."

Alrighty then.

There's nothing like a ten-year-old putting you in your place to make the lightbulb flicker a little brighter.

It turned out fine and, as I said, the surgery was successful. Even the surgery on our checkbook wasn't that bad.

LOOK IT UP: Philippians 4:6

UGH! and YAY!

UGH! Because I'm still computer-less - and it stinks!

YAY! Because I'm computer-less and I'm changing my stinking thinking!

First let me send a huge thanks to my best friend, Ginger, for offering to let me hijack her computer for a few hours today while she's at work. You're the best, Ging!

So I came to the conclusion that I had no idea how much I really depend on the computer. Yesterday, I wondered what the weather was going to be like and I thought, "I'll just check online."

And halfway to the office, another thought hits me. "Oh, yeah. I can't."

But, I'm determined to see this as a good thing. A "knock-some-much-needed-sense-into-me-good-thing."

The kicker (actually, it was more like a punch in the gut) came on Friday night when my ten-year-old daughter and I were goofing around, reading a story, being silly...and she said to me, "See what a good family we are without the computer?"

I'm like, "What do you mean? We're always a good family."

She shook her head and said, "Uh-uh. If we had the computer right now, you or I would be on it instead of spending time together."

Can anyone smack their head and say, "Doh...Wake-Up Call?"

It does make me feel a teensy bit better that she mentioned herself, too, instead of saying only I would be attached to my computer chair. No, I take that back. It doesn't make me feel any better. It only makes me more aware of how much blasted time we all spend on the computer.

Yep. God is speaking. And because I don't have downloads of distractions (groan) I am able to hear Him. Go figure.

But I do need to get some work done, hence my hijacking my friend's computer today. But the good news is, my priorities are definitely shifting.

That's always a good thing.

Cross-posted from my ShoutLife blog