Punky Monkey Chronicles

Someone asked me the other day "You and Manny have problems?" And it made me think, Seriously?! We are a blended family from two very different backgrounds, two different upbringings, two different lifestyles, there's an 18 year difference between us, there are 7 'kids" between the two of us, 7 grandkids and we have two teenaged daughters and a little girl with special needs in our home. We struggle with the same economic situation as everyone else, have bills and overhead to pay for. He works almost two hours from home, works long hours and is hardly ever home. I school the three girls and go to school full time. No, we don't have any problems, none at all(read that sentence sarcastically).... but you know, hey, I'm a Christian so I have no cause to be overwhelmed or tired or grouchy or stressed.... I should always be happiness personified. Well, to quote my Aly the other day, "Who cares if people are happy or not, happiness fades. Joy, that's what we need. And joy comes from hard work and achievement, from overcoming struggle and adversity and doing it all with Christ as your center." I have one heck of a smart cookie on my hands. We need to have compassion for each other. I'm not saying my troubles are worse than anyone else's, thankfully I DO have Jesus to carry me, and that makes it easier. But I have troubles just the same. Before you open your mouth to judge or criticize another, consider that their lives don't consist of the twenty minutes you were in their presence. That's the tip of the iceberg, you saw nothing, know nothing about them... Instead of tearing them down, why don't you put that energy into making their day a little brighter. Just a thought....