Post-holiday anxiety

I'm having a very anxious day today.  The biggest part of it is that Andrew is traveling to take his parents back today.  That alone can really cause me to be anxious.  Then this evening, he is going out with friends to a place with which he is unfamiliar.  I know that he is safe, but the circumstances cause me great anxiety.  It's just who I am and how I function.  I also don't love the fact that he isn't coming back until Sunday, and that trip will be almost entirely in wet weather.  Not good for my anxiety.

It also doesn't help that Catherine is still struggling with her pleurisy.  I know it was this way last time too, but I hate seeing my girl, who is usually so tough, struggle.  I also know that sleeping on a cot in her brother's room for the last four nights has not been great for her.  It will be good for her to get back into her own bed tonight.

Watching my father-in-law's mental and physical decline this week, along with that of my grandmother, has been tough.  It makes me sad, and it makes my heart hurt, not only for them but for everyone around them.  My mom is still grieving her sister and my grandmother is challenging on a good day...and she isn't having too many of those lately.  My mother also took a terrible fall this week and we are hoping she isn't too terribly injured.

And there is the end-of-year stuff I need to do at my church job.  When I went yesterday to do it though, the administrator with whom I share a desk was still there, even though she was supposed to be done 90 minutes earlier.  That was pretty much the only time I could get there, but I might try to squeeze in a few minutes this evening.  We'll see.  I know that there is a lot to do before the end of the year, but I don't want to miss family time that feels more precious than ever these days.  That is made all the more evident by watching our friends who lost their child this summer as they try to navigate this Christmas and still carry on for their other two children.

I know that there is really absolutely nothing wrong in my life, and this is all manifestations of my over-active anxiety.  I'm just struggling today, and could use some prayers for peace.  I am grateful for so much!