Positively (Im)perfect

Last week I committed to a week-long focus on hope . My goal was to move beyond the seemingly lovely ideal into the nitty gritty real-life practice of cultivating and maintaining hope--the virtue that sustains us when we're hit with the real stuff life throws at us. As promised, here's my review of how it all turned out. The week by normal standards was fairly average. There was plenty of the usual chaos, some expected and unexpected frustrations, and lots of delightful little happenings that truly redeemed even the greatest of those frustrations. I saw prayers answered, and wait still for some questionsand hopes that remain unanswered. Not a whole lot changed in my world, nothing overly crazy happened, but I did notice a definitive shift in my perspective. Ultimately, I confirmed that hope is hard (shocker). But I honestly surprised myself with how well I actually remembered what I was supposed to be working on. (That's kind of a big deal here, mommy brain and all). I

"We rejoice in hope...we also exult in our sufferings, knowing that suffering brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  -Romans 5: 2-5 I realized yesterday when planning for this upcoming week that I've been sort of dreading it; mostly because it's Fall Break (why Spring Break alone can't suffice I'll never understand). This means the kids will be home all week, which I interpret as me becoming overwhelmed. It's another change in my routine that I've painstakingly pieced together over the past few months since the school year started, which has revealed luxuries such as zipping through the grocery store with only one kid in less than an hour, or detouring the car past Tarjay for wholly unnecessary trips that wear out my Red Card. I know a break in routine seems