Mind Over Matter

One summer while visiting my grandparents, I didn't feel well. My grandpa - a tough, but loving man - told me it was in my mind and I had to focus on mind over matter. Now every time I'm sick I have to evaluate that.
Usually I find that my sweet, wonderful grandpa just isn't quite right in this particular area.
Such as now when my kids and I are full out sick. And there is no mind-over-matter about it!
It is miserable.
There are things I have noticed, however, that are mind over matter in life.
For a good long while I have dealt with fear. Inexplicable, ridiculous, but very real fear. After First Born (seriously need better names for these kiddos...any ideas for First Born? I will call New Born, Fo, from now on... those that have read for a while know why! Anyway...)
After my first one was born I dealt with fear of not being able to feed her...so I started obsessing about a home garden with high walls (to keep out others when the crazy war started in my backyard - in my fear there was a war in my backyard, you know).
After Fo was moved out of the bassinet in our room to the room across the hall from FB, I would lay awake and wonder what my strategy would be to save them both from the fire that would come down the hall.
Fear has become a mind over matter case for me:
"Well now, Betty, if that fire does come, God will direct you and help you get the girls out."
I have learned to carry my thoughts to their absolute worst.
"If you do die in that fire, you will be with the Lord. Hallelujah!! You don't have to worry about who will take care of Dic and the girls - they belong to the Lord- He will care for them."
I once heard that God provides grace when you need it in very real times of need - not imagined times of need.
I also have a problem with being frustrated when it's not necessary. Such as when I am out with the kids and I call Dic to ask a question about something minor and he doesn't answer.
Boy Howdy can my mind run away:
"Harrumph! What if we were broken down or in a wreck? We could be in a ditch and he wouldn't answer his phone!"
Often I have to remind myself that we are not in a ditch. And knowing whether he wants strawberry or vanilla yogurt does not constitute an emergency.
I now take deep breaths and remind myself of what is important.
I also remind myself that when my sweet husband was golfing and my mom called to say they thought my dad had suffered a heart attack, Dic answered my call immediately, dropped everything, came home and got me on a plane to see my family.
And when I went into labor and he couldn't answer because he had stumbled upon a car full of drugs?
God provided loving parents to help me and held off my (major) labor pains until my husband could be there.
Now that we are working to be debt free, we've had people suggest we have a credit card for "emergencies". That's fine and good if you can discern true emergencies. Before we set on this path an emergency was a milkshake from Dairy Queen. So, no thank you, that is not something we need in our pockets.
Now I know to plan ahead, save and trust God for grace and provision in real circumstances, not imagined ones.
Random thoughts today that don't actually go together. But, remember, I'm sick and it's not a mind over matter thing.
It's a please, oh please, sweet babies, learn to wipe your noses for me, then pass the tissues to your mama.