Weekend Thoughts: Fear

My child has been permanently scarred by a helium balloon.

I’m sure you think that I am kidding or exaggerating, but I promise you I am not.   Remember this?  Well two months after that traumatic experience, Scott took the kids to buy a balloon for my birthday, and needless to say my son (being the oldest child, and the overly cautious one that he is), was very nervous about the balloon flying away.  Scott assured him multiple times, that the balloon was not going anywhere.  He promised that he would not let go of the string and he himself would bring it into the house.  As they step out of the van, my son started freaking out about the balloon.  Scott couldn’t figure out what was wrong since he was still holding onto the string.   While that was true, the part of the string holding onto the balloon came undone and the balloon floated off into space. 

Ever since he’s wanted nothing to do with helium.   You should have seen me this spring as I bought a balloon for Scott’s birthday.  I had to check and recheck the string multiple times.  Still, he begged me not to get one.  And after his youngest sister lost her balloon at Trader Joe’s last month, he’s convinced the girls that they don’t want balloons when they go to the store.   Last week as we approached TJ’s he said to the girls, “Remember, we don’t want balloons when we go to the store, b/c we don’t want to loose them.”

He is so afraid of losing the balloon, he doesn’t even want it in the first place.

Balloons are fun.  They’re treats.  They are meant to brighten your day, add pizzazz to a party and a light hearted moment to a tiring shopping trip. 

But for my son they bring more stress than joy.   

And I wonder, how often we let fear keep us from enjoying life’s gifts.   Are we so afraid of losing what we have that we fail to enjoy it while we have it? 

I don’t want my life or my children’s lives to be like that.  I don’t want to miss out on the smiles and fun God has planned for us b/c of fear or stress of what we’ll loose.   I want us to fully enjoy the moments we’re in.

What are you thinking about this week? Why not use your last post of the week to highlight something a bit "deeper" then the average “Momblog” fair?  I’d love to read your thoughts.  Please feel free to write and link up a  “thoughtful” post below.  You can write a new post or link up one you wrote earlier in the week.  Please include a link back to here in your post.