For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for February 07, 2020

That’s the problem with our mamas. Even when we’re forty, they worry about us as much then as when we were in diapers (but like Ellie pointed out…it’s their job to worry).;D

when was John ever a worrisome papa bear about his cubs?

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

A mother’s work is never done!

I was a world class worry-wart until I was 50. Then I realized that none of the really bad things that happened to me were things I had worried about.

Only one of you jobs Ellie.

Excessive worrying is not a job for anyone, man or woman. It’s called anxiety, and that’s a mental illness that needs to be addressed.

As long as you don’t overdo it!

Worrying is a waste of energy. Changes nothing.

Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. You go back and forth with the movement, but you’re getting nowhere.

Mothers worry. Be thankful for that.

’Nuf sed.

Matthew 6:25-34 is my favorite group of verses in the Bible. In summary…“Don’t worry.”

Get a new job!

The worst part of being a parent.

I tend to worry a lot about things. Mostly those beyond my control.

Worry is exhausting and drives people away.

A mother’s job is to worry. Then the day comes when she happens upon a photo of her son and his wife sky diving and she realizes that worry when the kids are grown is useless. Instead crossing your fingers, placing wishes on a star, and sending prayers are about all you can do.

Lynn’s Comments:

I think worrying IS part of a parent’s job. I have adult children now…and I still worry!

She worries because women are good at multitasking. Men find it more difficult.

Motorcycle Michael’s song:

Got the motor runnin.

On the only highway.

Looking for adventure

Or whatever I see, eh?

Yeah, darling, going to make it happen

No more milquetoast hoser ways.

Maybe I will even forget worry

Cross the border to the U.S.A

My mother flipped out and warned me.

As always, tempermental.

Elly is a dropout.

Her advice ain’t worth a Continental.

Yeah, darling, going to make it happen

No more milquetoast hoser ways.

Maybe I will even forget worry

Cross the border to the U.S.A

I’ve worried about my daughter from day one, and will till I die. It sucks and it’s not fun!!

Yeah, my wife. When there’s nothing to worry about, she’ll invent something.

No worrying in ancient Sparta. A mother in that time handed her son a shield before he went to war, and her words were “You either come back with it, or on it!”

Motherhood: A job one refuses to quit and at which she cannot afford to fail at.

That’s a mother’s job, John. Because men don’t worry. Someone has to do that job.

I gave up worrying about my son when he became a drug addict. Instead I was concerned about his welfare, but knew it was up to God to keep him safe. In the long run, God came through beautifully and while he is still in prison (he gets out in November) he has changed so much that he is a joy to be around.

As God said in the Bible, worrying can’t add an inch to your height or an hour to your life span. On the contrary, it robs you of your joy, causes unnecessary stress and ruins your health and relationships. Instead, be concerned, care and be ready to lend a hand when needed. Stressing out over what might happen doesn’t help them or you.

I guess that’s why I would have never made a good mother. Well, that and the fact that I’m a guy.

Worry is a useless activity that is a major stressor.

My mom told me that same thing a lot. But, I had to explain to her when I was in college and I signed up for a semester in Stockholm, “ok that’s your job to worry about me, but I’m not going to let your worries keep me from making my own decisions about my life.”

All worrying is useless. Two comments from Corrie Ten Boom:

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble. It empties today of its strength.

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.

Someone’s got to do it!

It’s true it doesn’t help to worry, but some of us can’t help it.

I used to worry about the Soviet Union taking over the world. They fell apart before they could. Conclusion: all that worrying really paid off!

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind.

The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Even Dads have that worry-gene… both my kids are in their 30’s, and when they go on a trip, I tell them to call me when they leave, when they get there, what route they are taking, and, the reverse, when they head home, and both live on their own.

Ellie must be Jewish. She has the Jewish worry gene! HA, HA!