Good Morning Meltdown

I'm not too keen on admitting when I have a meltdown. But today I take exception. This whole year has been one huge transition after the next. I will always think of 2010 and the year of incredible change. Where there is change, there is stress. On the whole I feel like I've done very well managing the stress of caring for two family members post surgery, leaving the church/job we've been at for 10 years to pursue a new career path, staging our house, selling our house, searching for a new house, buying that house, having 10 days to move in and prepare it for Mario's parents (with new construction to meet their needs), flying down to Orange County to finish packing them, and then of course, the whole airport incident. A very crazy 2010. But this morning I cracked. I woke up to hearing my name being yelled from the bottom of the stairs and of course rushed down to see what happened. Poor Mod was trying to juggle washing Gianni's soiled bed sheets, the crew of men beginning to install our central air conditioning, and his parent's breakfast preparation. Madeline was in charge of making eggs for everyone but had abandoned her post in the kitchen to brush her hair upstairs. Nonna took over egg duty but panicked a little when the eggs started sticking to the bottom of the pan. (Not enough olive oil). Mod definitely needed reinforcements when the toaster started smoking just as his mom was calling for help. Where was I? Enjoying a peaceful time in my room with the door shut, listening to Shubert, putting on a little extra makeup. Bliss. Like I said, poor Mod! Oh yeah, and poor Madeline! She got an earful from both of us about leaving her post at the egg and toast station. In our defense, though, last week after she melted a plastic plate on our new electric flat top stove, we laid down a new rule: NEVER leave the kitchen while cooking. We were a bit too hard on her this morning, though, because she ended up in tears. I think we overlooked the fact that she has been through as much stress as we have. Poor Maddi. In the midst of the chaos of this crazy scene, Mod lost his patience with me and Maddi and looked like he was about to have a heart attack. He even said the word "Fricken", but I knew what he really meant. My stress level was at a 9.5 but I kept it together until Nonno started asking for Donuts, and could I please find his free Dunkin' Donut coupon that he packed somewhere. Because he is a bit hard of hearing, he was happily immune to the craziness. When the kids were settled and Nonna and Nonno were happily playing cards, Mod and I had a meeting. He asked me how I was doing. I had the kind of meltdown where you laugh and cry at the same time. The kind that makes you think, "Ok, this is either a really healthy outlet, or I am in danger of being institutionalized." Mod laughed as I recalled the Donut comment and hugged me until I had let it all out. I think this whole year just caught up with me. Right now, it is an hour later and from where I am sitting, I can see Gianni and Emily playing Italian cards with their grandparents. It's peaceful in the house. The kitchen is a mess. There are boxes everywhere, but God is good and He is right in the middle of the mess, isn't He? He's also the source of all this peace right now and I am really thankful for that. My meltdown was probably long overdue anyway. And I feel much better and ready to unpack some more boxes!