{"id":2255,"date":"2011-11-30T09:58:33","date_gmt":"2011-11-30T14:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=2255"},"modified":"2011-11-30T19:28:53","modified_gmt":"2011-12-01T00:28:53","slug":"upside-down-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/upside-down-time.html","title":{"rendered":"Upside-down time"},"content":{"rendered":"

I pulled the covers down from the pillows on my bed and casually looked at the time. \u00a0The digital clock on the table beside my bed read\u00a065:11.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0I wasn\u2019t surprised that the time was wrong. \u00a0Those of us who live in Central Florida call our electric company \u201cFlorida Flicker and Flash.\u201d \u00a0Its continual time-outs to save energy are famously annoying. \u00a0My old and reliable clock automatically goes to 12:00 whenever there is an outage.<\/p>\n

However, the 65:11 time was a bit of a shock. \u00a0I picked up the clock to reset the time and realized that it had been turned upside down. \u00a0The settings were right. \u00a0It was the entire clock that had somehow been repositioned incorrecly. \u00a0It was actually 11:59. \u00a0Turned in the upright position, no settings had to be changed.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure whether to laugh or cry. \u00a0My errant clock was like a replica of my feelings. \u00a0This past week, I\u2019ve felt as though my entire life was running in upside-down time. \u00a0Because my husband died in May, I know that this a big part of the grief process. \u00a0But that knowledge doesn\u2019t seem to help with my lack of orientation.<\/p>\n

Perhaps for the first time since becoming a part of the mentally challenged community, I\u2019m fully grasping the grief that parents and adults who are intellectually disabled feel. \u00a0I\u2019m so thankful that my husband is no longer in pain. \u00a0I know he is in heaven. \u00a0I\u2019m secure that he would never want to come back. \u00a0I\u2019m even looking forward to the adventures that await me.<\/p>\n

However, because unexpected problems have also raised their ugly heads, I feel paralyzed by my life right now. \u00a0I MUST press forward and finish the tasks required but my body doesn\u2019t seem to want to respond. \u00a0My feet won\u2019t move. \u00a0My mind won\u2019t operate because it\u2019s in tilt position. \u00a0This must be what many parents and people within our community feel much of the time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>There is such joy within our community; but I\u2019ve known there are also resilient apprehension and even despair. \u00a0I\u2019ve been surrounded by it and seen the evidence. \u00a0When a member is moved by the State to another location against their will, I\u2019ve felt it. \u00a0When funding is cut, I understood the circumstances. \u00a0But until now, I\u2019ve not been enveloped with an upside-knowledge that time isn\u2019t on my side.<\/p>\n

Upside-down time is disorienting and can cause concerns and depression. Perhaps during this holiday season, your feelings–and perhaps even your life–is upside down. No matter how much your feelings resist, the facts remain that we can praise God that this is a temporary condition, not a permanent state of affairs. \u00a0God never intends for us to stay in upside-down time for long. \u00a0He wants to turn our lives upright. \u00a0He desires to teach us the values of living godly lives that are pointed toward His will and His ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I pulled the covers down from the pillows on my bed and casually looked at the time. \u00a0The digital clock on the table beside my bed read\u00a065:11. \u00a0I wasn\u2019t surprised that the time was wrong. \u00a0Those of us who live in Central Florida call our electric company \u201cFlorida Flicker and Flash.\u201d \u00a0Its continual time-outs to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,20,3,40,186,49,16,8,41],"tags":[690,21,688,739,699,715,701,694,689,6],"class_list":["post-2255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-christmas","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths"],"yoast_head":"\nUpside-down time - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/upside-down-time.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Upside-down time - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I pulled the covers down from the pillows on my bed and casually looked at the time. \u00a0The digital clock on the table beside my bed read\u00a065:11. \u00a0I wasn\u2019t surprised that the time was wrong. \u00a0Those of us who live in Central Florida call our electric company \u201cFlorida Flicker and Flash.\u201d \u00a0Its continual time-outs to…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/upside-down-time.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-30T14:58:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-12-01T00:28:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/11\/upside-down-time-e1322664685167-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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