Steady in the Chaos

Monday, November 3, 2025

This morning's tarot was The Pillar. Makes perfect sense — without me, most of this would fall apart. And today? Oh, it was going to be some type of day.

By 9:30 the dogs had been walked, the bed was put away, and I was finally getting ready to prep breakfast for the girls — a good thirty minutes behind schedule. The boys were just about to arrive, too. Yay for off-mornings.

Slowly, but surely, the day found its rhythm. Shelly and I taught the kids and made it through half of the nature journal by nap time. Charlie worked in the kennel room, Dameion worked on the camper, and I kept my mind moving forward even when the chaos tried to tug backward.

Mullien hung to dry

At nap time, Charlie and Dameion headed out to turn in a load of cans while I cooked dinner. Soon after the kids woke up, Charlie hung the last of the mullein and headed back into the kennel room to work, and Dameion made the scrap run — bringing home $32 for the hay fund, which was very needed and very appreciated. Then he headed right back to the camper again.

All the boys did amazingly at math time.

Shelly and I helped the kids finish the second half of their nature journal before moving on to the ice cream packet — number six today. We made it halfway through math before treat time rolled around at six, and everyone got a piece of chocolate and a craft. By 6:30 the kids were proudly holding up their fall animal creations, choosing treasures from the box, and heading off — the girls to bed, the boys home to wind down for the night.

The girls made foxes for craft time.

As quiet finally settled into the house, I cleaned the living room and pulled the bed back out. Once Dameion headed to Shelly’s, I ran a warm bath and sank into the peace of it. And now, tucked into bed, breathing slow, letting the day fall off my shoulders, I can look back and say:

Even though the morning started rough — even though there were little arguments and heavy energy — I stayed steady. I held.

We made it through the day in one piece, still standing, still strong.

The pillar doesn’t crumble.

Some days, she simply holds.