The Lord has been showing me a lot about communication. I didn't realize how hard it is to really communicate well with someone who hasn't lived with you from birth. Cat and I have been keeping tabs on our differences so we can be more sensitive to the others needs when we talk to each other. It's been really refreshing to be able to work out issues, without the fear of being chastised. Talking things out has also helped me learn a lot about myself, how I operate and am perceived by others. There has been a really strong desire to run away in one respect, not because I don’t want to deal with the issue, but because I'm fighting the change. Taking responsibility for what I say is a real challenge but one beneficial to learn now, rather then later.

I'm also learning how to open up and be honest about myself with others. Some people are really hard to read, and others I seem to take the wrong way. So God is showing me how to step back and not be so judgmental up front; but to wait it out and look at people as the are, and not as they seem.

Last night Cat and I watched some kids for the church bible study. One of the Pastor's daughters was with us, and she acted out against her brother because he was teasing her. When she started screaming at him and wouldn't use her words, I snapped into action to contain the situation. Getting on eye level with her, I asked her to look me in the eye and tell me why she was screaming at him; she refused to look at me. I explained that if she was going to treat her brother with disrespect she would have two choices, either apologize or sit on time out for two minutes. She refused to apologize and when giving me the "puppy eyes" wouldn't work, she began to scream and cry to the top of her lungs.