Think in terms of depletion, not depression . . .

Despair and depression may come over us suddenly, for no reason we can figure out.

But if we stop and reflect, we may realize we are reacting to too much of something -- too much work, too much excitement, too much fun.

We may be having a letdown after holidays, after completing a project, or at the end of a school year.

When we feel a letdown coming on, we must give ourselves time.

We need to take some time off and do nothing, plan nothing.

Then we can ask God to help us let go of the negative feelings that come along with a letdown. 

We can plan a small gift for ourselves -- a walk by the lake, for instance.

In our excitement with a rush of events, we often forget that we, like the infants we once were, need to take a rest and re-energize. 

 Contrasts are often great:

 one child might be loud and funny, one might be timid and quiet, and yet neither seems to take after the parents. 

A family is like a vegetable garden. The vegetables respond to outside influences.

The one exposed to more sunlight will grow differently than the one growing in a damp, shady place.

Vegetables growing in crowded areas of the garden may not be as developed as those around them, but they might be tastier. 

Although we may have common roots, outside experiences and friends mold us too, making each of us unique.

We sometimes lose ourselves by comparisons and feel as if we don't belong, but the variety of our family garden is what makes the world so interesting.

When someone tells us we should do something,

do we want to do it, or do we feel mad that someone else is telling us what we want to do?

Sometimes we forget that these messages are not our own, but are the desires of others.

It's important to listen to what we tell ourselves, to be aware of which messages we're giving ourselves and which come from others. 

We can make a list of all our shoulds and identify where they came from: parent, boss, friend, self.

Then we can decide which shoulds are want to's, and throw out the rest.

Doing what we want to is very different from doing what we should, and we can usually do a better job of it.