A Menopausal Prayer

“I start each day out as Mary Poppins and end it as Cruella De Vil”

Yesterday, I thought I was having a pretty good day. I woke up early, got dressed, and my son did the same without fanfare. I arrived at work, got a great parking space, and enjoyed my coffee peacefully. As the day wore on, I began to tire. There were no fire drills, emergencies, or end-of-day deadlines to meet. But somehow, I lost focus and didn't get much done at work.

When I got home, things continued to decline. I made the mistake of allowing my son to have his iPad while I prepared his dinner. After dinner, it was time for homework, but he refused. He wanted to continue watching videos. When I took the iPad away, he began to cry loudly and throw a tantrum. I am used to his Autistic behaviors and knew he had to cry it out, but today, his antics touched a nerve. I became irritable listening to him cry. So I yelled at him to go to his room before I did something I regretted.

Somehow, we finished dinner and homework, but I had a breakdown afterward. I could not keep from becoming emotional. I felt like I was under attack. So I put my son to bed, prayed, and slept.

This morning, through reflection and prayer, I realized that I may have been going through a mood swing brought on by menopause. Even though I have had a few bouts previously, I am not able to prevent them from happening before they start because I don't recognize the symptoms. However, the carnage left behind after an episode is catastrophic. I always have to apologize to those I have hurt.

Lord, You are the Creator and Author of my life. You know every detail about me, and my mood swings don't surprise You. But they do surprise me. You created the aging process for women. I am not the first to deal with menopause, and I won't be the last. And if women before me dealt with these symptoms, I know I can handle them too with Your help.

I don't want to hurt my loved ones or those who depend on me with my words or actions. Make me sensitive to others responding to my mood swings and change my speech and behavior accordingly. Give me Your Spirit of self-control and peace to cope. I don't want these symptoms to consume me. Allow me to find my quiet place within You. Restore my soul. In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen.