Be Still

Forced to be still and off my feet often leads to pensiveness. Sitting here at 
my kitchen table, a light drizzle outside is almost completely drowned out by 
three fun loving kiddos stomping and crashing as they "play" upstairs above 
me. What are they doing anyway? There also could be a herd of small baby 
elephants... . 

Here I sit, left with my thoughts, at least until the next dispute is brought to my 
attention. Big questions I struggled with in my early twenties resurface. "What 
is my purpose in life (now... beyond my occupation and most important role as 
a mother)?" Am I accomplishing all I'm meant to do? Is there anything I'm 
missing?

In my twenties I searched for God's will in my life in respect to my occupation, 
the man I would marry, then the right time to begin a family. A decade later, 
family nearly complete, one more to join our family of five in a few months, 
I again find myself searching, wanting God's will for my family, His best for us. I 
remind myself that I'm not only a mother, I'm a child of God, with a purpose that 
extends through my mothering, and along side of my mothering. 

I believe motherhood is the ultimate calling a woman can fulfill, both extremely 
challenging and rewarding. (I am not saying you can't be an excellent mother 
and accomplish great things outside the family!) However, it's all too easy to 
be consumed by it and allow other talents or goals fall by the wayside. This has 
caused me to ponder. Are there other things the Lord has for me now while I'm 
on this wonderful, crazy adventure? Do other things take a back seat until the 
children are older? Maybe to a degree? It comes down to listening to the Holy
Spirit, doing the things God has called you to do and letting other things go.

Being still is a good thing. How busy modern life is! I challenge you to sit and be
still for a while. It's a time to reevaluate priorities, reflect, appreciate how blessed
we are, how much the Lord loves us, and desires us to draw close to Him.

Life is demanding. Balance is essential. The answer is different for each person.  
Thankfully, the Lord is with us, with an open hand, willing to lead us through
the hills, valleys and mountains of life. We only need to to accept His guiding
hand and trust Him. 


"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105 ESV

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10 ESV

In or Out?

Compare life to just ten years ago. Yes, we had cell phones, but they weren't 

quite the seeming necessity they are now. It's not just cell phones that are

our constant companions, there are any number of "devices" one might

consider their life line to the outside world. 

Now go back twenty or even thirty years (if you haven't been alive that long,

use your imagination), how things have changed, for the better in many ways,

but not in others. The advancement of technology, while beneficial has brought 

new concerns to parenting. 

When I was a kid, we had no gaming devices, were allowed one hour of 

TV per day, and were ordered outside daily. The backyard became another

world, and our imaginations went wild. Household chores weren't even

safe from being exactly what they were. I can't remember all the details

(although I'm sure my younger sister would), but for example, one would

be Cinderella toiling away, the other an evil step sister demanding 

perfection. 

It's all too easy to "plug in," to a device, whether a game or some form of 

social media, and escape reality for a while. It's seems to me, however,

that too many may be plugged in too often and too long. And although

one may envision a younger individual with a device seemingly surgically

attached, I fear it spans all age groups. 

Now please don't misunderstand. Social media sites and games aren't 

by any means evil, but they do tend to be addicting. I noticed this in 

myself a while back, I had to check Twitter multiple times per day. My

day started with checking Facebook to be sure I hadn't missed anything.

While social media are a great resource and way to stay connected to 

friends and family near and far, my caution is that they are not the only  

connection. Let's be sure to have conversations whether on the phone

or face to face, to have play time with our kids, to go on dates with our

spouses (no phones/devices allowed). I'm talking about face time, eye 
to eye, heart to heart, connecting to those closest to us. Yes, I'm speaking

to myself as well. 

I challenge myself and you. If we must "plug in," let's plug into our 

families. If we must escape, let's escape into our backyard and get lost 

in a big bug safari. Let's remember the wisdom of our parents, banishing 

us to the backyard. Let's be aware of those around us and take the time 

to make a difference in their lives. Let's not just be, but be present, 

investing ourselves in our loved ones. Are you in, or are you out? 

Is that in my Job Description?

Write... right? It's been about 11 months since my last post. There's been 

much more hurrying than writing of late. The last year I decided to break for 

a bit, realizing that this mama has her limits. However now I'm craving the 

creative process. I'm hoping to post again on more of a regular basis. 

The biggest news now is that my baby is turning two tomorrow. What?! How

did that happen? Life has been crazy, but it's been good. I love my family,

even when I feel like I need a therapy session after a long day of he said, 

she said, the toddler did... , I wouldn't trade it for the world. I remember an

old movie we watched when I was growing up when a main character 

responded to concerns of fatigue by stating, "I'm blessed with work." In the

same way, I'm blessed with motherhood and all the crazy things that go 

along with it. 

Yesterday, I was recounting all the things I had done that day to my husband,

which included (but not limited too) picking up dog poo in the yard (not in my 

job description or the agreement when we adopted our beloved pooch), 

cleaning up bird poo off of the slides in the back yard, killing a huge, probably 

pregnant spider on the play set, sweeping spider webs off the swings, and 

removing an egg sack of some kind off the baby slide. He looked at me with

all seriousness and stated, "So you were a mom." Now all the spider and

spider web stuff was a big deal for me, because I don't like bugs of any kind.

I felt a bit minimized, but that's not how Jason intended it to come across. 

No, in my mind all that went above and beyond normal motherly duties. I 

wanted a bit of extra recognition. But I guess he was right (hopefully he 

doesn't read this), all the above goes along with taking care of your kids, 

loving them enough to do things you despise. I heard someone somewhere 

say that motherhood can be summed up by one word, wiping. But it's really 

why we do all the wiping. Love. Thanks to my mom and grandma for all the 

"wiping" they did, shaping our families with love. 

With this weekend being Memorial Day and having served in the USAF,

I thank the Lord for all our current, former, and retired military members 

who so selflessly serve/d our country. Thank you and God Bless you all. 

The Tree Hunt

A couple weekends ago I became acutely aware of how sweet motherhood 
is. It's easy to get caught up in the go, go, go (and not as is Diego) and the 
do, do, do of it all, easy to lose sight of what's important, of what really counts. 
Sure the tantrums are tough and the defiance from the five year old brings to 
mind a scene of a classic stand off between a parent and their teen. But we're 
in the business of bringing amazing individuals from baby to child to adult. I'm 
convinced it's the most difficult and rewarding job there is. 

That weekend we drove an hour with our little crew and cut down our
own Christmas tree at a tree farm. Unseasonably warm, it was a great
day to be out with the kids. Our tiniest family member to needed to be 
nursed as soon as we arrived, and of course a massive poopie blowout
followed. With my car seat as a makeshift changing table, I struggled to
keep my six month old from squirming off the seat, desperately tried
to avoid smearing poop somewhere it shouldn't be, and braced myself
against the car door, which the wind attempted to force close. Once the 
wind got the better of me, and the door frame clunked against my temple.

Where was my dear husband and darling children? They were off exploring 
the tree farm and deciding what kind of tree they wanted. My husband's
expression was both questioning and relieved when he saw me trudge 
up the hill toward them. I explained the poopie episode, wind fight, and 
the bump on my head (I forgot to mention the struggle with the baby sling
I had just bought, couldn't get it nearly as tight as it was supposed to be.
It had seemed so easy in the store!). I received a sympathetic look and 
we proceeded with our small band of (what was it that day?), oh yes,
Christmas tree hunters (it could've been pirates, tigers, cowboys, or
bunny rabbits), that day we were all simply Christmas tree hunters, on
a mission to find the perfect tree. 

The children hopped, jumped, ran, and danced their way between the 
trees. A few were too short, a few too misshapen, a couple too tall. It 
had to be just right. Clearly the farm had been picked over a bit, and 
the drought from the summer was evident in branches colored a lighter
green to light brown. We wove our way through the small, symmetrical
forest until we stumbled upon a good contender, nicely shaped and a 
perfect height. Although not as green as I'd like, it was our tree. The 
children shouted their approval, out came the borrowed saw, and down
came our tree. There were a few shoves to claim who would pull the 
small plastic sled carrying the tree first, but after a stern scolding, a 
reminder to share, and apologetic hugs and kisses, we were off again.
Back by a small barn-like structure to pay for our prize, the children
attempted to befriend everyone who happened by and introduced them
to our tree. 

On our way home, I reflected over our little excursion and watched 
the children slowly become calm and glassy-eyed as nap time 
approached. Although a touch stressful at times, how sweet this time
had been. Letting our kids be kids, enjoying each of their personalities, 
loving every bit of who they are, and appreciating that God gave them
to us is what I took from that afternoon. 

Life happens so quickly. Let's enjoy every moment with our families,
always love and forgive each other, and always cherish what God has
given us.

Unexpected Sugar

This morning I enjoyed one on one time with my almost two year old, James.
We visited a local park with fabulous walking trails. Due to his nature to 
wander and full out sprint away from me without warning, I was a bit nervous
about not having my trusty umbrella stroller as a back up, but you have 
to let go sometime, right? So I bravely led him passed the safe familiarity of 
the playground and ventured onto the walking trails, slightly uneasy, but
excited about our first real "nature walk" together. 


James loved it! Everyone was out walking their dogs, and he pointed to each
one and shouted, "Doddie!" His annunciation isn't the best, but it's pretty
cute. And with a mop of wild curls on the top of his head, he was mistaken 
for a girl twice. Shhh, don't tell his grandpas. They're both already 
threatening the shears. Although I'm constantly told how awesome his 
hair is, he will be getting it cut this weekend, so that he can at least 
see. 


I pointed out falling leaves, ants crossing the path, squirrels rummaging 
out in the woods, and acorns scattered here and there. He reveled in 
his time alone with Mommy doing something special, and amazingly,
he held my hand the entire way. The trail ended by a small pasture 
and stable, which housed a few horses, one of his favorite animals, 
second only to anything that roars. We pointed to the beloved creatures 
and repeated the word "horse," over and over again.


Then it was time for the swings, his favorite thing to do at the park. I 
think we occupied one for at least 20 minutes. I hadn't realized before
what a great upper-body workout it is to push a swinging child. 
My arms are actually a bit sore. It was a lovely morning, the air was 
crisp and fresh, the leaves crunched beneath our feet, and soft breezes
caused falling leaves to dance their way to the ground. In our home,
when something is super sweet, we compare it to sugar. This morning
was an unexpected delight, as sweet as sugar. 


Initially, I had been hesitant to go out this morning after dropping my oldest
off at preschool, there were so many things waiting at home for me to do. 
But housework and writing could wait. I'm so glad I listened to that still 
small voice, encouraging me to take the morning and enjoy my son. 
It's unfortunately all too easy to pass up moments like these with how
busy our lives can be. Take some time this week to do something fun 
with the ones you love and find some sugar of your own. I'm so glad I did.