Collision

There are moments in life that feel like a collision.  One of those ran a red light, came out of nowhere kind of collisions.  It hits, but instead of sitting still in the silence that follows after a real-life car collision, you keep moving at a pace that doesn't seem to fit. Nothing seems to slow down. 

The collision itself should have taken you out for a bit.  It shook you and it hurts.  When you actually have a little time to think about it, the tears begin to fall.  It's real and raw, but somehow you keep finding the strength to put one foot in front of the other.

You lie in bed as the sun begins to awaken all that fills this side of the earth and you see the orange and pink rays.  You smile, thinking about the beauty created in these mere seconds before the sun completely reveals itself.  All of its glory reflecting The One who deserves all the glory.

A heaviness weighs on you in these moments of the morning.  One that feels as though it will keep you from even getting your feet to hit the ground.  The warmth and safety of the blankets seem better, maybe even easier, than what may be waiting for you through-out the day.  You linger.  You wait.  Wait to see if maybe this day can just pass on by without you.

As you close your eyes you remind yourself that actually staying in the darkness cannot be an option.  The light, THE ONE TRUE LIGHT begins to shine into the crevasse of your heart and you begin to choose the way of life.  Your heart gently says to your mind, "HIS mercies are new every morning. Great is HIS faithfulness."  

But you cry to Him, that it feels like HIS faithfulness to you is running thin.  Although, you know that is not true.  The very breath you exhale is a gift. A "just for today" kind of gift.  

Life.  It is an on-going series of collisions.  Emotions, experiences, circumstances, people, trials, questions, joys, pain.  They all collide at different moments, but you keep moving forward.  Honestly, at times this movement is beyond your own comprehension, but deep in your soul you know you move because HE is making it possible.  In and through you.  Despite you.  

The hardest part comes in the choosing.  Not so much because you don't want to choose, but just because choosing the right way seems really hard some days.  It seems that the mundane of every day life or the overwhelming reality of the trial wins at that moment.  That collision of truth and reality.  The grace of the Father and the harshness of the world.  
  
But soon you're on your feet and engaged in life, moving forward.  And HE, the ONE is engaged in every detail of your life.  He sustains when the collision takes place.  That's how you choose and how you keep moving forward.  How you find the joy and hope in breaking through the heaviness.   

You know that this too will shape you and sanctify you and it will be worth it.  You also know that it is hard and real and requires of you a choice. A trusting kind of choice in His will over yours.  

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.  Psalm 30:11-12

 

    

The Beatitudes

Following is the memory work for the Clubhouse class.  Your students/children will be reciting this in August, so please practice a little every day!  Thank you :)

Your child should also have received a nine card packet with each verse, concept and photo.  If you did not receive one, please let Mrs. Marcia Whitehorn know!

A Snapshot...

Okay....well hello there!  When I logged on tonight I saw that it had been about 3 months since my last post and I felt disappointed.  It is not that I really feel like I have great things to say, but writing and expressing my thoughts helps me process and be creative.  As I look back over the last seven months, I probably should have blogged more and it would have helped the process!  Anyway...more on that later :)

Tonight I got the rare chance to check-up on some blogs that I haven't read in a long time and a few of them had "A Day in the Life" posts.  I thought it was so fun to see how they do the daily on-goings of life, so I thought it might be a fun re-entry post to blogging.  So, here is the most recent day that is still fresh on my mind, here goes....

3:00am  Luke comes to tell me he's hungry and he is going to get snack, then go back to bed.  (This happens about 3 times a week!)

5:30am   My alarm goes off and I hit snooze.  I sleep a few more minutes in my perfect bed and then the alarm goes off again. By the way, it is the sound of crickets chirping because I despise loud, annoying beeping alarms...like Wesley's  :0

5:50am   I hear Evan wake up and go walking down the hall.  He stops, then climbs in bed with Eli to "nuggle." This makes me smile in my warm bed.  I grab my devotion book and read today's encouragement.  James 3:17-18, The wisdom from above is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.  I love this verse, but I also love that I just studied the 7th Beatitude, blessed are the peacemakers~ so it has a new meaning to me this time.  The words on the pages encourage me to seek God's wisdom for the many decisions I have to make in one day.  It says that wisdom grows out of a long-time devotion to self-control and discipline. God is the one who upholds the ground I stand on, so I must plant my feet solidly with Him!

6:20am  Eli comes to make sure I am taking him to school.  I get up, brush my teeth, hair, put on make-up.  I get dressed, check the paint color in the boy's room I painted last night and come out to the kitchen.

6:40am  The kitchen is a buzz with my men~ making breakfast, talking to our baby turtles, finding belts, changing diapers, getting shoes on and practicing today's recitation, "A Slash of Blue" by Emily Dickinson.

7:15am  Miss Maggy arrives~ she stays the morning with Evan and Luke, so I can volunteer in Eli's class.  We are out the door and on our way!

7:55am  Arrive at school.  Listen to each of the kids recite their poem and record the grades.

8:40am   Leave school and stop at Target to pick up a few things.

9:30am  Meet Wesley at the gym to chat and work-out.  We visit for about 35 mins about life and some decisions we need to make.  Then work-out on the treadmill and thigh machine weights.  This is not my favorite, but I do feel better having done it and I like to be there with Wesley.


11:30am   Evan has an appointment, which takes about 15 mins~ then we go to lunch with Miss Maggy :) I have a salad and Lobster Bisque soup.  I see two friends there and catch-up a bit!

12:45pm   Drive to the auto-car wash and vaccum, the van looks like it hasn't been cleaned in 3 months!  Evan is not crying in the car wash, which is great!  This is NOT his favorite place. We drive to the post office and send my mom a happy box filled with fun things for her during her up-coming 4 day hospital stay & surgery.


1:30pm  Arrive home, change Evan's diaper and lay him down for a nap.  Unload the dryer and start a new washer cycle.  Fold clothes and listen to Luke read.

2:00pm  Luke goes outside to play since he is done with school work from this morning while Miss Maggy was here.  I lay down for a quick nap :) I am a huge believer in naps and have taken one almost everyday!  All of us love that time of day when it is quiet time and we settle-down and re-group for the rest of the day.

2:30pm   I go outside and play horseshoes and croquet with Luke.  This game is new to him and it is fun trying to teach him the right skill!

3:15pm  We go in to do house chores, book my rental car for when I go help my mom next week, laundry, kitchen floor, dining room table from school.  We get Luke's t-ball gear together and he gets dressed.

4:00pm  Evan wakes up.  He snuggles and then I change him and get him dressed.  He wants his "pri" (Capri Sun) and he is ready to go!  We hop in the car to go pick up Eli from Chess Club.

4:40pm  We leave school and drive to Red Robin to meet daddy for supper before Luke's t-ball game.  (*This is EXTREMELY rare that we eat out 2x in one day!)  I eat the Turkey Avacado croissant sandwich with fries and ranch.

6:20pm   Arrive at the ball field. I check e-mail and Facebook for a few minutes before we all get out. The temp gauge in my car says 78 degrees but the wind is blowing and I feel chilly, so I wear my fleece and think to myself that my dear friend will think I am so silly :)  Approximately 15 mins later I see her and she is grinning, then says "You and your polar fleece!"  Yep, she didn't let me down!  Luke does good, he tripped before 1st base at one point and took a nose dive, but he recovers.  On our way back to the game he says with grin, "That's the first time I've gotten hurt in t-ball!"

7:30pm  Wesley leaves for a meeting.  We leave at 7:45 and head home.

8:15pm   I give Evan and Luke a shower and then dry their hair.  Evan gets in his pack-n-play to look at books, Luke goes to his bed to read.  I get jammies and a diaper.  Eli finishes up in the shower and then they take turns brushing teeth and getting a drink.  We gather on Eli & Luke's bed for prayers.  Evan prays, "God, tank you for t-ball and daddy. Uh....Amen."  Luke prays not to be over-excited and wild tomorrow when friends come over and Eli prays to be a good leader for his brothers.  :)

8:45pm  I tuck them all in with kisses and head to make a cup of tea.  Then I sit down to check out some blogs and decide to get back in touch with mine!

9:45pm  I am still writing and Wesley comes home.  He draws me a bath and I am about to sign off to go unwind and then climb into bed.  I would normally do a project until about 11, but I have a big day tomorrow and I have been battling a headache for most of the afternoon and evening.

That is it in a nutshell!  I may do another "at home" kind of day, because most of our week looks a bit different with school and regular house responsibilities, but I will leave that for another time!  

b"US"y

busy.....


It's a four letter word that can imply so much in one person's life.  But when you take that word and begin multiplying it by however many people live in your little house, WHOA!  It can seem to take over and begin running the train right off the track.


My discretionary time is very limited and so I always feel like I don't know what to choose when it comes, but spending some time on Pinterest is one of the ways I do spend my extra time.  It energizes me to see all those fun ideas and gets my creative juices flowing.  I am certainly one who functions better when my creativity has an outlet! While on the other night, I clicked on a picture that led me to a blog and her description read, "Living a simple, meaningful, hand-made life."  All those words struck me at my heart.  I could identify in one way or another with what that message portrayed.

Each year, Mr.Wonderful and I choose a word or words that will give us tracks to go on for that year.  This year they are intentional and diligent.  Our life is very full right now of many things....


young boys' busyness
school
prayer
uncertainty
ministry
unknown possibilities
love
laundry
struggles
growth
family
friends
cooking
cleaning


But, no matter what I find myself doing, those two words, intentional and diligent, are always looming out in front of me.  Jesus was so intentional when He was here on earth.  He took time for people and He was certainly busy! Always wanting to be found faithful doing the work of His Father.


Yesterday was a really hard day for me.  I was full of so many emotions and thoughts, that I finally had to quietly go sit on my bed and just be still.  My heart cried out for God to be God and to show Himself to me here in this hard place.  I knew that this ache in the depth of me would not go away or change by relying on anyone or anything else other than God.


He was, of course, faithful.  He filled my cup so that I could continue through my day.  


My whole day is full of motherhood and help-meet responsibilities and it can all seem like so much!  There is always a constant pull to find the most efficient way for our lives to blend and work and compliment one another.  I do not think I will never be busy.  But in that, I never want to take my eyes off the b"US"y right in the middle of that word.  To me "US" is God and I, Mr. Wonderful and I, all five of us~ it is the people in my life.


I want my life to be simple enough that I have time for the priorities that fill my heart.
I want it to be meaningful, so that it matters~ in the eyes of God.
I want it to be hand-made in the sense, that my hands are hard at work building my home and filling it with things that really say, "this is who we are and what we are about."


Those things will not happen unless I am intentional and diligent with my life each day.  Each set of 24 hours that God gives to me matters! What words do you find yourself/your family focusing on this year?  How are you making sure you live by them each day?  

Proverbs 14:1

The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.