"We can't all, and some of us don't. That's all there is to it." EeyoreIt's been one of those days... One of those days for a few weeks now. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just take a complete vacation from our lives for just a little while? Not talking weeks or anything, even a few hours would be okay (smile).
Being a mommy is a lot of work. Work I love, but a lot of work. And when you take the time to cultivate patience and understanding~~it teaches so much and really has made me a better person~~a much more vocal and outspoken person, but better ;). Being a wife is a lot of work too (especially a wife to a man who teaches, coaches, and loves/worships Iowa football), but work I also love. Teaching and taking care of children is my profession and quite honestly, the most and hardest work I've ever done (sometimes I miss those cubicle days at Meredith Publishing for Family Money magazine--okay more than sometimes ;))~but work I am dedicated to and used to feel quite fulfilling. As of late, I'm thinking my fellow staff and I should write our own version of "The Help"...
Through it all we keep pushing ourselves, trying to be a good friend, giving as much as we can of ourselves to show God's love, to share some encouragement in a world that seems to be full of such "yuckiness" (as my 3 year old says), nurturing our relationship with God, with girlfriends, all takes time too. And I often feel like I'm failing in this respect--grabbing the Bible late before bed when I can barely keep my eyes open (honestly, sometimes the only 'Bible' I get is the children's Bible stories I tell my children each night before bed), throwing notes and favors to friends when I can squeeze them in, having every intention of getting notes and cards sent (and they're still sitting on my counter), meaning to bake that special dessert for a neighbor who's going through a tough time--sometimes getting it done, sometimes not... Being the person I truly WANT to be takes lots of time...
Taking a break from running after a playground injury today after taking a bit of a break from it last week as well due to time constraints and cold, cold mornings at 4:30 a.m. (and the treadmill and I haven't become best of friends yet...). Trying to stay healthy and making some time for the things I love and keep me sane usually take a back seat. My children (and husband) keep reminding me that I drink entirely too much caffeine and eat way too much sugar. They are my crutches. I'll admit that.
Taking time to PAUSE... Taking time to find JOY... Taking time to find PEACE... I pray and talk a lot to God (so if you see my mumbling to myself in the car, that's what I'm doing ;)), and am doing the best I can day by day. Right now it is WAY past Max's bedtime and we are still doing homework together (he's writing a story with a list of vocabulary words he has to use in his story after finishing his Math worksheets, timed tests, spelling, and reading for the night--this all after football practice till 7 p.m., a quick supper and bath and a full day of school... We do what we can. He has lots of responsibility and probably wishes he could have a vacation too. Griff just wants to run around and scream HIKE and play football some more (after begging me to make him cookies as our friend, Sara, just gave me a horse shaped cookie cutter today--getting home from work a little before seven tonight, I had no energy to start sugar cookies ;)). Tomorrow, baby... We'll make lots and lots of Floyds and Spirits tomorrow...
So, here's to a vacation in our mind. Here's to finding peace, joy, and transcendence above our stress from God and from within. Here's to all the blessings, big and small, we have to hold onto (and those we have had to let go and miss, yet have had the blessing of holding for a little while). Here's to the friends we love and wish we could see and do more for (and for them loving us just the same). And to doing what we can, when we can and not beating ourselves up anymore... Life does enough of that for us... Love you all...
