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Over the past three hours, I have read posts on givesmehope.com and have cried off and on. Honestly I can say without any doubt we are truly blessed, but it is the every day that gets in the way of realizing it. It is the missed alarm clock or screaming baby; the horrible boss or the unappreciative spouse. How often do we fail to see the simple everyday miracles that occur in plain view? I know I am guilty of forgetting to see the miracles all around me. Just take a few moments to recognize the everyday miracles and be thankful.
I get wrapped up in the tedious chores of the daily routine, and I forget how many small, simple pleasures there are to enjoy being a housewife and mother. So to remind myself I am going to create a list of just the ones on my mind right now.
-a quiet house while the baby naps
-Barrett's laughter
-the way my husband smells after a shower
-gardening in the morning before it gets too hot outside to enjoy it
-the satisfaction of growing our own food
-the taste of a homegrown tomato, peach, strawberry, etc.
-the feel of freshly laundered sheets
-eating outside
-eating with your fingers
-making love in the afternoon
-the perfect hug
-holding a sleeping child
-reading a really good book
-cooking a really great meal
-being debt free
-crawling into bed at night with the love of my life
-God's grace
-singing really loud in the car
-swimming
-the colors green and purple
-birdsong
-the smell of brewing coffee and bacon frying
-the sound of cracking the shell on a creme brulee
-laughing at my husband as he dances for the baby
-breastfeeding
-petting a dog or two
-traveling to somewhere I've never been
-traveling to somewhere I've been a million times
-a Texas State Fair corndog
-the wind on your face as you drive with the windows down
-getting lost
-being found
-honesty
It is so easy to lose sight of the simple pleasures and blessings. I am so guilty of that. I need to remember this life is short and we have only so many days in which to enjoy it. Please God remind me each day to be thankful for the blessings you have given our family. Thank you.
I've been reading and listening to a lot of Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church lately, and I have to confess I have been convicted of my shortcomings when it comes to recognizing God's power and using the gifts I have been given. Driscoll makes it abundantly clear that Christ is Lord. Period. End of story. And because He is Lord we are compelled and commanded to proclaim his majesty and grace to the world. I, for one, have known that for a long time, but I have been lacking in my passion for serving and proclaiming Him as Lord. I was privileged to sit in on a staff meeting last night, and as I sat listening to all of the leaders of our church the Holy Spirit whispered gently to me about my complacency and lack of motivation. It was like a slap in the face. How did I get here? I have used far too many lame excuses for not serving. The biggest of all has been our son. It's his nap time. He won't be up that early or we can't keep him out that late. He doesn't know them. Every one of those excuses have been used multiple times ad nauseum. It's pathetic really, and it's finished. Our son needs to see his parents serving and worshiping the one true God. I need forgiveness for excusing my lack of zeal. Thankfully, it is God's kindness that leads me to repentance.
2010...a new year and decade. Where did the last one go? It's hard to believe 2009 flew by so quickly and with so many firsts taking place. First pregnancy and subsequent birth, first son, first smiles and laughs, and everything that goes with raising a newborn in those brief but beautiful first months. He is the light of my life, and I know 2010 will have its share of firsts as well.
I am pulled, more often than not, away from this journal due to the daily constraints of being a stay at home mom and wife. Laundry, dishes, baby needs someone to play with, the dogs need to be walked, etc...but as the year is progressing I find I am in need of a place I can dump my thoughts at the end of the day without having to justify or explain them. Perhaps in the silence of my home tonight I will be able to quiet my mind once these words have left it. We'll see.
