31 Days of Things I Learned from My Children... Determination

Arms crossed, furrowed brow, and head that shakes in defiance - a snapshot of determination. She is pushing, testing to see what her boundaries are, but also fighting for a cause she absolutely believes in. And I am amazed at the conviction of this little two year old. I often wonder in the midst of one of our now daily struggles what my life would be like if I had just an ounce of her will.

A couple of days ago it was unfortunately about a "boogie" (her brother's boogie, to be exact) that her mother made her throw into the garbage. She was attempting to place it in my COFFEE! The fit that followed with garbage cans thrown and screams that shook the walls was staggering. She fought and battled with me for her need to have what she wanted, what she thought was hers. With complete reckless abandon, she fought for her cause.

Today the fit lasted one hour and twenty minutes - an hour and twenty minutes to say sorry to her brother for pulling his hair. I do not think it actually hurt him, all of our reaction was the same when he reported on it: "What hair?" But she said she had done it and was NOT apologizing. Over an hour later, she finally caved and hugged her brother with an apology. But this will, this determination, if directed in the right place just might do something or change something.

Through it all, my mind kept racing. "What if I had this determination? determination to yell louder? to SCREAM for things I TRULY believe in? for things that are right and good? What if I fought so hard for the things that needed fighting for? if I set my feet on the ground and said, NO! I am not standing for this! I am not caving on this one!" I think it is possible that if, at times, the right times, I followed the full-of-heart determination of my little, strong-willed baby girl, just maybe I might make a tiny difference in the world.

One of the things that makes my heart want to CRY OUT for justice and God's mercy is children without a place, whether that is because they have no home or parents to care for them OR their place as children has been stolen, replaced by a world full of people wanting to harm them. I often feel my hands are tied with life and responsibility. What I do is so little, but I just registered for the One Heart for Justice 5k this weekend that raises money for and knowledge about two groups, Titus Task and Ezekiel Rain, which are working on restoring the lives of orphans in NW Arkansas, Haiti, and Thailand. I am excited to learn more about these groups whose hearts beat with a similar beat as mine. And maybe join with other voices to scream for what is RIGHT and GOOD.

31 Days of "Things I have Learned from My Children"

I will be joining a group for the month of October to write for thirty one days. The challenge is to write every single day on one topic. I have picked...Thirty One Days of "Things I have Learned from My Children."

It has probably been the most eye opening thing as a parent to realize what a gift my children are as teachers. They teach me each day about my relationship with my Heavenly Father, what needs and wants look like and what disobedience does to relationships as well as grace. It has been a far bigger journey than I ever imagined; of God using my children to cut away and refine me while working on the process of making me holy. It has often been difficult, many times funny and always worthwhile. 

So, if you are interested in joining me over the next month as I look back on ten years of parenting and all the joys, stumbles, trials and triumphs that have brought me to a few steps closer to who Christ wants me to be, please pop over. 

OR if you are interested in any other topics, please stop by The Nester, there are some great topics being covered in the next month, I am looking forward to quite a few!

Five Minute Friday--- Grasp

I am trying this again, the Five Minute Friday challenge. It is a place where a group joins together to write on a word for five minutes. I am amazed at the thoughtfulness of others as I have often started and then given up. Searching after my failed attempt to see what on earth someone else could have thought to write on words like, “wide” or “focus” for five minutes. But I am giving it a try again, it is a great challenge!

Start

They always say to hold on to these moments, write it down, take pictures, at least mental ones, because these moments will not last.  You have to hold onto them, treasure them. I often cannot imagine what life will be like when they are grown. So I do, write it down, try to treasure little moments of songs and hand motions and giggles and laughter. I could never have imagined it though that they actually would grow up.

My oldest daughter turned ten this week, and I feel like I am grasping at time and her. Desperately holding onto time which is slipping through my hands and holding onto her but she is something I cannot hold on to. She is moving gracefully and awkwardly through life, and she is stepping out into a world that will try to grasp her away. I can hold her still now, but soon she will be free to go. And, I will always have a hand ready for her to hold on to when she does find her wings.

Stop

Continuing in Thankfulness
21. a daughter who loves to read
22. and then writes letters to the authors thanking them for their books
23. Watching my girl climb trees, her new found favorite thing.
24. A ten year old girl who still climbs in her moms lap for a hug at the end of the day.
25. And who lets her two year old sister climb in her lap at the beginning of the day to read books so her mom can go for a run.

And in the end... Blessing (again)

I wrote this post yesterday, but I think maybe I was too worn out. It sounded like a desperate cry instead of the hope I was actually feeling. But God is still speaking... loud as ever, this is what I saw today, and it only affirmed in me that God wants me to hear this in my suffering right now. And I am not without hope because this is true....

 "In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born," says the Lord. 

Isaiah 6:9

She whispers under her breath to me, "I do not know if I can do this... for six more months." She knows the battle she is about to face. Her body fighting the baby she is growing. Months of suffering lie ahead.

They wait for relief with prayers and petitions, that have been lifted and cried to a merciful God, for mercy. Relief from the unknown waiting if a job will come, if bills will get paid, if a house will still be a home.

And I wake in the dark, and a whole day full of possibility awaits, full of unknown. And all I want to do is crawl back in bed because the possibilities today are overwhelming. The questions of, "What are we doing today?" "Can you make me breakfast?" "Can I go to our neighbors?" "Do we have to read that?" and it goes on and on. But I am afraid to go into the place that is quiet and alone because if I do, I am not sure I will ever leave. So I keep moving, answering the questions, cooking and cleaning.

 "Mom just likes to be alone." And I tell myself it is because I am an introvert and need time alone, but really it is because I am not sure how to be around people when I feel like my insides are falling apart.

Words about joy in suffering, wrestling like in child birth with demons that come back, and like child birth just when it feels like you might die from the pain, a blessing. I sat listening to Beth Moore in Bible Study today. Tears stinging my eyes, again. She spoke about the Greek and Hebrew and how over and over in scripture God talks about anguish and joy together. And the anguish compared with child birth. But then God. God changes our sorrow into joy. And we miss it if we give up on trusting that God will care for us in the midst of our sorrow and suffering, we miss the blessing.

And God, God is all His sovereignty and grace is speaking in words to me, so loudly I can not help but hear because it makes my heart beat faster. It is like your name is being called in class and you are not sure you are really ready for that presentation. Right now, here, He is speaking so loudly, and I want to cry again because He knows exactly what I need to hear right now. And that is scary and lovely all at the same time.

BUT there is HOPE because...

The weight of sickness is great, and her body is fighting her in this pregnancy. She knows that in the end... blessing.

Friends without jobs waiting, so much longer than they thought they should wait, knowing that God IS good, knowing in the pain God is still good, HOLD ON, in the end... blessing.

And, I am in the midst of a struggle. Sometimes, I just get tired in the fight. But God is speaking these words to me. Do NOT give up; in the end... BLESSING.

Celebrating You-- WARNING, this post is a little sappy.

Sometimes I hold my breath, trying to change the rhythm. Breathing on cue; I panic because suddenly, it does not work like it is supposed to. I feel like I am drowning and I can not breathe. Or, I stop blinking and then try to start and it is hard to see because every blink is an effort, and I wonder maybe this is what my life will be like forever, the effort of breathing and blinking. But then in the middle of all my work I realize I am doing it on my own again. This is not a habit or something I learned. It is part of who I am. I am alive; breathing, blinking alive. And somehow or time or where that is what happened to my heart, with you.

If I tried to stop loving you, to start a different rhythm, I would feel like I was going to die. Because my heart is not in the habit of loving you. My love for you has become a part of who I am. My love for you is just like breathing and blinking, it is part my living. The kind of love that when things go wrong, I start to panic, because my heart is off. I work to make it right, I try to make my heart beat right. But then, I realize in the midst that my heart is right back to where it is supposed to be. It knows you so completely, the rhythm of you.

And, today we are celebrating YOU, my love. Your day! Today I get to celebrate what an amazing man I love with all my heart.

In honor of 35 years of life, here are thirty five things I love about you!

I LOVE
1.That for twenty one days you officially get to be one year older than me.
 
I LOVE
2. Your laugh

I LOVE
3. Your smile

AND I LOVE....
4. That you always put our family first.
5. You care about the hearts of our children
6. Your eyes
7. That you can make up something to eat in the kitchen from WHATEVER is available...
8. and that you always let the kids help
9. That you work hard
10. Watching you paint
11. Watching you hold our children for the first time.
12. Watching you hold our children as they have grown.
13. Going for walks with you
14. Going on adventures with you
15. When you make up stories
16. That you always stop for people on the side of the road
17. You do not get mad when I call you just because I need to
18. That you hate to fight as much as I do
19. That you support most of my crazy plans
20. That you go camping with me even though you hate it...
21. That when I realize camping is not as much fun as an adult and whine a lot you still go camping with me again in case it is going to get better.
22. What you believe
23. Your passion for what you believe
24. That you have full faith in me in crisis situations, most husbands might run to the rescue when their wife is lost in the dark and rain, but you with full confidence just ask me to call when I am safe:)
25. Holding your hand
26. Seeing you live your dreams
27. Sharing our dreams with each other
28. That you cry when you think about our kids growing  up
29. Laughing with you
30. Kissing you
31. That I can trust you completely.
32. Playing Ticket to Ride with you....
33. That you understand that I cry when I lose at Ticket to Ride or any game for that matter
34. Your faith
35. That my love for you is part of who I am

A Letter to my girl

My dearest Anya,


I wrote this letter four years ago.. and now four years later it is only more true.

Today, is your birthday! Ten years ago, you came into this world screaming and full of life, and changed mine. All the offers to hold you or give me a "break" I brushed aside aware suddenly that my arms had longed to hold you my whole life; I just never knew it before. I held you and danced with you making up songs in whisper during the long nights we stayed awake while the world slept.      


You have traveled through life with us, through fun times and hard times, through times when we felt God's blessing and times when we heard nothing but silence, with no home to call our own or job. God provided what we needed and you grew just like you were supposed to.


You have always had a strong will. I will never forget when you were around four months old, you learned to sit up for the first time... and that was how you slept that day, because you were not laying down ever again! And when you were two, we finally made you give up your bottle. You have not drunk milk since that day.

You make friends better than anyone I know. And handle with grace those trying to give you a hard time. I will always remember sitting at dinner when you were four. You had been playing with the kids in our apartment building and apparently one of the boys had been teasing you... you told me he said, "your butt has a crack in it." I wondered what your response was, it had not been crying to mommy. You told me you had just told this boy that was how God made you! I could not have been more proud of you!

I love that you love going out for coffee (hot chocolate)  and reading books. I love that you love movies and putting on pajamas as soon as you are done for the day. You are an early riser. Quick to laugh. And oh what a laugh you have, it is contagious. You often sit back and let your sisters and brother put on the show but you enjoy watching and laughing with them. You are loyal, sometimes to a fault. You are fun and sweet. You are unbelievably creative! You are thoughtful and kind. You are beautiful.

                                               I love you my sweet girl! Happy 10th Birthday!

                                                                              dance with me Anastasia Grace and we will go to a far away place....                           

Missing Beauty

"So beautiful, it took my breath away, sorry." She stopped for just a second during our run, her feet quickly rejoining my steps.

I had not seen it. I had NO idea what she was talking about. We were running through a small forest along a creek, in the pitch dark. What did she see? 

I was missing the beauty. I kept speaking. Words that barely stopped to hear something about beautiful. I looked briefly, but did not see it. I realized not in the moment, later, I could be drinking in beauty, instead I was spilling suffering. Hoping for someone to hear a bit of my pain. I am tired, worn out, failing always. I am Tired of trying not to fail. I am overwhelmed with the trying.

"Did you smell those roses!" I missed it again, almost. Out of the corner of my eye, I see red;. bright red. The sun is beginning to rise, it is not so dark. I want to stop. To go back. To breathe deep in and smell. But I can't. I can't stop running.

"I want to spend TIME with you." He says. Precious time with my husband whom I love. But I have plans. I have things to do. A list has been made. I have been waiting all day to finally sit. "I want to just spend TIME with you, talk." And so I do, reluctantly looking at what I had planned. Frustrated that I cannot enjoy this moment, this now.

"It is funny how I used to love to just spend time, now it seems so much work." Before I even finish the words, I know it was a mistake. He is not work. He is not the problem. It is me, my problem. If I had written him in my schedule in my mind, I would be okay, I think. But tonight it just wasn't my plan. I was not treasuring like I did before we married, every waking minute of quiet we had to get to know each other, I was trying to fit him in. I missed the moment, the beauty.

So I am back to my list, to sit in beauty, in the moment that I am thankful for.

11. Friends that do not miss the beauty, that point it out when they see it.
12. A neighbor who frequently meets me with iced coffee after rest time, knowing, most days are long
13. Bikes that are ridden up and down the street in the cooler evening of fall
14. The smell of freshly mowed grass.
15. Roses, bright red roses in the fall, that remind me to stop.
16. A husband who wants to just spend time with me, turn off the TV, computer and talk and listen
17. A daughter who lets me be sad, curled up in my arms when I am homesick still, then wipes my eyes, "All done mommy?"
18. "Catching Cickets" or catching grasshoppers, but a two year old's version is much cuter
19. Laughing until I cry
20. Windows open that let in the smell of outdoors; the smell that reminds me of freshly washed sheets hung on the line and then crawling into bed as a child after a long day of playing in the summer sunshine.