Do you ever have weeks like that? Where you feel you have been constantly busy, constantly going, but nothing gets crossed off of your To-Do list? That has been the past week for me...I haven't blogged in a week and frankly I don't know where the time has gone! I guess it has been one of those weeks where you just tread water...no forward progress, but thankfully no backwards progress either, I hope!
Jack was out of school on Friday & Monday, and usually I like to have something "special" planned for those "free" days, but this time I had nothing. The kids stayed in their PJs most of the day on Monday. I went out for a brief errand in the morning & returned to a mess in nearly every room...I have always said that I couldn't understand how anyone could end up on a show like "Clean House", but at that point I understood...with so much stuff strewn all over the place & in my advanced state of pregnancy (that makes bending to pick things up really uncomfortable), I completely lacked the energy or desire to pick it up...I was tempted just to leave it all! Thankfully, the kids worked together with Jeff & got things cleaned up fairly quickly...and we continue to work on the principle of "Before you move on to a new toy/game/room, pick-up what you have been doing!" But that's a blog for another day!
Here are the kids enjoying some of that "together" time, snacking on Goldfish! (It's the simple things in life, really!)
In retrospect though, I'm really glad that we had nothing "special" planned for the days-off. The kids really had a lot of fun just being together (and I think they appreciated not having to rush out of the house to get anywhere.) Jack even commented to Jeff on Monday night before bed that he had a really great day & had so much fun just PLAYING all day! Imagine that...no scheduled activities, no big outings, nothing "fun" on the agenda and yet the day wasn't a waste!I think this is something that God is trying to teach me lately, a better grasp of what it truly means to rest and have His peace. We talked about it in my Hurried Life elective class last night at church & it was also touched on at the (amazing) Love & Respect Conference that Jeff & I attended this weekend...the conference was wonderful & really spoke to both Jeff and I on our responsibilities, our calling as Husband and Wife and how we are COMMANDED to treat one another. We learned about looking at things more from an eternal perspective, not so much what am I going to get out of my obedience now, but thinking of our eternal rewards in Heaven (or lack thereof) for our obedience here on earth. Sarah Eggerichs, the wife of the conference leader, spoke and gave practical examples to both husbands & wives on how to show our spouse either respect or love. When she was speaking on wives showing respect to their husbands, she mentioned a time when she (or it might have been a friend) had simply taken a chair outside to sit & watch her husband paint the house...NO magazine, NO computer, NO work, NO talking...just sitting, watching, being there...and how it really built-up the husband & eventually they did have a good conversation. Now, when I thought about doing something like this myself, my immediate response was...but what about all the things I should be doing...the housework, dinner, preparing or planning something...or the things I could be doing at the same time (because I do not get much time just to SIT)...reading a magazine or book, menu planning, email correspondence, etc...I'm a huge fan of multi-tasking! But her point was don't DO anything else, just BE there for your husband. Think of it as obedience to the Word of God that calls us to encourage one another & build each other up (1 Thess. 5:11)...so instead of sitting & doing NOTHING, I will be DOING something, obeying God. I guess I really shouldn't strive for more (or less) than that!
Dear Lord, Please let it be my heart's JOY to obey you in ALL things...especially when it comes to being the wife & mother that you have called me to be. 
3 comments:
Great post and great reminders! Life can get so busy that it is so easy to forget and look over the little things in life that matter the most!!! Love the last picture of the kiddo's so cute!!!
Wasn't that conference wonderful???!!! We loved it! I like hearing the different things that people came away with. Yes, I have a hard time, too, just doing nothing. I was hoping that having the laptop as I sat next to Gil while he had the game on counted as "shoulder to shoulder" time. I guess not! Thank you for your beautiful point. You are an encouragement to me!!! Blessings!
Amen! The kids ask me every morning where we are going, or who we are going to see. I used to think they did that b/c they were looking forward to it...but the days that I told them we were just staying home they were so excited. We get fooled into thinking that we have to "DO" something to make it special...but being together is what makes it special. Melanie, your family is so sweet! I love the pictures and I pray that my "three" will get along as well as yours!!! :-) Thanks for the encouragment!!!
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