No time to weep...

I don't really love doing laundry.  However, up until very recently, I do really love my washing machine.  It's a schnazzy front loader, compete with a delayed start option, as well as a variety of settings-- from a quick wash to delicates to even a hand wash option.  Like I said: schnazzy!

And yet.

Oh, yet.  There is some "glitch" with my miracle machine.  For whatever reason, my beloved machine will randomly pause itself... until I discover this break in the cycle and have to press "start" to resume the wash.  Yah, kinda annoying.  Wanna know how many times I had to "reboot" my washer this weekend?  (You probably really don't...)

Seven.  SEVEN times.  For one load.  S...E...V...E...N...   It literally took all day for me to do one load of laundry.

And that really made me want to cry.  I mean, I have three wee ones, plus my hubby and I.  That's a substantial amount of laundry to get done.  But since I still had 379 loads of laundry to finish (and banking on this machine's current track record means I should be finished... um, well... never),  instead of sitting down and sobbing in frustration, I just took a deep breath and pushed that blessed "start" button.  Again.  Because, you know... I didn't really have time to spare to sit and weep-- no matter how desperately I longed to do so.

And do you know what happened next?  My sweet girl wanders right into the laundry room, snuggles up to me and said, "Man, I am so glad you're my mama.  You are THE BEST!"  *snuggle-snuggle*

 

And then do you know what happened?  My sweet Daniel walks in and announces, "I just put away all the dishes out of the dishwasher AND reloaded it."

 

What a sweet reminder from the Lord of just how blessed I truly am.  I often get so busy with my busyness that I forget to stop and remember "they that WAIT upon the Lord..." and I am to "let patience have its perfect work".  If I hadn't spent all that time pushing the button, I might have missed these tender souls, ministering to me.  Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me about this slowing down, by means of that blessed washing machine.

And I really did learn:  there is no time to weep.  I have too much to be thankful for as I journey on my way.  Why would I waste even a moment weeping?

 

Just keep swimming...

              ... just keep swimming!

That's been my mantra this week.  And swim, I have!  As I've shared before, I do love the water.  I love the solitude (even when the guy in the lane next to me is "racing" me...).  I am thankful for my sweet hubby who "sends" me each day!

Days 29-35

Day 29...

When I came home from school, my sweet Ellie greeted me with elation and love-- as is her usual custom.  While I don't always love working outside of my home, the blessing of this greeting day after day after day is such a precious gift.  But today in addition to the regular greeting, she added, "Mama!  I have a surprise for you!"  Shamefully, I have to share that while my heart was ready and desirous of accepting this surprise, my schedule driven, task-oriented nature brushed it aside, and instead went into "operation recovery: mama is home from school" mode.  It wasn't until much later, as I finally headed to bed that I discovered the precious "surprise" that my little princess had so lovingly crafted for me:

Do you notice the "E" for Ellie and the "M" for Mama?

It literally made me weep.  I am so ashamed that I did not take the brief moment to stop from the hustle and bustle of my life to drink in the innocence of this sweet child that I get to call "mine".  Even as I sit here and look at this picture, I am moved to tears by the giving nature of this little girl.  Isn't it wonderful how the Lord uses the littles to teach the bigs?


Day 30...

It is amazing how time flies by.  It is amazing the things the sweet ones can learn and do.  My current favorite thing is listening to my sweet Daniel read God's Word-- especially to his brother and sister.  Daniel has taken on the responsibility of reading their Bible lesson each night before bedtime.  I cling to that encouragement-- especially during the moments of struggle and instruction.

Day 31...

Ugh... it was: a day.  And, yet.  Oh, and yet... I am blessed more than I could ever deserve.  As I was "strongly encouraging" my sweet ones to clean up their toys, Ellie Rose pipes up, "Thank you,  Mama, for all the work you do for us!"  [shot through the heart, conviction!]  

Day 32...

Sweet Samuel's 9 month well-baby check up was supposed to be a couple weeks ago-- you know when we had those 374 snow days?  Well, today was finally the day.  And I am proud to report that my 5-weeks early preemie has blossomed into the 97% for his height (and that would be the 97% for his BIRTH age-- not his "adjusted age"!) and his weight is still off the charts, but not as much as it was.  Hey, we grow 'em big, and they like to eat.  Don't judge me.  Again, it was a great family time, since we all trudged down (over an hour from home-- what can I say: we love our pediatrician!) and back.  But my sweet hubby is the best, and the time with kiddos is always precious.

 

He's come a long way from this early check-up... 

though I no longer can visit without remembering him as this tiny, little fighter!  

God is so good...

Day 33...

Valentine's day... I am blessed to have a godly sweetheart who loves me unconditionally as Christ loves the church.  And add to that, I now have three little sweet ones who call me "mama".  One of my most favorite names in all the world. I had a sweet breakfast with my Daniel; we shared some Munchkins with his teacher (you know, because she takes care of *MY* munchkin!); Ellie and mama got roses from my daddy; Samuel was a snuggle monster; I made a sweet treat for all of my sweets for dinner.  What a wonderful day...  *sigh in my heart happy*

Day 34...

GIRLS' DAY!!!

My sweet Ellie sometimes feels a little left out by mama-- Daniel gets to ride to and from school with me each day; Samuel is the baby and, obviously, gets the "baby normal" amount of attention.  Sooo... I try to work in some special time for her to have me all to herself.  And the joy, gratitude, and elation from my sweet princess is so rewarding and renewing for my soul. 

We started with a milkshake from Chick-fil-A.  Well, ELLIE had a milkshake-- mama had a Coke Zero [feel free to insert massive praise riiiiiiight about.... here].  We then headed over to get our toes done.  Ellie also enjoyed having her sweet little nails painted, too.  After that, it was lunch at our favorite restaurant-- an authentic little Italian place where the service it great, the food is divine, and the price isn't too bad either!  I will take this moment to brag:  we started with a salad, and then I only had ONE slice of that delicious pizza.  And, you know what?  That was really all that I wanted!  I guess that's what the grown folk call: progress!

    

      

Day 35...

Today was a bittersweet day.  We had a "See you later!" fellowship time after church for a dear family that is moving away.  I am sad for our loss in our local church family, but how I rejoice in the hope that we have in knowing our bond is eternal through the blood and gift of Christ!

Since we didn't have an evening service, we decided to make the most of it and have some family fun!  Daniel was desperately in need of new shoes, but he has whacky feet and can't wear just any shoes from any store (read that as: Wal-Mart).  And as one who has really sensitive feet, I happily oblige and get those "special shoes" for him!

 

SUCCESS!

(And they even light up, too!  It's a win-win for everyone! ;) )

We stumbled upon this home-cookin' kind of establishment.  And it was sooooo good.  I even had the fried catfish.  Did you read that right?  Fried. Catfish.  Don't worry.  I swam later.  A lot.  Oh, boy was it worth it.  Mmmmm.... so yummy.  My sweet hubby presented the suggestion that we make this little joint our "no Sunday evening service" tradition.  I'm game!!!

  

My fried Catfish.  Please notice that it didn't even all fit in the photo. 

Thaaaaa's what I'm talking 'bout!

Do you know why our faces are so happy?!
(See previous photo)

 

 

This was certainly a busy week, but I am once again grateful for the Lord's provision and grace.  How humbled I am that when I fail, the Lord never turns away saying, "Nope.  I've given you enough chances.  Sorry about your luck!  You wanted to do it your way, so have at it..." 

No, my gracious Abba Daddy picks me up, dusts me off, and wipes away my self-inflicted tears.  He fills my cup, presses it down, and lets it overflow.  Again and again.  And again.

Somebody's daughter...

Nowadays it seems there is one of those different colored ribbons in support of just about anything you could imagine.  You know the ones I'm talking about?  I stumbled upon this chart, breaking it all down for me...

The first one of these kinds of ribbons that I remember seeing came many years ago... The yellow ribbon in support of our military personnel who were defending our freedom during the Gulf War early days.  As a very patriotic person, it did my heart good to see the magnets on cars, the ribbons on trees, and even pins on the shirts of those who were sharing their loved ones.  For me.

But let's fast-forward more than a few years... 

I have about a 35 minute commute each way to school, which allows for me to pass and/or share the road with a lot of different vehicles.  The other day as I was stopped at a light, I happened to look over at the truck in the lane next to me.  To this day, I remain fascinated with those brightly colored ribbons, so I found myself eagerly straining my eyes to read the tiny print on the ribbon stuck to the bumper.  Imagine my surprise when it registered completely to my sleep-deprived mind what exactly that person was proudly endorsing:

Support Strippers

It actually took me a few seconds to kind of absorb what I read.  "Appalled" doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what hit my heart.  That quickly transitioned to a heart-wrenching sadness.  I looked at the proud supporter of this "great" cause.  The driver was a middle-aged-ish man.  Nothing too terribly "creepy" looking about him.  Just your average guy.  Nothing that screamed, "hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife..."

And then, as my mind is often prone to do, I found my mind automatically calculating this path of thoughts...

I wonder how he would feel if he stumbled upon an establishment that employed young women to take off their clothing (among other things, but I don't even want to start down that road) for the sinful, lustful pleasure of random men-- only to discover that the latest entertainer to take the stage seemed vaguely familiar.  This discovery, of course, only after he took a good while to familiarize himself with every other part of her sacred body.  EXCEPT for her face.  I wonder how he would feel, what he would do, if suddenly, to his horror (and how I pray it would be horror) he discovered that the woman he had just been "drinking in" was in reality:  his daughter.

I wonder if every "first" of her precious life would flash before his eyes... first smile, first cry, first steps, first words, first boo-boo, first... first... first...

I wonder if he would be so compelled to dash up to that stage, coat in hand, frantic to cover up the sacred body of this precious soul of his baby girl...

And then I actually started to weep, right there in my car, as my thought path came to a sobering halt:

She is somebody's daughter.

She is somebody's sister.

And friend.

Somebody's (future) wife.

And then I thought, "Where is the ribbon for THAT?  What color should I wear to show my support for ending the shame and desperation and devastation that comes from a life that has been caught by the Evil One?  Where are the marchers who demand a change?"

Too often, there is a wayward soul that wanders down that dangerous, slippery slope... a life that has been trapped and someone has reeked havoc and ripped away innocence and squandered what might have been left.

One of the most convicting and truth-filled verses in all of Scripture can be found in the book of Proverbs:

"...he did not know it would cost his life." 

(Proverbs 7:23)

So my mama-heart has been challenged again.  My determination has been re-set.  My determination renewed.  

Oh, how I pray God that I will be able to train my daughter in such as way that it is a natural way of life for her to know that she is sacred.  She is so. much. more. than her body.  That her body does not belong to her.  

May I train my sons to be the men who will stand up and say, "NO!"  May they not allow the Evil One to trickle even a sliver of temptation into their hearts. 

May we sound our battle cry.  May we storm heaven's gates with the determination to "hold fast that which is true".  May we purpose in our hearts that we will never allow for even a shadow of evil to enter while on our watch.  And may we watch.  And watch and watch.  And pray.  And pray and pray and pray.  And then stand fast.  May we never "give place to the devil".  

 And may we always remember:  

 she is somebody's daughter.