at
5:30 PM
It's been awhile since I've written here...ready to start again. The days go by so quickly right now, they are good days, just such quick days.
My home. I love this place, especially this time of year. One evening last week I was overwhelmed with love for this home we've created. Everyone was sleeping, kids in their beds, Eric on the couch. I was reading, snuggled up in a blanket in the big oversized chair and ottoman. The Christmas lights and the lamp by my chair were all the lights I needed to see my book. My new Christmas candle lit on table. Contentment. Peace. Happiness. It was late, later than I should have been up, but I didn't want to go to bed just because I was so stinking happy in my big chair with my blanket and book. This house is a great place for us during each season, but something about the winters here get me. Maybe it's the wood burner and the warm heat that fills the house, the smell of the wood burning when you step outside. Maybe it's that an A-frame in the woods looks like the cover of a Christmas card when it's snowing. I'm sure it's a combination of many things, but I love it. The sacrifices we make to live here are more than worth it.
My baby girl is now a full fledged toddler, going on preschooler. She is changing rapidly and conversations with her are usually the highlight of my day. She's funny, and she knows she's funny. She's also spoiled rotten, and I think she knows that as well. Last week I had reached a bit of a breaking point, not just with her, but with all four kids. It had been a rough two days...I was lied to, hit, and screamed at one too many times. It's like something bizarre was possessing my children. My mother-in-law called to check in, and I asked her to pray for me. I almost immediately felt a change, but not in my kids behavior, in my own heart. My mind was being renewed. I began to see things much more clearly...what it meant to be their mom, to embrace their interruptions and include them in the mix of my day in a more substantial way. Then on Sunday our sermon was about renewing our minds and the Holy Spirit moved in a very clear way in my heart and in the congregation. This has effected my relationship with all four kids, but with Cora in particular. I have found that keeping her by my side, even when I am working or doing chores, helps so much. When I vacuum, Cora vacuum's. When I cook, Cora cooks. She even cleaned the bathroom with me last week. She is my work...my most important job. My mind is being renewed as a mother this Advent season, and I'm very grateful.
My home. I love this place, especially this time of year. One evening last week I was overwhelmed with love for this home we've created. Everyone was sleeping, kids in their beds, Eric on the couch. I was reading, snuggled up in a blanket in the big oversized chair and ottoman. The Christmas lights and the lamp by my chair were all the lights I needed to see my book. My new Christmas candle lit on table. Contentment. Peace. Happiness. It was late, later than I should have been up, but I didn't want to go to bed just because I was so stinking happy in my big chair with my blanket and book. This house is a great place for us during each season, but something about the winters here get me. Maybe it's the wood burner and the warm heat that fills the house, the smell of the wood burning when you step outside. Maybe it's that an A-frame in the woods looks like the cover of a Christmas card when it's snowing. I'm sure it's a combination of many things, but I love it. The sacrifices we make to live here are more than worth it.
My baby girl is now a full fledged toddler, going on preschooler. She is changing rapidly and conversations with her are usually the highlight of my day. She's funny, and she knows she's funny. She's also spoiled rotten, and I think she knows that as well. Last week I had reached a bit of a breaking point, not just with her, but with all four kids. It had been a rough two days...I was lied to, hit, and screamed at one too many times. It's like something bizarre was possessing my children. My mother-in-law called to check in, and I asked her to pray for me. I almost immediately felt a change, but not in my kids behavior, in my own heart. My mind was being renewed. I began to see things much more clearly...what it meant to be their mom, to embrace their interruptions and include them in the mix of my day in a more substantial way. Then on Sunday our sermon was about renewing our minds and the Holy Spirit moved in a very clear way in my heart and in the congregation. This has effected my relationship with all four kids, but with Cora in particular. I have found that keeping her by my side, even when I am working or doing chores, helps so much. When I vacuum, Cora vacuum's. When I cook, Cora cooks. She even cleaned the bathroom with me last week. She is my work...my most important job. My mind is being renewed as a mother this Advent season, and I'm very grateful.
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And I'm very grateful for you. Merry Christmas "Care Bear".
Debby said...
6:03 PM
I appreciate this post so much. I have 2 girls that are a lot like Cora, and I can't lie: it's a challenge for me everyday. Thanks for being honest about motherhood. I find that when we're honest about the good and bad we find other sisters around us saying "me too!" and then we're all a little less alone.
Momma Mandy said...
9:45 AM