Tag: birthday

Giving Grace

Sometimes the hardest person for me to give grace to is…

…myself.

Anyone out there have this problem? I can give grace to most everyone else most of the time, but I am so hard on my own self.

Right now I am frustrated with myself for so many things including my weight, my two-week hiatus from exercise after a surgical procedure, my clothes not fitting the way they should, the way I see myself in the mirror, and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my health. Don’t get me started about other areas.

But then I remember that today, my youngest turns 16. I birthed a 10 pound 1 ounce, 23-1/2 inch boy 16 years ago today. I carried this monster of an infant in my womb for 9-1/2 months and then nursed him for almost a year. I have chased him around, first on foot around the yard and numerous parks, and now in a car from soccer field to tennis court to band concert. I have ridden bikes around town with him, jumped with him on the trampoline, sat in the car with him as he learned to drive, and so much more.

And really, isn’t living what life is all about?

What if, instead of beating myself up about not being where I want to be physically, I reminded myself of all the things that this body has done for me over the years. What if, instead of frowning at my reflection in the mirror, I looked myself in the eye and saw the love and laughter that fills my eyes because of the amazing life I have been given. What if, instead of choosing to be frustrated with myself, I offered myself some grace.

This isn’t to say that I should just let myself go and be okay with it, but rather, be kind to myself as I continue to pursue health every day.

This quote, which is attributed to Jillian Michaels, is one that I have pinned on my Pinterest board – Health & Fitness – Ideas and Motivation. It is one of those that reminds me how crazy it is to get down on myself because I couldn’t exercise for two weeks, or because I had the medium instead of the small Bobby’s Frozen Custard. My body needed to recover from the surgical procedure, and I can start exercising again next week. I have only gone to Bobby’s ONCE this entire season, so I should let myself enjoy it.

So today I am going to celebrate all that my body has done for me, including giving birth to two amazing children, one of which we are celebrating today, and give myself grace rather than criticism.

I invite you to give yourself grace today (and everyday), in whatever area of your life that you struggle to do so. Let me know how it goes.

CELEBRATE!

Celebrate

Today my son, my baby, my second and last-born, my unexpected blessing from the Lord, turns 11. For 11 years now, our lives have been in a constant state of learning what it means to live with this boy! There have been lots of laughs. There have been tears. There have been stitches, bumps, bruises, knee infections and so much more. There have been hugs and kisses and snuggles galore.

We don’t do friend birthday parties every year. I am not that mom that has a plethora of ideas and energy to have half-a-dozen boys running amok in my house every year. And the blessing is, my children know this and are fine with it. This year, Ty wanted to have one friend over for a few hours. That was the PERFECT solution for me as this week has been insane. We met my parents for dinner out and then came back home for cake and ice cream.

It is easy to celebrate our children on their birthdays. We tend to make a big deal of them as we sing to them, make or buy them a special meal, and feed them cake and ice cream to their heart’s content.

But what about the other 364 days of the year? Are we celebrating the little things in their lives, too?

When was the last time you celebrated when your child actually got their room clean – almost to mommy standards?

Or how about when they brought that C up to a B+ in the subject they struggle in?

Have you ever celebrated with your child when they did the right thing and befriended the new kid in school that was feeling left out?

Or jumped for joy with them when they overcame a major fear and rode that roller coaster?

There are little accomplishments our children make every day, and while we don’t need to go overboard and make a big deal about every little thing, it is important that our children know that we are paying attention to their lives and want to encourage and celebrate with them when they accomplish something that is important to them, to us, and to God. It doesn’t take much. A high-five. A woo-hoo. A trip to Dairy Queen. A special privilege.

Keep your eyes open, and make reasons to celebrate your children daily!