I have been reading Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst over the last couple of weeks. It is a great book and I am really enjoying it. Early on, I was particularly impacted by this chapter (see pictures below) as it talks about the necessity of tending a garden if you want to have a beautiful one. I thought I would share Lysa’s thoughts with you today. Whether it is gardening, parenting, weight loss, exercise, relationships or something else, they all require work. They all require tending. They all require something of us if we are to be successful. Choose to be successful. Choose to tend your garden, whatever that may be for you.
Life has been absolutely crazy lately. At least school-year busyness is part of a routine. Summer busyness has no routine. It is akin to flat-out chaos. Family Camp one week. Ty at Trailblazer Camp the next week. Ty at Panther Basketball Academy and Anne at Young Teen Camp this week. Me helping with Panther Academy. Mike working. Me working. Ty playing baseball two and three nights a week. Me trying to figure out how and when to exercise, clean house, cook, and do laundry. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun. But it is tiring to be out of the routine that is the other nine months of the year.
With both the kids at camp this week, I have had a couple of people comment on the fact that I am “kidless” for the week, and what was I going to do with my time. And while alone time is nice occasionally, I miss them something terrible when they are gone. I was almost in tears of joy just to have Ty sleeping on the floor of my office this afternoon, knowing he was with me and not somewhere else under the care of someone else. And then that made me miss Anne. And she won’t be home for a couple of more days.
There was a time before kids. There was a time when I had a life outside of my kids. There was a time when I enjoyed that independence and ability to do whatever, whenever.
But there’s no going back to that time. And I wouldn’t want to. I love my kids. I love being with them. I love having fun with them. I love teaching them. I even love the hard moments with them, because that means there is growth happening (probably on my part as much as theirs).
So, I am now going to finish this post so I can go snuggle up with my boy. 🙂
Don’t forget to take time to enjoy your kids TODAY!!!
Last night my family and I went to see the Springfield Muni production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. I saw this show with my husband (who doesn’t do musicals – but loved this one) about 10 years ago and have loved it ever since. So when we found out not only that it was in Springfield, but that a couple of our friends were in it, one of them playing Joseph, we had to go. We got rained out on Saturday, so we had to go back on Sunday, but it was well worth two trips to Springfield.
One of my favorite songs from the show is “Close Every Door,” and as I listened again last night, I was reminded why. It is a great reminder that life isn’t about us when we live for Christ. It isn’t about our happiness or our life. It isn’t about what our circumstances look like. It is about the fact that we have been promised more than this life can offer. And our God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
I thought I would share the song with you today. It’s not Owen singing it, but I guess Donny Osmond will do. 🙂
Close Every Door
Close every door to me, hide all the world from me
Bar all the windows and shut out the light
Do what you want with me, hate me and laugh at me
Darken my daytime and torture my night
If my life were important I
Would ask will I live or die
But I know the answers lie far from this world
Close every door to me, keep those I love from me
Children of Israel are never alone
For I know I shall find my own peace of mind
For I have been promised a land of my own.
CHILDREN:
Close every door to me, hide all the world from me
Bar all the windows and shut out the light
La la la la la la (REPEAT)
JOSEPH
Just give me a number instead of my name
Forget all about me and let me decay
I do not matter
I’m only one person
Destroy me completely then throw me away
If my life were important I
Would ask will I live or die
But I know the answers lie far from this world
Close every door to me keep those I love from me
Children of Israel are never alone
For we know we shall find our own peace of mind
For we have been promised a land of our own
So, last week the kids and I (with an occasional visit from Mike) spent the week at Durley Family Camp. (Yes, I had planned to re-post a couple of my favorite blog posts, but my phone, which was my only access to my blog, wouldn’t let me post things that had already been posted. Sorry!)
On Saturday evening we moved into our cabin and stayed there until the following Saturday morning. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided for us, as well as activities and amazing times of worship. And other than my phone, which I used sparingly, there were NO ELECTRONICS. And we survived. I would even say we thrived without them. The kids played outside most of every day. And even when they were inside they were playing air hockey, carpet ball, and pool. We had actual conversations with our friends – face to face. There was no whining because I said no to DS games, Wii games, television, iPad, etc. No one responded to me with a “just a minute, I need to finish this level” when I asked them to do something. It was amazing. And I loved it.
And within an hour of moving back home they were both asking to watch TV, play on my iPad and play the DS. And then whined when I said no and told them to go play outside.
What is it about these devices that draws us in the minute we know they are available to us? How is it we can survive (and even thrive) for an entire week without them, but when we are back in our “normal” routine, we immediately want them again?
We have a rule in our house that the kids cannot play DS or Wii during the week (even in summer). Friday night through Sunday evenings are the only allowable times, and even then it isn’t allowable for the whole time – just portions of it and they have to ask before doing it. I would like to make the same rule with TV, but since that is Mike’s electronic of choice, that is an uphill battle for me.
But I am as guilty as the rest when it comes to my phone and iPad.
So, what is a mother and fellow electronic junkie to do?
I guess it starts with me. I guess I need to limit myself more. I guess I need to make better choices with my time so my kids see me as an example. That means when I am tired and feel like doing nothing but playing solitaire on my iPad, I should choose to play a card game with the kids instead.
(This is not where I saw this blog post going. Why does it always come back to me and my choices?)
How is it in your family? Could you survive a week without electronics?
I love summer. I love it for all the normal reasons – warm (hot!) weather, pools, sun, extra daylight hours, etc.
But this week I am loving it because instead of putting my kids in bed and then putting myself in bed, my kids have been snuggling up with me in bed for a while before they move on to their own beds. They don’t have to get up early, so they don’t have to go to bed early. It is so nice to have them right beside me reading, watching a movie, brushing my hair, or just sitting there. And I love falling asleep with them there. They are old enough now to move to their beds after I fall asleep to make room for Daddy.
What a wonderful gift! And starting Saturday night, the three of us get to move into our cabin at Family Camp for a week of sleepovers! (Daddy has to work and we’ll miss him, but we’ll muddle through.) It is one of our favorite weeks of the year. Meals with friends. Morning and evening worship. Waterfront fun. Late evening activities – games for kids, party tent and cards for the adults. We get to enjoy more summer nights together.
What are some of the ways that you enjoy your family during the summer that you can’t get away with during the school year?
(P.S. Since I am out at camp next week, I will not be posting any new material and will instead re-post a couple of my favorite posts. Enjoy!)
My head is all over the place today and I can’t seem to come up with a whole blog’s worth of any one idea. That means that you get a glimpse into my head today.
School is out! Report cards were picked up this morning. I have been thinking for weeks about the plan that I need to come up with for my kids and what they will do every day now that they are hanging at home. I have ideas about time for cleaning, reading, Summer Bridge books, games, cooking, experiments, etc., and yet, today has come (and nearly gone) and I still have nothing down on paper (although I do have some great ideas pinned on Pinterest). What are your kids doing this summer? Anything I can incorporate into my plan – if and when I get to typing it out?
Tonight is the last night of “craziness” that has been going on in our house for the last four weeks. I am so looking forward to actually being able to cook real meals for my family again beginning tomorrow evening. Got any good, healthy recipes for me to try?
Sometimes all you need is good food, good conversation and a good pedicure with a good friend and life gains all kinds of perspective. There is something about sitting in a massaging chair with someone working on your feet for an hour or so that energizes your body. And then to sit over a meal, talking to a friend on a deep level about life – from fears to dreams to desires to failures – and knowing that they not only are listening to your words, but hearing your heart as well, energizes your soul. If you haven’t done something along those lines lately, take the time – make the time – to do so.
I love new ideas. I love thinking about them. I love planning out their execution. I love processing the details. I love doing the research to make it happen. And I even love making it happen. But there is always a point at which I get overwhelmed at all that will have to be done to make it happen. That’s where I am at in a project right now. The hardest part is starting. So I guess I better push through those overwhelming feelings and start.
And just in case you wondered: 80 minutes of intense yoga, followed by a hilly bike ride, then an 11 mile run the next day, and another bike ride the day after that really makes for angry legs – even if you did just run a marathon a month ago.
Have a wonderful day, and may your head be less all over the place than mine today!!
As someone who struggles with depression, I often deal with what I call “heavy” days. Those days are the ones where I feel down, pensive, like the walls are closing in, like the world is literally resting on my shoulders and I can’t lift it off. Sometimes those feelings have no discernible source. It begins and I can’t tell why and it is really hard to reverse.
Other days there are what I would call internal reasons for those feelings. A bad day of eating. Missing a run. A fight with my husband. Frustration with my kids (or myself for how I dealt with the kids). A bad day at work. These things may or may not be in my control to change, but at least I can pinpoint what is going on and attempt to turn it around.
Then there are days when I feel heavy about things I can’t fix or change quickly (or even at all if it is just me). Those societal things that just crush me. Hatred. Injustice. Judgmental people. Poverty. Bigotry. Racism. Sexism. Oppression. Division. Pride. Superiority. An “I am right and you are wrong” or “God’s on my side” mentality.
And while I know that all of those things really need to be addressed somehow, the only way for me to turn any of this around and be lifted back up out of my funk, is to remember that I am loved, and that love saves me. Daily.
It saves you, too.
Saved by Love
Amy Grant
Laura loves her little family,
And she’s the kind of woman who loves them with her life.
But sometimes in the evening,
When the world rests on her shoulders
With four walls closing in,
She’ll close her eyes.
Oh
It’s not like she misses being younger,
Though she never was in Vogue magazine or on TV;
Her husband loves her dearly,
And the morning shows her clearly,
Kisses her little baby girl.
Laura, she’s the queen of the world.
Can’t imagine ever leaving now,
Now that she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
Listen to her quiet heart singing loud.
Laura, she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
I know that she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
Saved by love.
There’s nothing quite like my family’s love to warm me,
And nothing short of death’s gonna ever leave me cold.
Well, still at times it’s lonely,
But through it all it only
Makes me love Jesus more,
And this is what He came here for.
I can’t imagine ever leaving now.
Now that I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
He’s gone and turned my crazy world back around,
And I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
I know that I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love
Oh, I’m never leaving now,
Now that I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
He’s gone and turned my crazy world back around,
And I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
Amy, she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love
Saved by love.
I’m saved by love.
That’s right.
And nothing I can say,
Nothing I can do, nothing I can say.
We’re all just saved by love.
Nothing you can say, nothing you can do.
Only love can say, only love can do,
Only love can say.
Only love can say, only love can do,
Only love can say.
I’m say-yay-yaved by,
I’m saved by, by,
Nothing you can do, nothing you can say,
Only love can say
High temperatures and humidity are predicted for Saturday. Â These conditions put runners at increased risk for heat-related problems. Â Please remember to stay well-hydrated and monitor yourself. Â You may need to slow your pace and/or take other suitable precautions to minimize the risk of heat-related problems.
On Saturday, I am running a race with 35,000 other people. The race organizers can’t personally watch each and every one of us, run along side, tell us to drink, tell us to slow down or make us be careful. The best they can do is to warn us of the danger, and have people at various points along the route offering hydration, watching for those that are struggling, and offer first aid if the need arises.
So, basically the most important words in this whole message are: monitor yourself.
Only I will know if I need to slow down. Only I will know when I need to drink more. Only I will know what is happening in my body. When it gets to the point that someone else notices there is something wrong, it is because I have not monitored myself, or I haven’t listened to my body and things have gotten out of control.
I think the same is true for so many other things in our life. Secret sin. Pride. Mental health. Physical health. Spiritual health. We are the ones who have to be always watching, always alert to what is happening inside of us. We are the ones who should be noticing the first hint that something is off kilter in any area. We shouldn’t have to wait for someone else to point out issues that need attention.
Yet, often, that is exactly what happens. For example, your temper is very short. You don’t even realize just how short until one of your kids says, “Mommy, why are you yelling at me all the time.” And then you feel bad and start to analyze what is going on that would bring you to that point. Maybe you’ve had a stressful week and you haven’t been able to get your regular exercise or devotions in. Maybe your husband has been short with you and you are responding to that. No matter what, it is something that you could have caught and stopped if you had been monitoring yourself.
I read this from The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg this week:
Impulses formed in the brain can be measured during neurosurgery. I decide that I am going to move my hand, and then that impulse travels to the hand. But in between the brain activity and the movement of the hand, there is what one researcher calls the “life-giving quarter-second.”
There is a quarter-second between when that impulse takes place in your brain and when that action takes place in your body. And that quarter-second–although it doesn’t sound like very long in the life of the mind–is huge. The apostle Paul wrote, “In your anger do not sin…and do not give the devil a foothold.” That quarter-second is the time when the Holy Spirit can take control. That is when you can give the foothold to the Holy Spirit or you can give it to sin. That one quarter-second in your mind can be an opportunity to say, “Spirit, I’ve got this impulse right now; should I act on it?”
It was a long hot day, the car had broken down once, the air conditioning wasn’t working, the kids weren’t behaving, and Nancy wasn’t being too good either. I tried enticing the kids into “the quiet game,” but they weren’t going for it. I got lost. I was frustrated. The kids spilled food. Finally, the noise level went beyond what I could bear. There was a life-giving quarter-second, but I blew right past it. I wasn’t interested. And I used language on my kids that I had never used before, that I never thought I would.
It is amazing how the desire to hurt someone you love can be so strong in your body one moment and then lead to such pain when you indulge it. But another piece of good news is that when you blow it–and you will blow it–God sends another quarter-second right behind.
And you can get right back into the flow.
We constantly have the opportunity to make choices. Choices about what we wear. Choices about what we say. Choices about how we react. And the more aware of who we are and what is going on inside of us, the more we are able to make better choices. Choices that build up. Choices that give encouragement. Choices that show love.
I will definitely be monitoring how I am doing on race day this Saturday. But even more importantly, I will be working to monitor what is going on in my heart and mind always.
When was the last time that you intentionally took time to dream about the future?
If you are like me, dreaming about the future dropped pretty far down on the priority list once I got married and had two children. That was my dream. And it was now reality. So there wasn’t really anything else to dream about, right?
On Friday, I spent two hours walking around the 100 acres owned by the church for which I work. As Church Administrator, I was looking at what needs to be done and making a list of those things. But I was also praying and dreaming about how God might choose to use the property for His glory. I was picturing what we could do now, soon and down the road. It was amazing to have that kind of time to just dream about future possibilities.
But even as I was basking in those feelings, I was realizing that I rarely take time to dream about my future. How might God choose to use me? My family? I ask for His guidance, and would say that I am listening, but in the grand scheme of things, that time is pretty non-existent. After all, I am the mother of two kids and work full-time! I don’t have time to dream! I have to wade through the day-to-day “stuff” just so I can maybe dream for a few hours at night as I sleep. 🙂
But I am not sure that is anything more than an excuse. I take time to run or exercise nearly everyday. What is stopping me from using that time to dream? Or really what is stopping me from making time to take a couple of hours a couple of times a year to dream and pray about both the long-term and short-term for my family? Nothing. Except me. If I would put it on my calendar, I would do it. But I don’t think about it. In the craziness of life, dreaming continues to fall to the bottom of the prioritized list. And it shouldn’t. Because if we aren’t dreaming, then we probably aren’t moving toward anything. And if we aren’t moving, we’re stagnant. And I don’t want to be stuck for the rest of my life, always doing the same thing, always thinking the same way, never moving forward.
So, I’m going to try to be more intentional to dream. I’ll probably still get busy and forget, but I am going to try. And that is a start.
You thought I died, didn’t you? When I didn’t blog all week, your assumption was that I didn’t finish the marathon because I croaked before crossing the line. Well, I have good news! I didn’t die! I survived! And here is proof:
Crystal & I after finishing the GO! St. Louis Marathon
We did it! We finished the 26.2 mile race! It was hard. Very hard. But it was good. And I spent Monday celebrating my husband’s birthday and recovering from the race and thus no blogging. But I fully intended to blog on Thursday to let you all know about how the race went.
But then this happened:
Baby Laney getting snuggles from Aunt Chrisy (or is it the other way around?)
My best friend Jenny, and her husband David, welcomed Laney Clay into the world on Tuesday, so I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Indianapolis getting all the snuggles and kisses in that time would allow. And therefore I didn’t blog on Thursday either.
So, between those two milestone events, a marathon parenting session with my son on Tuesday, shopping for work on Friday, and running a 5K and prepping a sermon on Saturday, I had a pretty crazy week. But a pretty memorable one as well.
Here’s what I will take with me about last week:
Deciding to do something big like a marathon is totally doable when you do the necessary training, have the support of your friends and family, and you depend on God for His strength in your moments of weakness.
There is nothing like: seeing your family cheer for you on the marathon route, having your friends chant “bacon” for you .2 miles from the finish, falling in the arms of your running partner after your medals have been placed around your necks and crying that you did it.
Even as you walk down the hall two days later in a little bit of pain, you will smile and think, “I just did a marathon!”
Even though it is hard, getting to the heart of your kids so that they understand right from wrong and the role of consequences in their lives is so important and worth the time.
There is something so peaceful about being with your best friend – even in the midst of chaos.
Newborn babies sleeping in your arms relieve stress 100%.
A picture can never take the place of seeing and holding the real thing.
Remember to enjoy every moment – those babies grow up too quickly!
Even a trip to Sams can be fun with your kids, if you make it fun.
Running in grass is hard. But running less than a week after doing a marathon is harder.
God always has my best at heart, and if I listen to Him, He will share His heart with me.
As I look back on the week and think about the enormity of the stuff that I experienced, it occurs to me that perhaps I need to be looking back on every week this way. Not because every week is full of big things, but because every week is filled with moments that will be forgotten if we aren’t trying to remember. I want to remember the big things, but I also want to remember the little things – like how it feels to hold my son on my lap as we read or watch TV. Or how it feels to sit on the couch and french braid my daughter’s hair. It’s those moments that will be harder to bring to mind as the years go by. And it’s those moments that I will miss the most. So this week, I plan to soak in the moments of everyday life with my family and see what I will take away from those.
