I'm in

More later - but I am in for the 21 day no more complaining challenge!

neverending

First of all I am thankful that God is helping me to grow into more of a people person - however as a list maker and task oriented person there are a few aspects of motherhood that I wish someone would have let me in on.

I love to make a list because I love the feeling when I complete a job, it is freeing. Most times after I complete a job I want to take a break, you know stop working, hang out, relax kind of as a "reward". Have you ever noticed that this kind of attitude can really back fire in motherhood?

Here are a few examples of things that can never really be crossed off the list:

• washing windows
• doctor appts
• dentist appts
• getting car serviced
• mowing the lawn
• laundry
• dishes
• grocery shopping
• paying bills
• dusting
• vacuuming
• helping with homework
• baths/showers
• brushing teeth
• making meals
• packing school lunches
• painting fingernails or toenails
• napping
• reorganizing closets
• decluttering kid's bedrooms
• maintaining garages
• working on lanscaping
• blogging :)
• checking email
• returning phone calls

Some of these items are done 3 times a day, some daily, weekly, monthly, twice a year or even yearly. BUT they are never really done -- they need to be done again.....

My understanding of done is done - finished - over - complete.

There never really is time to take that break - oh yea I take lots of them - like right now as I blog even though there is "stuff to do". I take physical breaks often and almost always get a good, long nights sleep! I need to learn to stop taking giant mental breaks - that's when I get defeated. I clean the entire house top to bottom and it looks great - then I go on a mental break - thinking it is "done" my definition of done -- so for the next 2 weeks I don't do much in the cleaning area 'cuz I checked it off my to do list. Then I get defeated because there is a big pile of clutter that I didn't maintain - mine, the kids and my husbands.

Here's the kicker - my kids don't care and neither does my husband -- they function the same with or without clutter. NOT ME I become someone I don't like - forgetful, late, disorganized and stressed.

My lesson - there are things that I can't ever cross off my to do list and that has to be ok - I found one really important thing I will never be able to cross off - and it is okay - reading the bible. Isn't it amazing? We will never be "done" reading the bible. I started the read through the bible in a year and I am hooked - seriously - I don't think I want to ever cross it off my list - even at the end of this year - I will just start again!

God please help me realize that my life is not about my to do list - it is about your people - and I want to show people who you are through what you have done in my life and in the lives of those around me. Please grow me into the people person you want me to be.

heart

Have you ever noticed that sometimes kids just get it!! My husband is singing tonite at Granger - that is another whole blog :) - and my kids and I listened to a recording of the song - my daughter went around singing it all day yesterday here are some of the lyrics:


If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died

After she got done singing she said "mommy its right if everyone did all this then we would live forever" She knows that Eve started a huge sin pattern and thanks to Jesus we can all "live" forever. At 5 - I think I was 35 before I knew that!

mountains and makeup

Yesterday I was getting ready for bible study and my 5 year old daughter was playing in my room. I was saying out loud - yes I talk to myself sometimes:( - I can't find my makeup oh where is it I can't find it - oh here it is!

My daughters response -- Oh mom maybe God put it there - my response - your right He could do that and her response:

Well Mom, if God could move a mountain of course he could move your make up!

Oh to have faith like a child!!

hopeless

I was listening to a song at church called "Hope for the Hopeless" and I started thinking - what does it mean to be hopeless? would I know if I was hopeless?

This sparked me to think back to before I became a Christian - some of you know a lot about me and some don't - I began a personal relationship with Jesus in 1996 and was baptized in 1998 and after hearing that song I think it would be fair to say that pre '96 I was hopeless.

If I put my hope in Jesus - then if I don't know Jesus aren't I hopeless?? I am talking about myself here - not pointing fingers or anything but I got the message loud and clear when hearing that song. Oh my - I was hopeless - I did not know the meaning and purpose of my life - I did not know that Jesus loved ME and that I mattered to God. And the bigger point -- I was deceived - I did not even know I was hopeless!!

My prayer - Lord please help me to know you intimately - to put my hope in your son Jesus and to know He is the answer to hopelessness.

old furnishings

Do you have any furniture that reminds you of your childhood? Are there pieces with stories attached? Well my family now has a piece of my childhood in the house -- actually a couple of pieces. Since we are the only ones with room to spare we inherited a dining room table, 8 chairs and a hutch that were made for my family of 7 about 30 years ago. There are so many things that happened around that table. We also now have my bedroom set from high school. I remember when my parents bought it -- they were quick to let me know it would become their guest room bedroom set after I moved out.

What about dishes? We inherited the family china and silverware -- boy if they could talk. I saw a picture from the fifties and that china was on the table. It has lasted over 50 years and was used often.

The other night I asked God to help me be a good steward of my belongings - the stuff he has enabled my family to acquire. Now I want to make sure I document the history in our belongings -- I want my kids to know the stories involved with the things my husband brought home from Texas. These were their grandparents and great grandparents possessions that were taken care of so well that they still have stories to tell.

Now I need to ask God to help me be the storyteller for the next generation.

blessings

Count your blessings! You are so blessed! Do we ever really hear those words? After what my family has gone through in the past few weeks I know I am blessed! I refuse to take lightly how much God has done for me, how much he has brought me through and how much he will continue to do for me. He loves me - really he does.

I am blessed with an awesome husband - really -- he goes above and beyond - more than I could ever dare, think, ask or imagine. Today he is flying to Texas with a neighbor and then renting a uhaul to drive back to Indiana in order to help out with my Dad's house. He is doing it because he loves me! Wow sometimes it is hard to grasp and I can't believe how he cares about me.

Today I am going to thank God for how he has blessed me with this wonderful man who is Jesus in the flesh for me so often. I love him deeply.