God hugged me today.

His watched stopped and he gave me his time today.

God is willing.

His arms and feet dug a trench today.

God is strong.

His servant with the knowledge to fix my problem came over today.

God is knowledgeable.

His tools were made available today.

God has the resources.

His supplier delivered what we needed today.

God is the provider.

His giver made it possible today.

God is generous.

Knowledge from a 3 year old

Last night at dinner, both girls (3ys & 18 mo) were talking to one another from across the table very loudly. After a few minutes of this craziness, this conversation occurred:
G- "Girls, this house will be quiet. Talk quietly."
E-"Daddy, this is Emma's house!"
G-"This is your house? Do you pay rent here?"
E-"Daddy, Jesus gave me this house."
G- (to me) "I just got schooled by a 3 year old"

Half-Jacks

My friend, Jess, and I just went to the Silver Sneakers Water Aerobics class at our gym. I laughed harder during this one hour of hopping, stretching, pushing and pulling water than I have laughed in a long time. I think my workout was more productive because of such laughter.

My chuckles began as we entered the water just as all of the “silver” individuals were- the gently sloping incline. Then the instructor glanced at us a few times before she got the hint that we were a part of her class and not casually swimming passers-by. Next she sent us to the back of the group (thankfully! I was worried I was about to be embarrassed by the participants double my age.). More laughter. Soon I realized that Jess and I were the only ones wearing a bathing suit of any color than black. We stood out for our age, our limited water aerobics experience, our height at which our exercises were above the others, our bright bathing suits, our laughter, and my (inconsistent) splashes. I could not contain myself during the exercise the instructor called “half-jacks”. This movement included bringing your knees (extended to the sides of your body) up halfway and bringing your bent elbows (also extended to the sides of your body in the “put your hands in the air” type posture) down to touch your knees. Then we were supposed to bring our knees down while pushing hands back into the air. Repeat. Repeat faster. Repeat your fastest. During these few minutes of half-jacks, all I could conjure up in my head were the silly Christmas ornaments I have packed away in the attic that have a short string hanging from beneath them. When you pull the string, all four limbs do something funny and repetitive. Then you repeat faster. Then you push the Christmas ornament to its limits and repeat it’s fastest. Laughter ensues. What a great morning!

Photo found @ www.nationalphotoawards.com/i//Water_Aerobics

Timeout Tag-a-long

Timeout Tag-a-long /[tahym-out tag-uh-long]/noun. Meaning- /a. to assist in the service and duration of discipline given to an older sibling for the purpose of not parting or preventing the potential boredom that might occur while older sibling is serving timeout sentence./ b. must place gluteus maximus as closely beside older sibling’s as possible. /Origin- mom moment in my kitchen.

Our youngest has created a new self-designated post during her sister’s timeouts- right by her side. Adi willingly serves the punishment with her sister because she either (a) sees it necessary share the load and help carry the weighty punishment of a two minute timeout, (b) would not want to miss out on anything exciting happening at eye level of the coat closet door frame in the kitchen, or (c) just wants to be with her favorite person- no matter the circumstances.

I’m gathering that my first option for Adi’s reasoning for this assignment is slightly incorrect. This deduction is made simply because she does not seem to enjoy sharing other forms of discipline such as taking away a toy causing fights or just coming indoors from an hour of coloring on the sidewalk with chalk. Wrong.

So on to the second option for Adi’s MO (term originally used in the military, short for military operation…I think!). I am sure there are handfuls of stimulating events that occur lower than 16 or so inches from the floor in my kitchen. Maybe the coat closet door is just a good seat to see the dog scramble to grab each crumb that falls from the counter as meals are prepared. Perhaps the dust bunnies that trail the heels of taller people walking through the kitchen are more entrancing than I imagine. Or even better, just possibly Adi is hoping with all her might that the closet door will fling open and the coveted bucket of markers will come falling into her little hands. This could very well be the right reason she has succumbed to the assignment of the Timeout Tag-a-long. Hmm.

But before we decide, let’s examine the third reason of this self-designation. Could it really be that our Adi just wants to be with her sister- no matter the circumstances? Might she simply desire her sister’s company despite the task? Is it a slight possibility that Adi adores her more distinguished sister so much that she wants to be at her side as much as possible?

Given the surrounding evidence of the interactions between our girls, I think we might have to choose option c. You see, the first three things either daughter asks for every morning are mom, sister, and cereal. And if you knew the esteemed value cereal holds in our home, you could very well understand the magnitude of coming higher in rank than such a luxurious bowl of carbs. (Don’t worry, dad is #4!) It seems that Adi loves her sister with such a purity of heart that she just wants to be at her side, serving.

And here it is- another heart-pounding moment of theology learned in the throws of parenting. This lesson can be examined two ways. From one side, we see Adi’s adoration of her sister and her desire to be with her all the time. She wants to climb with her, play in her room, eat the same foods, run as fast, talk as clearly, and color as passionately. She doesn’t seem to care what Em is doing, just as long as she can be with her. The other side of this can be seen by looking at the willingness to serve a sentence she didn’t earn. Does this sound like someone else you know?

We should want to be at Jesus’ side, no matter the activity.
Jesus wants us near him so bad that he was willing to serve a sentence he didn’t earn.

So, I am sure my little Timeout Tag-a-long will shed her desire to share timeouts in the near future. But for now, it’s a great reminder that Jesus served a sentence he didn’t earn!

Twenty-one Sleepy Shuffles

My determined march is only 23 feet, 5 inches long. My sacrificial stroll is the same difference from my computer to the fridge.

So why is this walk so hard to happily hike?

Not to be over dramatic, but these 21 shuffles often require more from me than my 45 minute cardio workout. Perhaps it’s because this nightly jaunt is not completed per my own request, but rather by the needy cries of another. As any young mom knows, midnight feedings, 3am feedings, or 5am feedings are probably the hardest part of serving a small being weighing in only slightly more than a bag a potatoes. It’s a constant reminder that my nights (and days, for that matter) aren’t my own. My eating habits, to-do lists, shopping trips, and priorities have shifted greater than any other time in life…and all for the purpose of one.

My brain has now been trained to filter every detail of our family’s life around the needs of our half-pint. Do we have a diaper bag packed? Have the warm pajamas been washed yet? Will the restaurant have a high chair? Are baby noises accepted at this gathering? Did I remember to change my shirt covered in kid-ooze? Yadda, yadda.

So why is this march so tough to complete without complaint?

All theatrics aside, it’s hard because my will is not my own. My time is not my own. My sleep is not even my own anymore. (Geez, this sounds so self-centered…) As a mom, you give up your right to be #1. You are now serving another. Ephesians 6:7 says to “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Truthfully though, this is not something I wanted to be reminded of at 3:37 in the morning when abruptly awakened and summoned crib-side. I remember many nightly walks pausing only momentarily to take a deep breath and whisper a quick, life-sustaining prayer as my feet hit the floor, when turning down the roaring baby monitor so my husband could keep sleeping or as I opened my bedroom door to cross the hall.

During these nights, I am obviously thankfully that Jesus knows my name (John 10:3). But I always find more comfort in the fact that my God is so tuned into the details of my life that he thought to remind us that “he gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:11). Did you catch that? In the middle of our sacred scriptures, is a short, powerful, loving, tender passage reminding us that he fuels the fueler. He resources the source. He guides the guide. He nurtures the nurturers. He leads the leader. He tends to each one of his flock. Even me, as I make the sleepy shuffle only 23 ½ feet from my bed. Even me, as I pick up my tiny one and hold my breath when my sit down in the cold rocking chair knowing the chill will only last a short moment. Even me, as I fight not to fall asleep while feeding the baby in hopes that I won’t get a permanently crooked neck. Even me, as I gently lay my bundle of joy back in bed in deep slumber and silently cheer that I might get a few more hours of precious sleep. Yes, God cares about me and my slow surrender to another. God cares about me as I learn to submit myself to the needs of someone else. Absolutely, God cares that I am tired and must continue to plod on. I’m just so glad God cares.

Thankfully, my little spud sack is sleeping longer these days…