I am excited to blog today because of the way that God has funneled the ideas in my head for this post. I am continuing my Advent 2012 challenge: Live in the Moment Through the Eyes of Faith! I am having a link up for each day for anyone that wants to share how God is working in and through our lives. Maybe it's an act of kindness or generosity or a word of hope or wisdom you have been inspired to do for someone...or something inspired that someone did/said to you or someone close to you?
I invite you to link up at the end of this post:)
Today's inspiration for me actually began this morning with a not-so-stellar 'mommy moment'. I was in the kitchen trying to make lunches, prep a crock pot dinner, and get ready for work. It never fails that either Kate or Luke or both of them together don't sleep well Monday nights so, getting up earlier on Tuesday mornings to get out of the house on time, never seems to happen as it should. I was also worrying about Mike who has been a little down lately and trying to figure out how to help him.
Anyway, amidst the 'normal chaos', Ellie picks this morning to be extra chatty about miscellaneous things. (Ironically, Ellie only said 'da da' until she was 2...we always say she has been making up for lost time ever since!) With minutes to go before Jay and the girls left for school, her 243rd comment of the day ,"Mom, why do football players want to jump into the crowd during football games?", threw me over the edge. I was feeling overwhelmed and snapped at her that I didn't know and I didn't really care at that moment. It's definitely not going to get me nominated for 'mom of the year'.
I had the random thought that, if life were like a game show where a buzzer went off every time I had a non-loving moment, that would have been one of them!:(
Fast forward to lunch time when I was checking my emails, facebook and blog....when I noticed that my friend, Anne-Marie, had joined my link-up from yesterday.(Thank-you, thank-you!:)
Anyway....some of the things she said really made me think. The gist of how it touched me is that if I'm not bring life giving love to my family, then all the other 'extra stuff' I could do for them really doesn't matter. So what if I can give them clean clothes, or food for their bellies, or gifts from their wish list if I can't fill them with the most important and very first need.....love?
We can't build joyous events without a foundation of love.
Picture a pyramid in your head...please:) Make it red and green to designate it a Christmas pyramid. At the top is the actual Christmas celebration...but if we don't have a good base about why we celebrate in the first place then that pyramid will come tumbling down with the inevitable stress that excitement, change of routine, too much sugar and not enough sleep will bring.
If God is the base of our pyramid and the next block is prayer and love, we will be off to a great start. If we find a way to concentrate on that, then we will get the grace to complete the other blocks that we would like to form our pyramid with...like shopping, baking, wrapping, etc. And, more importantly, if we concentrate on God as our base, then we won't fall apart if the blocks we wanted to get to in our 'master plan' don't happen in the perfect way...or even happen at all!
Let's face it, low expectations are needed sometimes! But wouldn't a simpler, quiet Christmas be better than a busy Christmas with a melting down, Mama? I think, as moms, we have all these great thoughts and ideas in our heads and then crack when we don't live up to our own expectations! But did our family really want or need all those presents, activities,decorations, ___________ (fill in the blank).
Is that really what God wants for our families?
~What do we really want our kids' memories to be when they are adults?
~Us stressed out and freaking out because we took on too much and expect perfection?
~Will anyone really remember those uncleaned nooks or disorganized cabinets?
~Isn't it the "warm fuzzies" we want them to hold in their heart...the feelings of closeness and love?(in spite of the inevitable meltdowns and squirmishes...there is no perfection!)
Start with the bare minimum...then anything else we feel inspired to do will be bonus points!
Today, I chose poorly and allowed my stress to overtake the much more important focus of my daughter's feelings. I feel bad that I hurt her feelings and am looking forward to her coming home from school so I can apologize.
Isn't it a blessing that I have the opportunity to make my afternoon better than my morning?
Just like this Christmas is an opportunity to make it into what it needs to be for our family based on our circumstances this year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did God touch you in a special way that you want to share? Consider linking up below!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
2012 Advent Challenge
A friend of mine forwarded me a story. I thought it was great and fit in with the way I've felt God moving in my life lately and it certainly fits with my theme of Living in the Moment Through the Eyes of Faith! What if, for this season of Advent, (of waiting and of hope), we really tried to be aware of the way God is working in our life? Not only in the big things, but in the little things? And what if we shared these moments with each other to give God the 'shout out' and to share the moments that He amazes us to encourage each other and give each other hope?
I think it could be a great way to search for God in this special month....
What do you think?
I will start. It's only something small today, but God can do such amazing things no matter what the size!
This morning, my friend, Janine, popped into my head. Her amazing family lives about an hour from us and we don't see her and her husband and their 16(!) children very often. (She could actually have 17 children by now but I haven't gotten her Christmas card yet...or even 18 since she's had 2 sets of twins!) But, Janine and her husband, Jay, are the kind of friends that when we do get together every couple of years, it just feels like we picked right up where we left off. Great people!
Fast forward to this afternoon, and she is the friend who sent me the following story. Definitely a God-incidence...at least I think so! Plus, what she sent inspired me to suggest sharing the way God is moving in our lives during Advent, aka Advent Challenge 2012!
I am seriously stretching my technical ability by trying to start a link party! Hopefully it works!
If you feel inspired to join in at any time this Advent, just link on up! The goal is to be more aware and to praise God for His influence in our lives and to bring encouragement and hope to each other through our experiences!
Here's the story...hope it inspries you, too!
"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."
This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician:
I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd ., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the " quickie mart " building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a Gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay
When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.
At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.
I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying " don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back a away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard you, and He sent me."
I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fuelling , walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.
She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation had finally called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.
So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.
I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are you like an angel or something?"
This definitely made me cry. I said, "Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people."
It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong.
Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings...
I think it could be a great way to search for God in this special month....
What do you think?
I will start. It's only something small today, but God can do such amazing things no matter what the size!
This morning, my friend, Janine, popped into my head. Her amazing family lives about an hour from us and we don't see her and her husband and their 16(!) children very often. (She could actually have 17 children by now but I haven't gotten her Christmas card yet...or even 18 since she's had 2 sets of twins!) But, Janine and her husband, Jay, are the kind of friends that when we do get together every couple of years, it just feels like we picked right up where we left off. Great people!
Fast forward to this afternoon, and she is the friend who sent me the following story. Definitely a God-incidence...at least I think so! Plus, what she sent inspired me to suggest sharing the way God is moving in our lives during Advent, aka Advent Challenge 2012!
I am seriously stretching my technical ability by trying to start a link party! Hopefully it works!
If you feel inspired to join in at any time this Advent, just link on up! The goal is to be more aware and to praise God for His influence in our lives and to bring encouragement and hope to each other through our experiences!
Here's the story...hope it inspries you, too!
"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."
This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician:
I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd ., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the " quickie mart " building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a Gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay
When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.
At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.
I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying " don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back a away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard you, and He sent me."
I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fuelling , walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.
She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation had finally called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.
So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.
I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are you like an angel or something?"
This definitely made me cry. I said, "Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people."
It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong.
Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings...
Sunday, December 2, 2012
It's December!
Happy December! This is such a special month! So much excitement, lots of special traditions, yummy cookies and cakes and pies, special family time....a jam packed month for sure!
Last night we watched Unaccompanied Minors(Jon's request) and today we put up our Christmas tree. It went well for the most part....there was one accidental elbow between Mike and Ellie and Luke threw a candle into the Christmas bin and broke a decorative candle holder. No major arguments or problems!
I just love Christmas lights. There is something just so magical about the glow of the Christmas tree lights and the lights around our living room windows! Definitely one of my favorite things!
Another momentous occasion took place today! Kate took her very first step:) She is 17 days shy of her first birthday! (Where the heck did that year go!) She got so excited when I started cheering for her! Then she took her second step to daddy(and he just melted:). Yep, he's wrapped around another baby girl's finger!
Last night we watched Unaccompanied Minors(Jon's request) and today we put up our Christmas tree. It went well for the most part....there was one accidental elbow between Mike and Ellie and Luke threw a candle into the Christmas bin and broke a decorative candle holder. No major arguments or problems!
I just love Christmas lights. There is something just so magical about the glow of the Christmas tree lights and the lights around our living room windows! Definitely one of my favorite things!
Another momentous occasion took place today! Kate took her very first step:) She is 17 days shy of her first birthday! (Where the heck did that year go!) She got so excited when I started cheering for her! Then she took her second step to daddy(and he just melted:). Yep, he's wrapped around another baby girl's finger!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wonder
This will be the last official 5 minute Friday of the year. The site that sponsors the meme is taking a break for December. I might keep it up myself because Fridays tends to be a little crazy and 5 minutes completely fits my schedule:)
Sooooo...
The word of the day is a good one;
Sooooo...
The word of the day is a good one;
Wonder
This is such a great word! What pops into my mind seems to focus on the fast approaching Christmas season. The wonder of seeing the kids, little and big, so excited. The wonder of seeing Kate look at the Christmas tree lights for the first time. (Well, technically not the first but she was only a few days old last Christmas!) The wonder of Luke's excitement over the first snow flurries of the season.
Most importantly, the wonder of a Savior who came as an infant to save us from ourselves.
One of my favorite moments of this season is Christmas Eve. The older teens are like the little kids in their excitement and there is just a special peace and love that I sense between them when the sun has set and we sit by the dim glow of the Christmas tree waiting to go to my in-laws.
Later on that night after a special meal and present exchange with my in-laws, when the little kids are in their beds and the older kids are banished to their rooms for the night, Jay and I have some (hopefully) alone time where we put on Christmas carols softly and sit by the light of the Christmas tree drinking eggnog and exchange the gifts we got for each other.
and.....for the very last day!...
Thankful Thought #30:
I am thankful for the special traditions our family has...and that our kids still want to be a part of them!
p.s. One of my friends and fellow bloggers is at a milestone follower number...199! She is a mom of 5, faith-filled, and feisty:)! I'm leaving the link to her blog. If you have a moment...please check it out and if you like it, consider following:) http://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Just a Random Day
I'm reading a book right now called Unglued with 3 other women in our week day book club that meets every two to three weeks. It's a very interesting...and challenging book... that focuses on the way we react to situations in our life. We are only on chapter two, which brought up a lot of good points about perspective. Perspective is very important...our response often depends on how you look at a situation. Trying to put a positive twist on a tough situation is not easy...neither is waiting to see the good(and the healing) that God can bring out of any situation, no matter how tragic.
During the book club, our little children are here. There are three boys, (5,3, and almost 3), and three girls, (20 months, 15 months, and almost 1 year). Can I tell you how hysterical it is at the differences between the two sets of kids already? The boys go through waves of crazy....playing quietly together one minute and running around like nuts the next...with the occasional refereeing that needs to happen from one of us moms to insure safety and avoid a trip to the er!
The girls are sitting on our laps snacking or crawling/walking around finding toys and talking/babbling to each other. I know that they are younger, but you can just sense the differences in their personalities from their rowdy brothers!
So funny:)
I know that this is a little random, but I really liked today's quote from Catholic Digest again today. It showed up twice in my inbox this morning...that happens occasionally and, when it does, I always figure that it is a sign that I'm supposed to pay extra attention to it! ;)
During the book club, our little children are here. There are three boys, (5,3, and almost 3), and three girls, (20 months, 15 months, and almost 1 year). Can I tell you how hysterical it is at the differences between the two sets of kids already? The boys go through waves of crazy....playing quietly together one minute and running around like nuts the next...with the occasional refereeing that needs to happen from one of us moms to insure safety and avoid a trip to the er!
The girls are sitting on our laps snacking or crawling/walking around finding toys and talking/babbling to each other. I know that they are younger, but you can just sense the differences in their personalities from their rowdy brothers!
So funny:)
I know that this is a little random, but I really liked today's quote from Catholic Digest again today. It showed up twice in my inbox this morning...that happens occasionally and, when it does, I always figure that it is a sign that I'm supposed to pay extra attention to it! ;)
It is a Jewish saying: God is closest to those with broken hearts.
Though I have related to having a broken heart many times, I don't feel that way at this moment. I thought that maybe I have a reader who might need to hear it today?
Regardless, I like the quote. It makes me think of, "God will not break the bruised reed."(Matthew 12:20) It also reminds me of all the times that I have brought my broken heart to God, and laid it all before Him, and how He has healed my heart. (And how almost every time His help and healing has come in very unexpected ways!)
Thankful Thought #29:
I am thankful that my children have each other. (Even though some days they don't appreciate having siblings!)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Little Opportunities for Grace
I am super excited! With the exception of a family pass that I need to order online and one $5 Dunkin gift card and some candy for stockings(that I don't want to get until closer to Christmas because I might eat it:)...I am done Christmas shopping! I love getting it done early so that I have more time to focus on other important aspects of Advent (like the real reason for the season!) and the special food and decorations and family time. (Or at least try to...there are always more things I want to do for the kids or the house than I have time for!)
Mike hasn't been able to work since he broke his hand, so I've taken advantage of having him home to get some extra shopping done. I'm not brave enough to take out Kate and Luke to stores on my own...but with an extra set of hands(well...hand lol) I've been able to get to stores during the week and tie up the loose odds and ends!
I had to get some items at Walmart today. I haven't been there in a while since I'm lucky if I can get to the grocery store each week. After today, I'm kind of glad. It was crazy in there! There was a woman yelling at someone to "Stay in the G...damn line!" that I heard from the soap aisles! Yikes! Then, as I was leaving, there was an elderly woman who was losing it because she was having trouble finding the money in her purse. The sales associate was being so kind, too, telling her to take her time while she put the woman's bags in her cart. The woman was starting to scream at her...and I mean scream! Yikes, again!
Yeah..I'm all set with that store for a while!
The daily quote of the day from Catholic Digest touched me today, so I thought I would share:
What a good reflection! What a good challenge! It's amazing how many opportunities God places in our path everyday..I know I miss many of them. Thankfully, I don't miss all of them! Even the instance with the women yelling at Walmart and the elderly woman losing it at the clerk....praying for these people and trying to be charitable in thought, (maybe there was a disability or dementia involved), is an opportunity for Grace.
That's an important part of Living in the Moment through the eyes of faith!
Thankful Thought #28:
I am thankful for teenagers who walk through the door and show such excitement at seeing their baby sister!
Mike hasn't been able to work since he broke his hand, so I've taken advantage of having him home to get some extra shopping done. I'm not brave enough to take out Kate and Luke to stores on my own...but with an extra set of hands(well...hand lol) I've been able to get to stores during the week and tie up the loose odds and ends!
I had to get some items at Walmart today. I haven't been there in a while since I'm lucky if I can get to the grocery store each week. After today, I'm kind of glad. It was crazy in there! There was a woman yelling at someone to "Stay in the G...damn line!" that I heard from the soap aisles! Yikes! Then, as I was leaving, there was an elderly woman who was losing it because she was having trouble finding the money in her purse. The sales associate was being so kind, too, telling her to take her time while she put the woman's bags in her cart. The woman was starting to scream at her...and I mean scream! Yikes, again!
Yeah..I'm all set with that store for a while!
The daily quote of the day from Catholic Digest touched me today, so I thought I would share:
Today's Quiet MomentWednesday, November 28
Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of
Henri Nouwenhealing? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions! |
What a good reflection! What a good challenge! It's amazing how many opportunities God places in our path everyday..I know I miss many of them. Thankfully, I don't miss all of them! Even the instance with the women yelling at Walmart and the elderly woman losing it at the clerk....praying for these people and trying to be charitable in thought, (maybe there was a disability or dementia involved), is an opportunity for Grace.
That's an important part of Living in the Moment through the eyes of faith!
Thankful Thought #28:
I am thankful for teenagers who walk through the door and show such excitement at seeing their baby sister!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Joys of Parenting Older Teens
Sometimes I think God gives us difficult moments with our late teen/young adult children so that we look forward too aren't so sad when it's time for them to go away to college. All kids have different personalities which makes them easier or more difficult to live with at certain times in their life.
Case in point...my first born. Mike is a great kid who has so much to offer. When he isn't busy trying to hide it......Mike has a huge heart, is very thoughtful, has a great childlike wonder for holidays and family traditions, and is a protective older brother to his siblings.
Yet, my first born has authority issues. As much as he sometimes shows how much he loves being part of the family, he also show frustration at having to be part of a family structure with rules and limits. Passive aggression is his tool of choice....ignoring us when he's in a "non compliant" mood and putting off any "difficult" task we give him (like taking out the trash or locking a door!?!) until I feel like I have to act like Rumplestiltskin(jumping up and down until I go through the floor...sorry if this is an obscure image) or until he finally deems the task ready to be done in "Michael time"!
It can be SOOOOO frustrating! I get that kids need to grow up and apart from parents. In reality, the speed bumps in our relationship with Mike are just speed bumps. We have not had to deal with issues like alcohol abuse, drug use, or inappropriate relationships. It could be so much worse.
Mike struggles with faith....which I know is caused by a combo of immaturity, his issues with authority, and hurts that he has to reconcile with God over losing a sister and having a brother with autism. It's scary that as he is perched at the edge of the nest, I worry that without that solid faith to help move him through life that he will be blown into places that "angels fear to tread." I know that Mike has to make his own choices, but I was really hoping that faith would be an anchor in his life and he could avoid the pitfalls that can happen when God's left in a corner instead of the center where He belongs.
Jay and I often find ourselves trying to work through the frustration of dealing with the "difficult Mike moments". It's amazing how you can love your kids so much...but like them not so much in a given moment!
So, what prompted today's post you may ask? After a very difficult night with Luke and Kate, I was just ready to leave the bathroom after my shower when I noticed the brand new container of refill hand soap, (you know, the big jug), laying in the hamper. I leaned down to pick it up and realized that the cover was off and the entire bottle was in the hamper and soaked up in the towels at the bottom. It was a mess....and not a welcome sight for an already difficult morning.
I asked around to find out who might have dropped the soap and just left it there(!) without picking it up. When I got to Mike, his answer was, "I might have knocked it over." with that teenage shrug and that "I don't give a crap" look on his face that make me want to Jason Bourne him....you know, use crazy martial arts moves that have him on the ground in like 2.2 seconds! (Sorry...I live in a house with mostly boys who like their action movies!)
But I didn't. (I have bad hips and shoulders anyway) I didn't even yell...because I'm tired of repeating the whole, "If you drop something then pick it up." Ugh..laziness!
When he asked me to make him a sandwich 30 minutes later you can imagine the words that I wanted to say! I should have made him a soap sandwich!
But in the end, I made the sandwich and asked God to use that small sacrifice to help open Mike's heart to Him. Because as much as Mike drives me crazy(!!!), I won't give up on him.
Thankfully, God has never given up on me, either!
Thankful Thought #27:
I am thankful that God has helped me face and fix....and continues to help me face and fix....my character flaws! (Now if I can only keep from passing the flaws on to my kids!)
Case in point...my first born. Mike is a great kid who has so much to offer. When he isn't busy trying to hide it......Mike has a huge heart, is very thoughtful, has a great childlike wonder for holidays and family traditions, and is a protective older brother to his siblings.
Yet, my first born has authority issues. As much as he sometimes shows how much he loves being part of the family, he also show frustration at having to be part of a family structure with rules and limits. Passive aggression is his tool of choice....ignoring us when he's in a "non compliant" mood and putting off any "difficult" task we give him (like taking out the trash or locking a door!?!) until I feel like I have to act like Rumplestiltskin(jumping up and down until I go through the floor...sorry if this is an obscure image) or until he finally deems the task ready to be done in "Michael time"!
It can be SOOOOO frustrating! I get that kids need to grow up and apart from parents. In reality, the speed bumps in our relationship with Mike are just speed bumps. We have not had to deal with issues like alcohol abuse, drug use, or inappropriate relationships. It could be so much worse.
Mike struggles with faith....which I know is caused by a combo of immaturity, his issues with authority, and hurts that he has to reconcile with God over losing a sister and having a brother with autism. It's scary that as he is perched at the edge of the nest, I worry that without that solid faith to help move him through life that he will be blown into places that "angels fear to tread." I know that Mike has to make his own choices, but I was really hoping that faith would be an anchor in his life and he could avoid the pitfalls that can happen when God's left in a corner instead of the center where He belongs.
Jay and I often find ourselves trying to work through the frustration of dealing with the "difficult Mike moments". It's amazing how you can love your kids so much...but like them not so much in a given moment!
So, what prompted today's post you may ask? After a very difficult night with Luke and Kate, I was just ready to leave the bathroom after my shower when I noticed the brand new container of refill hand soap, (you know, the big jug), laying in the hamper. I leaned down to pick it up and realized that the cover was off and the entire bottle was in the hamper and soaked up in the towels at the bottom. It was a mess....and not a welcome sight for an already difficult morning.
I asked around to find out who might have dropped the soap and just left it there(!) without picking it up. When I got to Mike, his answer was, "I might have knocked it over." with that teenage shrug and that "I don't give a crap" look on his face that make me want to Jason Bourne him....you know, use crazy martial arts moves that have him on the ground in like 2.2 seconds! (Sorry...I live in a house with mostly boys who like their action movies!)
But I didn't. (I have bad hips and shoulders anyway) I didn't even yell...because I'm tired of repeating the whole, "If you drop something then pick it up." Ugh..laziness!
When he asked me to make him a sandwich 30 minutes later you can imagine the words that I wanted to say! I should have made him a soap sandwich!
But in the end, I made the sandwich and asked God to use that small sacrifice to help open Mike's heart to Him. Because as much as Mike drives me crazy(!!!), I won't give up on him.
Thankfully, God has never given up on me, either!
Thankful Thought #27:
I am thankful that God has helped me face and fix....and continues to help me face and fix....my character flaws! (Now if I can only keep from passing the flaws on to my kids!)
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