You know, life is busy around here. Jonathon's work is giving him jobs left and right (no complaints here!). Homeschooling 4 children with 2 other littler ones is taxing. There are always meals to make, laundry to do, dishes to wash, floors to sweep (thanks to the shedding dog- glad that phase is over for a bit!), diapers to change, bodily injuries or sickness to tend, outside yard and garden to keep up, and family and friends to keep relationships going. Sometimes I feel like I don't have time for one more thing to get accomplished, yet somehow every day I get all that done. Does my house look messy when you stop by unexpectedly? Yes! Will there be laundry on my couch in piles? Yes! Will I be rushing around to get food on the table? Yes!
I wish I could set all that aside and not apologize for a messy house. I wish I could welcome others in and not worry that my floors are dirty. What's important? What's the day to day tasks and efforts I put forth worth in this life? If I'm fussing about a messy house and things undone, then it's not worth much.
It takes a lot of work to tend all the needs in my home. It takes time, energy, love, and patience. Do I fail at times? Yes. Am I successful at teaching my children with patience and kindness most days? Yes, but not all days. Do I long to be a vessel that can reach the hearts of my children and others that are lost in my community? Yes. The time in this life can be so short. We almost didn't go take these pictures the day we did. I'm so glad we took time to do it. They capture us. They capture the love that we have for one another. Yes, there is fighting and bickering. There are arguments and fussing children. BUT in the end, look how Benaiah is helping Saphi with her boot. Look how Josiah is looking down at his baby sister to make sure she's okay. Look at how my husband holds me in his arm like I am a prize to never let go of.
Do we beat ourselves up that life isn't perfect? It never will be.
Do we wish we had more time to get one more accomplishment done? There will always be more.
Do we look at what we have and realize the blessing right infront of us? Not enough.
Blessings are all around. Don't let time and busy lives cause your eyes to not see what is truly surrounding you. If you can't see it, step back for only a moment. Blink a couple times and just watch and listen. This is your life. Hold onto it. Mold it, shape it, transform it if it needs to be changed, but handle it like it's the best gift in the world, and then all that other stuff that gets you down and frustrated, just let it go.
Oh that we could live the picture perfect way that we had envisioned when we started having children. Boy, 6 is a different story than the cute little baby we started out with. :) The rewards can be grand if we allow them to be. The blessings beyond the children themselves can be remarkable if we are guiding them and not just being busy about our own tasks. These children are work, but with a little instruction, guidance, and perhaps discipline at times, they sure can brighten my day and make me realize what's right infront of me that I can so easily miss. Children. A blessing from the Lord. And I have 6 of them! :)
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