One of those days

It's been one of THOSE days. You know the ones. Everyone has them from time to time. I woke up and my house is a wreck. There's laundry to do and dishes to wash. My kid won't obey. I got on the scale and it went up again. I looked at our bank account and we'll be pinching pennies for the rest of the month. It's my hubbies turn to have the car, so I am stuck at home unless I walk or ride the bus. I am in a bad mood.

But as I am thinking of all these things that are making me angry and frustrating me, I ask myself, so what am I going to do about it?

My options are pretty simple. I could sit here and sulk and be upset all day long. Heck, I could even go on strike and not clean my house. I could sit on my rear and continue to watch the numbers on the scale go up. I could pout because I have to ride the bus because we don't have a second car. I could get angry. I could be frustrated with my son all day. And although sometimes I think some of these things are the more comfortable, more self-pleasing options, it doesn't help me be who I want to be.

My other options are to acknowledge today is not my favorite and just suck it up. Be thankful for my house and clean it so that I enjoy being in it. I can try something different with my son. I can choose to eat healthful things and move a little so that I don't feel fat. I can choose to not buy unneccessary things and acknowledge that I am one of the richest people in the world and be thankful. I can ride the bus or walk and be grateful I have comfortable shoes, working legs, and a bus station nearby. I do have the power of choice about what I will do and be today.

The question is, what AM I going to do today? Will it please me? Will it please Him?

Totally Awesome Twos

My son turned two last week. He has been so fun to watch grow and learn and develop into his own little person. I have enjoyed him so much for these first 2 years of his life. A lot of people always say the cliche statement "terrible twos", but that really hasn't been the case for me. Yes, he is getting to be very independent, and yes he is very passionate and adament about certain things, but I like that about him! Sometimes we disagree and he protests my decision, but that is alright with me and it usually only takes a minute before he is once again distracted by pushing a car or throwing a ball. The other thing about this age that I love is how much he likes to tell me. Sometimes he just says whatever I say and other times, he will yell from across the room "Firetruck! Firetruck! Mommy! Firetruck!" And he wants to share his excitement with me. I love my son and I hope and pray that he will grow to love God deeply and passionately for all his life.

In your arms of love

My son fell asleep in my arms today. It has become a rare thing for him to do, being that he usually just crawls into bed on his own and takes a nap. But days like today are special. I could tell by the time he finished his lunch that he was fading fast, so I picked him up and held him as he drifted off into sleep. Once he arrives at that sleeping state, I like to hold him and look at him for a while. I like to look at him sleeping in my arms and to savor that moment because moments like it are fewer and far in between these days. It is a magical or divine feeling to hold your child sleeping in your arms. They trust you and are comfortable and at ease in that moment. They feel safe and they rest their busy little bodies in the comfort of your arms. At times like this I feel like I grasp a little bit of God's unfailing love for us. I know how much I love my son...and if God is as thrilled with me, His child, as I am with my son, then I must be something pretty special to him. In my human mind, if God loves me even as much as I love my son, then I am so loved...but the truth is that God loves me more than I will ever comprehend. My love for my son has errors and mistakes written all over it, I have to start new every morning, yet God loves me perfectly. It brings me comfort to know that like my baby son sleeping and resting in my arms of love, that I have a Savior and loving Father that I can rest in His arms of love...holding me still...holding me near in His arms of love. I can rest in Him knowing He is gazing down at me with adoration and pride and unfailing love because I am His child. He is thrilled with me for I am His. I hope that you find rest for your soul in God's arms of love today. It is such a good place to be.

For moms out there

One Hundred Years from now (excerpt from "Within My Power" by Forest Witcraft)

One Hundred Years from now
It will not matter what kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
how much money was in my bank account
nor what my clothes looked like.
But the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child.