Thursday, May 12, 2011

Where does the time go?

I bet, just like me you know someone who manages to maximize every minute of their 24 hour day, accomplishing a mountain of tasks, while you struggle to complete even a handful of the items on your to-do list.  Perhaps you ARE that person efficient individual.  All I know is some days it's as if  time flies by at warp speed.  One minute you're dressing and prepping for the day, and the next you're literally falling into bed way later than you had planned.  Where does the time go?  As much as I struggle to complete my to-do list from day to day, I so desperately don't want to take any of it for granted.  I never want to assume that these moments are mine by right, that there will always be another day for me to tackle my ever growing list.  I pray frequently as the Psalmist who wrote "show me Lord, my life's end, and number my days, let me know how fleeting my life is"  I'm a work in progress, that much, I know for sure.

The week has flown by.  We celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday, and a celebration it truly was.  I felt so incredibly blessed to have this life.  My sweet, sweet husband, and the three wonderfully, beautiful, funny, charming, talented, albeit, trying girls we made together created a lovely morning for me.  I read this quote about parenting on another blog I follow the other day and thought it so true "we get to birth them, feed them, care for them and then watch them grow up and become adults?! it's crazy.  and awful.  and humbling.  and HARD but still so very cool".  Sometimes I am overcome with humility that God chose me to be mommy to these young ladies.  They are such a gift.  Here's a snapshot of Mother's Day morning.  Although there's one picture I wish I had have gotten.  I laugh just thinking about it.  Hubby had come into our room, kissed me a few times rousing me from my sweet sleep, then left as quietly as he had come in.  I opened my eyes, looked and the clock, and decided it was time to get up and get ready for church, so I quickly jumped out of bed, and hopped in the shower.  When I finished in the bathroom,  I opened the door to discover the bed had been made, and on the dresser waited a wonderful home made breakfast, consisting of: a mimosa, coffee, and french toast with strawberries, bananas, and whip cream.  How delightful right?  But no peeps to present it, just a wonderfully laid out tray, sitting there, all alone.  That was because with in moments of my stepping into the shower my lovely little family had burst into our bedroom singing Happy Mother's Day to You (to the tune of the Happy Birthday song), only to find the bed void.  doh!  Their expectation was to greet me, present the breakfast delights, and have me join them downstairs where their breakfast was already waiting for them.  Who can blame them for wanting to eat their food while it was still hot right?!  hee hee.  We all had a little laugh about it when I appeared in the kitchen with my tray of food.

On another note.  I had the opportunity last week to witness this girl  excel at her school's track and field day.

She did wonderfully.  She came in 1st for the 100, 200, and 800 meter run.  She placed 3rd in both the long jump, and shot put exercises.  I was so full of pride as I watched this baby of mine use the skill and talent that God had planted inside of her.  It's not so much about her coming in first, but more about watching her grow into herself.  There was once a time where she didn't enjoy gym class, she wasn't really one for exercise.  Then after a conversation we had about how I use to run track and be quite good at it as a kid, and how genetics plays a large part in what we're naturally good at, she decided to give it a shot.  Needless to say she not only shocked her friends, but herself with how capable she was at running.  She later discovered she's really quite the natural athlete.  God's gift in her coming alive.  I couldn't help but think, as I watched her race around that track, that the same pride I had in her at that moment, and how it made me feel to be able to witness her accomplishment firsthand, is the same way God looks at me.  It's the same way He looks at each of His children when we live out His will for us, and take steps of courage and faith to test and see His good and perfect will for us.  The God of the universe, the creator of the earth loves us with a remarkable love that way exceeds the depth and breadth of the love we have for our own children.  Unfathomable. 

It's taken me some time to be able to fully accept and embrace the idea that God's best for me at this point in my life is to be focused on my girls, my husband, and our home.  Making this house a refuge for each of us, and being available physically and emotionally for my family is my high calling at this time.  Ministry, and volunteering must take a back seat to my family for now.  I know it doesn't make me any less of a Christian, but we live in a day and age where what we do becomes so much of a definition of who we are.  There once was a time where a stay at home mom was not even a title, but the expectation.  That's what women naturally did when they become mothers.  Now, there's somewhat of a stigma to that title.  I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked when I plan on re-entering the working world now that my girls are in school full time.  I've come to realize that for me, for now, there is no greater gift, nothing I would rather be doing with my time than being available for my family.  To have the opportunity to join my girls on field trips, or spend the day freezing my tush off at the track to watch Isabelle run and jump, or make myself available to pick up or drop off friends of my girls' to or from school to help out another parent.  To open my home to friends for dinner once a week to make their lives a little easier, and cut down on their driving on "piano days".  Those things are all things I consider gifts, opportunities to live out my calling in this life, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, loving my neighbour as myself, and giving back to my Father what He has so lovingly given to me.  Giving of my time, my resources, and my skills, and sharing what I have with those around me is the best way for me to live out my faith, and right now those things all center around this wonderful house we call home, and the lives of those who live here.

If you're still with me, thanks for hanging in there for this lengthy post.  Hopefully I can make it up with some eye candy.  I attended an all day crop last weekend in order to spend time with my lovely friend Flo.  I completed only a few layouts, not all of which I really like, but in the effort to keep it real around here, I'll share them with you anyway.  What's the sense in only sharing the "good" layouts, that's not the real me.  The real me, spends more time chatting with and getting to know people at crops than actually scrapping.  I also find it a little difficult to work in another space with my stuff all in piles.  Anyhow here they are.
Another Haven layout using Echo Park papers.

The short story about how this house become our home only 8 months ago.  I love the way this one turned out.

I made this layout in 25 mins.  Fastest layout ever, except I accidentally smudged a paint splatter on the top of the page :(  Hence the really awkwardly placed tag.  I thought about cutting out the center, and the little strip at the bottom, but after reassuring myself there are no scrap police I decided to do something better with my time, and kick perfectionism in it's butt.  Papers are Fancy Pants

My sweet baby girl #3, using MME papers and embellies.  The flower is Prima.

Thanks for stopping by, and for leaving a little love, you know I appreciate it.

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2 comments:

Sasha Farina said...

why dont you love your layouts? They're amazing, girl! and on my layout.. i didn't make that sucker. LOL. Flowers from Martha Stewart and SC had them in Baker's Dozen last year. I finally finished mine. What an awesome feeling.

You wanna attend a malay wedding? are you game to fly to Malaysia? I'll let you know when my youngest sister decides on getting married. LOL.

*hugs*

Tanya said...

LOVE the LOs :) You made me cry this evening with our words of wisdom...why is it SAHM's are made to feel like being that is not enough?!?! Great post today.