I Feel a Stirring



Yesterday, I watched my sons and several other boys play basketball in the driveway. I not only watched the intense games, but I noticed how each boy had grown up over the years. While in the Navy, I was used to moving every two or three years, but I’ve been in this city for over ten years. I’m grateful Firstborn and Secondborn had the opportunity to develop life-long friends and relationships. I’ve enjoyed it also, but it’s time to go. My spirit is stirring for a different view.

This same stirring of my spirit occurred about three years before I was supposed to retire. I knew I was being prepared to go in a different direction in my life. Now, two years before Secondborn graduates from high school, the stirring of the spirit is back. I’m being prepared to move into another direction. For a while, I’ve been talking to my husband and sons about moving to the mountains. I want to move to a place where nobody knows my name, and experience waking up to the nakedness of nature and all its beauty. I don’t know how long I’ll stay, but I definitely want to experience it – alone.

I’ve cooked, cleaned, washed, disciplined, home schooled, cheered, transported, nursed, sexed, helped, served and sacrificed, and now it’s time to play the ‘me’ card, and head to the mountains. I don’t want to be like a woman I spoke with this weekend, who is just realizing, in her sixties, that she needs to take care of herself. Hmph, it’s time to go! Sound selfish? Well, it’s time to be selfish and take care of my temple. I’ve poured out for my family, unselfishly, for almost twenty years.

 I don’t know about you, but the ‘me’ card is looking pretty good. A different view invites a different me. I welcome the stirring.

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Will the REAL Moms Please Stand Up!

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I spoke with a young mother this weekend, and asked her if she was enjoying motherhood. She hesitated, but replied that she loved her daughter. I thanked her for being honest, and told her motherhood isn’t always enjoyable. I told her it’s best to be real about how she felt instead of faking it, and the young mother began to cry. I gave her a hug and told her I understood because I had been there, done that, and have two t-shirts to prove it. Hmph…sometimes I go there now and I’ve been a mother for eighteen years. 

It’s so important for women to be real and unmask when we speak with other wives and mothers. How in the world are they supposed to see the power of God in our lives and give them hope if we always look and act like we have it all together?  It’s hard being a loving mother 24/7, and it’s okay to say that you sometimes get tired of your children. Saying it doesn’t remove an ounce of love we have for them! Will the REAL moms please stand up! 

If everyday in the motherHOOD was easy, we wouldn’t need God to comfort us. If we never cried, we wouldn’t need God to wipe away our tears. If we didn’t feel like we were burdened, we wouldn’t need God to cast our cares upon. Can I Be Real? A perfect mother does not exist. We all have struggles, meltdown moments, and some have crying spells. We just have to pray for strength and power to endure and take it one day at a time – one step at a time. We have to stay connected to our power source, and remember that He promised to never leave us. No, it’s not going to be alright, it’s already alright! 

Stay strong, hold on, and keep it REAL!

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One More Day





 Snooze, snooze, snooze was my mindset this morning. I kept pressing the snooze button, which is rare for me because I usually wake up with the chickens; however I knew I would have difficulty waking this morning since I went to bed extremely late. With each press of the snooze button, I knew I was also inviting a day of rushing out the door. Unfortunately, I wasn’t thanking God for one more day, but wishing I had one more day to sleep in. After the third snooze press, I began to feel guilty for my poor time management. I took it a step further and realized I wasn’t being a good steward of God’s time. 

 It’s a shame how much time I waste doing things that don’t matter. My snoozing also reminded me of the mental space I waste sitting and thinking of things I can’t control. If I allowed my thoughts to be consumed with an attitude of gratitude, I wouldn’t have time to mumble and grumble. If I allowed my thoughts to be consumed with the Giver of life, I wouldn’t have time to think about those who try to suck the life out of me. If I maintained thoughts of productivity, I wouldn’t have time to entertain procrastination. Life can be simple, but my choices make me wonder about some of my life occurrences. 

I’m getting older, so I don’t have time to snooze or procrastinate. I have one more day to get it right - one more day to do better than I did on yesterday - one more day to have an attitude of gratitude! I was blessed with one more day, so why not be a good steward of my minutes and my mind? How about you? What will you do with your one more day? It begins with a choice!


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