Psalm 25:1-25:15

I'm going to be processing this one for a few days at least.

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul,
in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous and without excuse.

Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are my God, my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O LORD your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD,
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his convenant.
For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
The LORD confides in those who fear him,
he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

5 pounds and counting

Since I started going to the gym on a regular basis and working out at home on the days that I don't make it to the gym I have lost five pounds. That was a month ago. That means I am five pounds lighter than I was when I became pregnant with my third child and if I lose another five I will be the same weight I was when I became pregnant for the first time. I am very excited about this, not because I am obsessive about my weight but because I know that I am getting back into a healthier lifestyle. Of course, losing a little weight is definitely a nice side effect.

Dollar Store Paints

This happened last January but I wanted to put it here because it really made such a huge impact on me.


I was running to the grocery store with my two lovely children in tow at 4:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. I usually do not undertake such an adventure in the afternoon but this trip could not be avoided. In order to coax my three and a half year old to hurry along I told him we would stop by the dollar store and get him some paints. After rushing through the grocery store I buckled both children in the car and my son excitedly said "Yay, now we get to get my paints!". I had completely forgotten about my promise. We drove across the parking lot to the dollar store and went inside. Again in a very hurried manner I led my son to the aisle with the paints and told him to pick out two. We went to the front of the store to pay and there was only one cash register open.

The lady in front of us had a cart full of items. I was very irritated and inconvenienced since we only had two small items and was hoping she would let us ahead of her. My son started talking to her. He said, "Look what I have. I am going to paint a house and a car and a person." The lady took great interest in talking to him. Finally it was her turn and the girl started to ring up her cart full of items. When she was almost done, the lady in front of us said, "Please put those two in with mine as well." I couldn’t believe it. I sheepishly said she didn’t have to. The reason for saying this so sheepishly was the conviction that was brewing in my heart. Then she turned to us and said "I want to. I’m sorry I didn’t let you go ahead of me but I really wanted to buy these for him." The attitude I had in my heart was completely wrong and God made sure that I was fully aware of that. I witnessed such kindness and such love in this one act and I feel honored and blessed that my son was able to experience it as well. I will definitely have a different attitude the next time I am in such a situation and perhaps I will not be so hurried but instead look at the people in the store with me the way God looks at them.

Matthew 3:7-3:10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Wow! Does John sound a bit irritated, if not outright angry here? He was aware of their motives and he knew it did not please God in any way. Therefore, his anger was that of a righteous nature. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Fruit is referred to a lot in the New testament. We are to have the fruits of the Spirit which would also be the fruit produced in keeping with repentance. Love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, self control. If the fruit we produce is not of the Spirit then we do not have the Spirit within us. We are told to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. We must ask ourselves what our fruit is and if we are in danger of being cut down and thrown into the fire!

When I look at my own fruit, I know there is so much room for growth in all of these areas. In many of them I still feel like I am just a baby. I have been pruned on so many occassions and it can be so painful but yet I am so thankful. He has not given up on me. He knows my heart. He knows my strengths as well as my weaknesses and each day He lifts me up with new mercies and a fresh abundance of His grace.

Let us not have the motives, the hearts, of the Phraisees and the Sadducees whom are referred to as a "brood of vipers"! Let our motives and our hearts be led by the Holy Spirit! We are known by the fruit we bear. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit and neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Running after people for Christ...

Today was the big day. I had gotten up the nerve to ask the woman I mentioned in a previous post to get together with me for an informal Bible study and prayer time a few times a week. I called her and we were to meet at a particular store. Well, we got our wires crossed and ended up at different stores. I put all three kids in the car and headed down to a different one which I was sure she had went to instead. After getting there, we realized that she was not there and figured she had indeed went to the first store. We got in the car again and she was not there either. Now, if you knew me you would know that by this time I was in tears. All I had wanted to do was to follow what God had laid upon my heart and it was not going as I had expected at all. An hour after we had left the house (the store was just a few blocks, mind you) we finally met up with each other. I was able to invite her as I had wanted to and she was eager to accept. I just hope the next time we get together it isn't quite so much of a hassle, but if it is - I will follow what He is leading me to do...even if that means running all over town trying to reach out to someone.

Proverbs 5:22-23

The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own folly.

I wasn't at all shocked by the first part of this and admittedly had no problem setting them aside because surely I am not considered "wicked". It was the second part of this that struck me. He will die for lack of discipline. In a previous post today I admitted my problem with sticking with something even if it was working. I'm guessing that is why this struck me as it did. Could that lack of discipline in my life truly lead me astray and cause me death? It is, of course, lack of discipline that allows me to fall into sin as much as I do. It is that same lack of discipline that has me conquering the same things over and over again and then once again letting them overtake me. Consistency is so hard to maintain yet it is vital and speaks volumes as to our own self-discipline. This is something I am becoming increasingly aware of especially as my children grow. Oh, how I pray I am able to conquer this particular issue through the grace and the mercy and the power of God!

Getting it together

I have really slacked off on the area of housecleaning since our third baby came along four months ago. Actually, I think I slacked off when I learned I was pregnant with her! After some encouragement from my husband (what an awesome guy, wanting to do anything he can to help out!) I see we (we, meaning me) need to get it together in this area. When my son was one I had went to a system of having a check list of things to do on specific days of the week just to stay on top of things. It always makes me feel like I've accomplished something when I can check it off. I have decided to go back to this system. The kids are going to help out (hopefully) and they get to put stickers on the ones that we have done for the day. Yesterday went well. I hope I can keep it up. I have trouble sticking with something even if it is yeilding great results. I don't know why, really, I guess I think once I have it under control I don't need to continue doing what got it under control in the first place. It is definitely something I need to work on.

Stepping Out

I think I have mentioned it before, but I am an introvert. I am very comfortable spending time at home with my family. I am not so comfortable with people that I do not know very well. I have been given the opportunity to help out a mother from my MOPS group. I ventured to do so last Friday for the first time. I was quite nervous to say the least. All in all, it went pretty well, and we even took the kids to the park together. After spending much time in prayer while pedaling away on the bicycle at the gym I have come to the somewhat obvious conclusion that God is asking me to step out of my comfort zone in order to come alongside this woman. I have decided to ask her to join me for informal Bible study and prayer time on a regular basis. This is very new to me as the first time I had really spoken to her was on Friday and it was rather awkward. I just pray that the Holy Spirit guides us and that He will be glorified in this. Please pray for us!

Proverbs 10:8-9

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

The first part of this couldn't help but make me think of my children. When they accept my commands and do as I say (usually in order to keep them safe) they are much better off than when they try to argue with me or try to tell me why it is okay to do what they want to do. We do that too, don't we? When we accept what God says we are so much better off than when we try to plead with Him as to why our way is better. It truly is the wiser thing to just listen. When we know the person in authority (God) is perfect, why do we argue?

If we desire a path that is secure, a path that is safe, we will listen to Him. It may not be the easiest path nor may it be the quickest but it is secure. If we desire something else, something of this world, the quick fix, it may seem like things are going well but in the end it will all come crashing down.

It is amazing to me, how the Bible really is the Living Word of a Living God! It speaks new things to me every time I gaze upon its print.

Homeschooling: my heart's desire

As I said in my previous post, my son is about to turn five. This means that he is ready for Kindergarten next fall. I have been teaching him at home for the past year and a half. It has went fairly well and he has progressed much faster than I could have ever imagined. He has the typical mornings where he thinks something is too hard for him just because he doesn't really want to do it, or just plain resisting me on the entire process. Ever since he was a baby there has been this desire in my heart to teach him at home. I think I went to Mardel's and bought the first "workbook" (first grade math) when he was less than a year old!

I love to know what he is struggling with, what he is excelling in, what he is interested in. I love to see it finally click for him and know that he has "gotten" it. It is great for me to be able to have him ask me a question about space or sea turtles or dinosaurs and be able to completely detour in that direction because I know he is interested in it. I dream of taking them on field trips to experience what they are learning so that they will remember it forever. I want to instill in them a love for learning rather than dreading to do it because it isn't something they enjoy or it isn't done in a way that they can full grasp the subject.

With all that said, it still has been a difficult decision to keep him out of Kindergarten next year. There are times when I wonder if I really am his best teacher. When he is resisting me I wonder if it isn't because I am his mom and he'd do better in a school setting. But in my heart, I know that this desire is not from me. It is something that has been put there by God. It most definitely has not always been easy and will probably get harder at times but it is also very rewarding. I do not have any problem with those who send their children to school. I know God does not put this on every mother's heart and it is no less noble a task to mother a child and send them to school than it is to school them at home.

My main reason for putting this here is because I know there is a voice of doubt. The voice that says maybe they would be better off with someone else, the voice that tries to drown out a true desire that has been put there by God. I need to remind myself of that as well. If we choose to send our children to school let it be for something other than that. We are capable, we are equipped, we can do it and if God has put that in our hearts than we should act on that.

Birthday Parties

My son is about to turn 5. He went to his first real birthday party (read: without mom staying the entire time) in December. He told everyone about this party and slept with the little "goodie bag" that was given to him. He has also been begging me to let him have a similar party. I told him he could invite four friends and we would indeed have a party. The invitations have all been given/sent so I cannot go back on it now.

I am not a party person. I do not know how my own mother did it all those years when we insisted on inviting every single girl or boy in the class. I distinctly remember one year when I invited all the girls and I spent a good majority of the time crying on our basement steps while the rest of the girls had fun and somehow managed to also knock over the Christmas tree. My mother never turned me down though. I'm not sure this was always a good thing but I know she had the best of intentions. I am not looking forward to my kids having an expectation of a birthday party every year and I am terrified that they will constantly want bigger and better and say "so and so's" party was better than this one. I am trying to teach them to be thankful and not have those attitudes but realisticly I know that their little hearts will more than likely feel all of those things to some extent.

We will be having a Clifford party with many of the activities and games printed off of http://www.pbsparents.org . I plan on making my very first ice cream cake and I haven't a clue what we will do for decorations. This whole idea of everyone getting their own little bag of things is pretty foreign to me. I guess I'll be making a trip or two to the dollar store!

This party isn't for another three weeks and I'm pretty sure I will be stressing out over it every single day until it is over. I don't know if it is an introvert thing or what, but I honestly don't know if I'll ever feel comfortable doing this kind of thing!

Psalm 34:1-5

I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice
Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

I know it may seem I went backwards from my post yesterday but I want to write yesterday's first simply because of the importance it showed in controlling the tongue. This starts off with how we shall extol the LORD and that includes His praise constantly being on our lips. We cannot speak evil or have lies on our lips and claim to have His praise coming forth as well. Of course in the next line we see it goes even deeper than that! Our entire soul must boast of His greatness. It's as though there is such a pure joy within our souls that the mere appearance of it will boast of His mighty power and holiness. These two things most definitely glorify his name and that is the greatest goal there is - to constantly glorify Him and exalt His name!

When we concentrate on our fears and discouragements and insecurities it is often quite obvious what is going on within our hearts and our souls. We are downcast and preoccupied. We are hardly going to be considered radiant. But when we look to Him, the One and Only, the All in All, the King of Kings it is then that we are delivered from all these things. It is in the light of His holiness, His love, His grace, His mercies, His mighty power that we never have the need for shame, nor discouragement, nor despair. It is in the light of all that He is that we truly become radiant. Oh, that we would not lean upon our own understanding but rather seek Him. Surely He will answer.

I will be trying to do one of these a day, as I am going to be meditating upon them throughout the day. Yesterday was a much better day as I chewed on the reality of the verses I posted. I hope you will do the same.

Psalm 34:11-14

Come, my children, listen to me,
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

Oh, how important it is to have the fear of the LORD. Some people think this is ridiculous. Some say that He is supposed to be your best friend and fear should not be a part of the relationship. However, it rings true that fear of the LORD is truly the beginning of all wisdom. It is wisdom that I seek, it is His wisdom that I desire rather than the world's and so I know that this is true. Considering this, it is quite appropriate that it is followed up by then next verse. If we desire to see many good days (and, really, who doesn't?) we will keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking lies. How quickly our tongue can give away whether we are in fact wise or foolish. Reading this made me realize that I have to stop initiating unnecessary and harmful conversations. When I say unnecessary, I mean in a spiritual sense. Some things are quite necessary in order to stand firm in what we believe! I know I must stay focused on His will and only doing good for the Kingdom. I cannot seek the world's peace but rather to actively pursue His peace.

I pray that I can write these verses upon my heart as I continue to meditate upon them and I think every Christian could benefit from doing so.

Journaling

I was going through some things yesterday and today and found stacks and stacks of various journals I have kept over the past seven years. I used to journal all the time. I am quite sure that anyone reading through those particular journals early on would be able to tell pretty much every thought I had during the day/week. I was very thorough and it was incredibly theraputic for me to write it all down. After my son was born I journaled a lot less but still continued to do it. After my daughter it really slowed down. I don't think I've written a word in a journal since 2006! I am going to start doing this again. It is very good for me to do it and I look forward to my kids being able to read them some day and see what I struggled with, what encouraged me, what was happening, etc. Hopefully they will have that desire to know me and I pray that it will in turn encourage them in their own struggles that they are surely going to encounter. I was rather shocked at the amount of journals my thoughts have filled and it may be more practical now a days to just type them out but there is something about putting pen to paper and having it be between me and God that makes it much different for me.

My Valentine

I know I said I think this holiday is unnecessary, however I would like to take this time to express how thankful I am for the incredible man that asked me to marry him. Though he is currently sick and in pain he never ceases to amaze me. He is far more than I ever could have imagined and after nearly six years of marriage I find myself only loving him more daily. Of course, my other valentine is sweet and quite the looker as well. He is, afterall, a spittin image of my husband. I'm quite thankful to have this wonderful man and intelligent boy in my life.

Hope you have a great day, loving and being loved.

Get Moving

We had a gym open up across the street from us recently. I haven't been to a gym regularly in the last five years! When I went before, it was always with my husband and that made it fun and quite enjoyable. When it came to me having to leave my treasured family and drive across town to get to the gym all by myself I just didn't have the motivation to do it. It seemed like more of a chore to me. Well, before this gym opened I was so excited to be able to just walk there and only go for twenty minutes if I wanted to. I have been getting up every morning at about 6:00 and going to the gym from 6:30 until 7:00. This has put such a different spin on each day. It gives me a quiet time to start the day and it gets me moving. My mood is so much better and I feel like a better mom on the days that I go. I haven't went in the last few days because my daughter has been sick which means she has been whiney and I don't want to have her throwing a tantrum when I leave. Sometimes I am able to get out before they even wake up, but I didn't want to take the chance. I plan on returning tomorrow morning. It just makes such a difference to get moving every morning even if I do have to drag myself out of bed to do it. I am so happy I am there once I get there!

Frugally jumping into Cloth Diapering

The price of diapers is outrageous these days. If you buy one of those "jumbo" packs at the store they are easily ten dollars or more. We have went the Sam's club route for the last four years but even that at 30.00 a box sure adds up. I wanted to do cloth with my first and also with my second but we were in a drought and I allowed that to deter me. This time I decided to go for it. I had my mom sew up five fleece diaper covers and I was give a dozen prefold diapers when my son was born. The person who gave them to me had intended them to be burp cloths, but I never used them as such. I had also bought two all in one diapers off of ebay for about eight dollars each when my daughter was small. Some people say you need to spend three hundred dollars to start doing cloth. We do cloth during the day and disposables at night. So, instead of going through forty two diapers in a week we go through seven. I save the all in ones for when we are going out to the store or someplace because I know that they can handle three hours out on the town whereas the prefolds aren't quite so practical for that. The fleece diaper covers are working out well for around the house. I let her go in just the diaper because if it is compressed it tends to wick onto clothing.

I just wanted to do this post because when I was researching it I was quickly discouraged by the cost. It seemed easier and, in the short term, cheaper to just be in disposables. We were able to start up for less than a box of diapers at Sam's. We spent 16.00 on the all in ones, about 6.00 on the materials for the diaper covers, and the prefolds were a gift (they usually run about 12.00 at Walmart or Target). Granted, these only last me a day and a half so I have to do a quick load of wash each night but since I am able to set it on Extra Small load and only use a very small amount of detergent (probably a tablespoon) that doesn't add up to be very much.

Our Fallen Heroes

A few days ago I received a comment on something I had posted in July of 2007 about Travis W. Anderson. You can read it here. I posted it as part of the Some Gave All Tribute. There is a button located in the sidebar. I was very touched to recieve a comment from someone who actually knew this young man. I hope that you will go and read what she has to say and remember the people who are risking their lives on a daily basis and the people that are left to grieve when they do not return home.

The Bottom of the Bottle

When I was a senior in high school I opted to take all the advanced courses I could. One of these included Honors English. We were asked to write an article that would be published in our local paper. I just came across this article again today and thought I would put it here. It definitely was not popular among my classmates and parts of it were required (length, statistics, quotes, etc.).

The Bottom of the Bottle

"Don't wait up for me, Mom. I'm just going out with the guys"
"I'm not too drunk, Dad. I've just had a couple."

Phrases like these should strike fear into the hearts of most parents. As parents, they have a responsibility to prevent their children from endangering themselves and others. While teenagers think their lives are their own and should be of no concern to parents, this way of thinking is unrealistic. When teenagers decide to pour alcohol down their throats, they are being irresponsible and dangerous.

Numerous surveys have stated that in the small community of Oakes, alcohol is the drug of choice. The legality of this drug has made it easy to obtain and as a result, its use is increasingly more common among the youth. Drinking has evolved to the point that it has become a common part of being a teenager. Society no longer condemns the town drunk but rather accepts drinking as experiemental behavior. The problem is that many are not just experimenting; it has evolved into a way of life. There is a fine line between you controlling the alcohol and the alcohol controlling you. Unfortunately, alcohol impairs a person's judgement to a point where they do not know when they have crossed that line.

I will be attending college next fall, as well as many of my classmates, and I am fully aware of the behavior associated with typical college life: no parents, no rules, no curfews, the perfect party scene, and for many, little time spent actually studying. We have all heard of the "freshmen 15", those pounds put on because of the change in lifestyle, and to some, it seems like a big deal. Most assuredly, those few extra pounds will be the least of their worries if alochol becomes their way of life.

Alcohol causes many problems in the home, it is not just a concern when it comes to the road. According to the Director of Development for Northwest College of the Bible, Charles Dailey, one teenager in five is said to be a drinker and of those, ten percent are future alcoholics. Dailey also says that one in four families is affected by alcohol in some way. The emotional impact of living with a person who drinks is much like living with a time bomb. It is almost impossible to tell what will happen or when. We are fooling ourselves if we think the only people we hurt when we drink are ourselves. Many people get hurt, especially family members.

I'm not saying that everyone who has a beer on Friday night becomes a problem drinker, but a great number of people cannot control the progression of a tolerance to the liquid. I believe the problem of alchol exists within our community and every other community in this nation, and most likely throughout the world. It is a sad fact that Americans consume 4 3/4 billion gallons of beer annually, and still only ranks 20th in alcohol consumption. It seems we are doing very little to nothing to confront this problem, though. We throw the drunk drivers and abusers in jail for a night, and put them back into society with little help, until something horrible happens.

Violence, drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, jail, and death all accompany the temporary buzzed feeling. I strongly urge parents to take the initiaitive to find out exactly what their children are doing when they go out for a night on the town. Lives are literally atstake; it may be your child or some innocent person getting hit by an intoxicated driver. I would hope that the next time you decide to go drinking, that you carefully consider the possible consequences, and remember, the answers to life aren't going to be found at the bottom of the bottle.

Mommy, please play with us!

My four year old son is definitely a quality time child. He is constantly requesting that I play with them. This consists of sitting on the floor playing with whatever "guy" they pick for me. I must talk in an unnatural voice and help whoever needs me and be a guest at Winnie the Pooh's birthday party which is always in my daughter's imaginary world. I could sit there and play for hours and they would still beg me to sit with them a bit longer. I know it is the times that I sit with them playing their games that they will remember when they get older. It is not whether the house was completely clean or not. I try to make a point to sit and play with them at least once or twice during the day and interact with them no matter what I am doing. I am getting better at including them in everything I do as they get older even though it may not get done as fast nor as well as if I just did it by myself.

The High Calling of being a wife

It is so easy at times to get wrapped up in the children. They take up much of our time and definitely have needs that are urgent to be tended to. It often slips our mind of what life was like before these precious little lives came into the world. Before the incredible blessing of children was a marriage between two people that loved each other enough to say "I do" until death. Children are wonderful and motherhood is definitely a priority but we cannot let that hinder the relationship of husband and wife. There are so many things that we, as wives, can be and need to be for our husbands.

The first step is being thankful. When I stop and think about everything my husband does for me on a daily basis, I am overwhelmed at the love he has for us as a family, and for me as his wife. He knew that I had a desire to be a stay at home mom and he never once has pushed me to be anything other than that. He has made sacrifices and never complains about the fact that I do not work. He works so hard every day and when he comes home he leaves it all behind just so he can focus on us. Sometimes this frustrates me because I want to know when he is stressed or what is going on at work, but I know that he does it out of his love for us. I watch him and I am in awe of the awesome, godly man He has given me for a husband.

The second step is to be realistic. Things are not always going to go the way we want them to. Sometimes I get things in my head and I dwell on them so much that when things fall short of my unrealistic expectation I am devastated. I do not hide this well at all. My husband deserves a wife who can be flexible and have fun even when the situation isn't perfect. He also deserves a wife who will call upon the Lord instead of leaning on her own understanding. I am guilty of not being those things but I am striving to become what I know God wants me to be as his wife.

The third step is to be understanding. I am also guilty of crying and saying I want my husband to be understanding. Most men have a totally different way of doing this. They won't say, honey we need to talk, and then have a one sided conversation filled with tears and poor me's. I am coming to the realization that I need to do away with this type of thing completely. He doesn't need that and truth be known, I don't really need to do it either. Nine times out of ten, and sometimes ten times out of ten, I am just making a huge deal out of something that is only in my head! If I want to be a good wife I need to understand what he needs from me. He needs support, love, and encouragement. To give him these things I need to make sure I am doing things with the right motive and put God first. It is so much easier to be a good wife when I am seeking God.

Valentine's Day is coming up. I, personally, think it is an unecessary holiday. However, we should make a point to remember to show our husbands just how much they mean to us and how much we love them every single day. If something is keeping you from completely loving your husband and showing him that love seek God on how you can overcome it and glorify Him in your marriage.

Thoughts on Motherhood

We were blessed with the birth of our third child in late October. Before she was born I felt rather exhausted trying to take care of our other two children and being a wife as well as growing this incredible new life inside of me. Since she has arrived I have fell absolutely in love with the role God has put me in once again. I love being a mom. That is the only job description I ever desire to have. I do not long to go to college and get my degree. I do not dream about what it will be like when my kids go off to kindergarten. I am not rushing them along to the age where I might be able to get some me time again. To tell you the truth, even though there are times when I'd like a little more space between me and them, I always want to be with them. I love my family and I treasure every single moment that we have together. The only thing I do desire is to have that quiet time that is absolutely vital to a healthy spiritual life. It is hard to find stillness in the midst of a three month old, a two and a half year old, and an almost five year old constantly needing you for something. I know it is a task that I am called to and I allow my thoughts and my prayers to be briefly interrupted to focus on what they are saying, doing, wanting, or needing.

My intention is for this blog to become a source of encouragement for mothers and of course I want it to continue to be of spiritual encouragment for anyone who happens to find their way here.

I am back!

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted! I have a lot of things I want to post about so I hope you will check back soon and see what I mean.