Best job. Ever.

The hardest job in the world.

Is the best job in the world.

**Don't forget to first go to the bottom of this page and pause the playlist.   Then play the video.



Motherhood & blogging

Being mama can take it all out of you.   On days like yesterday {Mother's Day}, you have the chance to stop.   To stop and think about the job of 'Mama'.   The joy of being called Mother.   And when you stop, chills rush over you as the reality of your calling hits hard like a load of rocks falling on your heart.  The blinders of tired, long hard days and nights are pulled back and your blessings are revealed  in clear sight.   Those blessings called children.

Then, that night you go to bed feeling full and wake up feeling rejuvinated.   Revived.   Not necessarily because you got those much needed 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but because you had the chance to be reminded of just how great of a title you were given the moment you held that precious, slimey, pointy-headed, angel in your arms.   And from that moment on, life would never be the same.  Life as you knew it, was immediately a distant memory.
But it was better than you ever dreamed it could be.

I hope you were able to grab those precious little treasures and squeeze hard.   And if your like me, feel tears roll down your face.  Not out of sorrow, but out of gratefulness that God chose me to be their mama.   And plead with Him to show me how to fill their lives with the love of Christ.



I have fallen in love with blogging. For several reasons, but the most important is I have been touched so deeply by other mothers and wives that are walking in these same tired shoes. Falling short and begging for another chance. Finding out the true meaning of exhaustion. But also the truest meaning of unconditional love. And knowing about His grace on a whole new level.

Today I have landed on one story after the other that seems to have been written just for me.  I've been so blessed by them, I had to pass them along.   I hope you can find a free minute to be blessed as well.

**The Gypsy Mama tells about her experience of breaking up with herself.
"Some days my head is still spinning from the rock and roll beauty of motherhood. The way it gut punch takes your breath away with the sheer exhilaration – I grow babies, hear me roar."

** Lemonade Making Mama writes about making peace with me.
"In my head, it goes something like this: I want to be the thinnest, fittest, prettiest, funnest, most well loved/liked person on the planet. I want everyone to love me most. I want to be everyone's best friend and first choice. I want it all. Who doesn't if they are truly honest? And because I can't be all of those things (no one can or should) I tend to feel inadequate, unworthy, insecure and often... like a failure. But the truth is... what I really want when I want all those things, is to be worshiped."

**"Each minute of every day, we are presented with a choice on how we spend our moments. We can either miss the moments or grasp them."
If you have a few, go over to Hands Free Mama  and read about how to miss a childhood.   I will warn you.....be prepared to get a real dose of conviction.  

**How much is too much? Part I and Part II  Wow.  Wow.  Wow.
"For most of my life, I had everything I wanted and I made sure to give some away. I truly never stopped to consider what life looked like for most of the world. I couldn't reach out and touch it, so it sort of didn't exist for me. I knew poverty was "out there", but I didn't know poverty closed its grip around my brothers and sisters. I just didn't see it that way. I didn't know they were mine."

**And then Shannan adds a few more gripping ideas when she writes about The Trouble with Dave Ramsey.
"Don't store treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21

** When you finish those, go check out Mama Monk's post on how to have grace with yourself.    It'll make you feel better :-)
"There is refreshment in that grace: the chance to begin every day, the chance to learn and change, to stick by convictions and let some of them float away on yesterday’s balloon. You don’t have to be the same mother you were last year. You are being refined."

My Mother's Day card from my children {John} this year is one of my favorite so far.  It said this:::

Thanking God for You, Mom

Lord, I ask You to bless the sweetest gift I know, my mom.
In a world frosty with cold shoulders, You've given  me her warm heart and filled it with unconditional love.
She's my hope to dream and my faith to endure.
She is a constant reminder of Your amazing grace and tender mercy.
{inside}
You're such a wonderful blessing and I hope you know how much I'll always praise God for His very special gift of you for a mother.

Blessings to you~

A little of this, a little of that

Okay.   Have you ever been going about your merry little way, minding your own little business when God jumped in and totally gave you a kick in the pants?   And you then had a huge "really Lord, that's what you think about that?" moment.

I know I've made reference several times to the book So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore.   And if I could ever actually stick with one book and finish it before moving on to another, I'd probably be less overwhelmed by all the really good stuff I read and it would stick in my tiny little memory and I'd be able to recall it when the devil comes knocking which seems to more often than I'd like.

 But, since I don't do that, I will most likely keep sharing with you all from the same few books that I continue to read.   The good thing is they are all really, really good books, packed full of really, really good advice.

I think all gals from the time they can read on up to the great-grandmothers should take the time {no matter how long that may be} and read So Long, Insecurity.   We women are some nasty creatures, you know?   It's amazing how crazy mean we can be to each other.

That's not necessarily the subject I'm writing about today but it is a really big one in this book.

If we can't be the most attractive, at least we can be the best at something.

And if we can't be the best at something, we can at least be the hardest working.

And if we can't be the hardest working, we can at least be the most congenial.

And if we can't be the most congenial, we can at least be the most noticeable.

And if we can't be the most noticeable, we can at least be the most religious.

And if we can't be the most religious, we can at least be the most exhausted. 

---------So Long, Insecurity

I love it!

And here is the big fat kick in my pants:::

Superiority can't give birth to security.   Neither, by the way, can the relentless pursuit of perfection.  

.......perfectionism is insecurity in art form.   It never looks prettier and never acts deadlier.   Perfectionism is perhaps our culture's biggest temptation.   In his fascinating book Perfecting Ourselves to Death, psychiatrist and theologian Richard Winter offers this intriguing insight:

Although perfectionists seem very insecure, doubting their decisions and actions, fearing mistakes and rejection, and having low opinions of themselves, at the same time, they have excessively high personal standards and an exaggerated emphasis on precision, order and organization, which suggests an aspiration to be better than others.

---------So Long, Insecurity

Really?   I honestly had no idea that by being a perfectionist I was also being prideful.   I know that I have always been a little on the OCD side and even as a child I wanted things to be neat and clean.   So I am very well aware of the fact that a certain amount of my perfectionism is simply the way God made me.   It's who I am.   And to be honest, I wouldn't trade that.    I'd just like to be able to 'let go and live a little'.   To be neat and clean but not be a perfectionist. And maybe that's where the p-r-i-d-e part comes in. 

And I certainly did not know that perfectionism was a result of insecurity.   I know that we all have insecurities.  All of us.   Even those who seem to have it all.  But I had never put it together with being a perfectionist.

So, prideful and insecure.   That's a hard one to swallow.   This book is so good at that ;)   But I like it.   It's challenging.   It opens our eyes and hearts.   And in turn helps us to know how to 'heal'.

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On a completely different subject.....

I am slowly getting Allie Beth's room put together.   I fought forever with the idea of letting her come out of the crib.   And to be honest, I really didn't 'decide' it was time.   She pretty much decided for me when she started climbing in and out of it on her own.   She was like 2 1/2 so maybe it was time.  I just couldn't come to grips with the fact that she didn't need her crib anymore and quite frankly it was too convenient.   A 'cage' of sorts.   You know.   Like stick her in the bed and she can't go anywhere.

I'll have to find my camera and get some pics.........

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And how about some eye-candy?   This is a huge Atlanta estate.   Gorgeous!







Love that garage!

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And last but certainly not least.   We had a birthday bash for a sweet little boy who is a whopping five years old!   My heart can't take it!   He is growing up right before my very eyes ):

We are blessed!!!

And with it being Mother's Day, I'd like to say thank you to my mother.   Thank you Mama for your endless giving......of yourself, your time, your love, your prayers, your hugs, your encouragement.   And oh yeah, your suggestions;)

Thank you for the way you love my children!

I'm blessed to have you!   I love you!   Happy Mother's Day!

'Round here...

'Round here it's been busy.   I suppose that's what we all say these days.   And really, I don't like it.   Have we always been this way?    You know, back in the "good ole' days" were they constantly running and going and doing?   Probably not.   They didn't have the means to go and do like us.   I'm thinking that wasn't such a bad thing.   Yet, they would probably say I should enjoy the conveniences of today.   Enjoy this season of my life.    I'm on the hunt for a happy medium.  "Good ole' days" + modern conveniences = Happy Days = Happy Mama :-)   Okay.   I'm done.

On to other business.   I have neglected the camera.   For several reasons:::

#1. My sister got a Mac-daddy camera and I want it.   So I pretend it's mine and take pictures with it then she takes it home with her like it's her's or something and I have no way to download all my pictures.

#2. I say, "You just take the pictures and tag me."   That does me a whole lotta good.

#3. I would forget my head if it wasn't attached to my body......though there are several odd looking things attached nowadays, the camera is not one of those things......you get the picture.

#4. I can be lazy.   I think.

.......therefore, not many pictures.  And I like pictures.  

• T-ball has entered into our world.   Can I just go ahead and say I'm a really terrible mother.   T-ball is absolutely boring.   We were super excited about the idea when John Luke decided he wanted to play.   John was asked to help coach and then I volunteered myself  was asked to help as well.  After game 1, we were much less excited.   And now after game 5, we are even less excited.    Really.   Trust me.   I'm not sure if all places do T-ball like we do T-ball, but in my opinion it is bad wrong.   We keep no score.    There's no such thing as 3 outs.   Every child bats, every inning.   Basically, there no rules.  There are no fundamentals being taught.  I'm sure there are those who would totally disagree with me, and that's fine, I'll lose no sleep over it, I just think we should be teaching kids more about what life is really like.   And T-ball ain't it!   So like I said, I'm a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad mama.   But....I will end all of this by saying, I am thankful to God that He gave us a healthy little boy that is capable of playing T-ball no matter how boring.

• Six years ago I was skinny, tan and hopelessly in love with one mighty handsome man.   Today, some of those things are still true.....the one that matters.   {And the handsome part}.   For our anniversary, we took off on a weekend get-away all by ourselves and it was O-mazing!   Did you realize how much food you could consume when you have no critters crawling on you?   I can put away some food under  any circumstance.   But for some reason that weekend it all tasted better than I remember food tasting.    So therefore we ate.   A lot.   I shopped.   He paid.   We talked.  Like normal people.   In a normal voice and in complete sentences.   No interruptions.   And then we ate again.   It was so. much. fun.   And very. much. needed.   Thank you to those who watched our precious critters so we could go.   Y'all are priceless!   Yet again no pictures.   Only a few silly ones on his phone of things such as Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a pair of very white tennis shoes.



• We've had this little dumpling hang out with us a few days.   My kiddos think he's a new toy.   They love their sweet blue-eyed baby-cousin.    I wonder if he's diggin' them as much as they are him? 

 

• 

• That husband of mine is the pickiest eater alive.   I mean the.pickiest.   He will eat a very short list of things and is happy as all get out to eat them over. and over. and over. and over. and over.......  so when he asked for spinach and onions on his grilled chicken footlong, I thought I better get the camera out and document it because 'round here that is picture worthy!   He is trying.   I'll give him that. 



 
• Our sweet boy is 5.  Five.years.old.   I am still trying to figure out how that happened.   He is a true blessing in our lives.   God has given him a sense of compassion and a heart that is tender as they come.  I pray that he never loses that compassion and tenderness.   And that God will use it in mighty ways.   A man with a tenderheart who is full of compassion is rare.   It is most definitely not a weakness but by all means a strength.   One that will allow him to love with a Christ-like love.  I am one grateful mama that God chose me to help him grow!



•  Remember I won an awesome giveaway from a sweet blogger.   I l-o-v-e it! 

•   I read this story and laughed my fanny off!
• Then I came across a precious story that I had heard Chuck Swindoll read during one of his messages.   It is worth your time:::

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Life is busy and we are all consumed with it's demands.   I wonder sometimes what we miss out on because of it.....

Hope you all have a happy happy weekend!

Easter 2012 in pictures

I've got no time to write, so I'm going to 'tell' our story in pictures.    I will say, this year we had no major mishaps.   No curling irons were stuck in anyone's hair and the Easter dress made it before Easter.   And most of all, no matter what, we celebrated the real reason for Easter with grateful hearts.   We are blessed!

 

 

 

 

Before I go, I read a blog post today that I thought was such an encouragement so I wanted to pass it along.   The Gypst Mama is a wonderful blogger and I love her stories.  Go check out her lastest post.