Cool Places

Monday, July 21, 2008

It has happened, the sun, the moon, and the stars must have all aligned themselves.....my 3 kids are away until tomorrow! That's right, you read correctly.....all 3 kids....left Sat with GMa & GPa and won't get home until Tuesday afternoon!

We've hit the trifecta. Believe it or not, this rarely happens. Both sets of grandparents watch our kids once a year while we have a work trip to attend, but other than that the trifecta rarely happens.

I can literally count on one hand the number of times that all 3 kids were gone....even for a few hours at someone else's house....and we were at home.

Staying at home with my kids is a decision I've never regretted. However, 13 years without a break is a long time. Even though they are now all 3 in school, it seems as if the moments alone still are not enough. Does that make any sense? I don't know if it's our busyness, or if it will just take awhile for me to get there.

Lately, I have to confess, I've been feeling run down, worn out....kind of 'over it'...if you know what I mean. Summertime will do that. This break has been such a blessing. Thank you, thank you, thank you...M & D.

This morning I came across a blog that a friend of a friend started. (I told you I do that sometimes....it can be dangerous!) Anyway, this couple just lost their baby boy a month ago. He was born healthy, went to the hospital for dehydration and things spiraled from there. He ended up seeming to have one problem after another and eventually died. He was just 6 months old. I had been following their story the whole time Baby J was in Hopkins through their hospital website. Today was the first time I'd read her blog.

Understandably, she speaks of unimaginable sorrow, and how she's just trying to survive each day. She and her husband have 3 other kids. Here is something she wrote:

"I pray for the millions of parents out there. I pray that they know the true gift and miracle of being a parent and that they use that gift wisely. May they see the magic in their child's eyes and NEVER take a single moment for granted."

Whew! I think that one was for me. I am hoping and praying that by the time my kiddos return tomorrow, I am rejuvinated, ready to engage, and ready to be a better mom. I have much to be thankful for. It is sometimes so easy to take it all for granted.

If you want to check out my friend's, friend's blog, her name is Amy and here is the link:

I wanted to leave you with a short funny story. This was what I was originally going to post about today, it's funny how sometimes you sit down to write and something entirely different comes out.

At the beginning of the summer, some neighbors of ours were getting ready to have some work done on their home. A small sign was placed in their front yard listing the company's name and # and a port-a-potty was delivered and placed on the side of the house. We happened to be driving out of the neighborhood while the port-a-potty was being taken off the truck.

Mike TV was with me and he says to me:

Mike: Cool, it looks like the Joneses (not their real names) are putting in a port-a-potty. Awesome!

Me: I think they are getting their basement finished. The port-a-potty is for the workers to use.

Mike: Oh, so you mean when their basement is finished, they will take away the port-a-potty?

What is the fascination with port a potty's for little boys? I was waiting for my daughter after school one day and the door she exits is near the playground. There is a port a potty at the other end of the soccer field because it is used for county sports. It had fallen over. So a herd of boys ran over there. I thought my son won't do that...I go pick up my daughter and sure enough my 5 year old was off and running with another boy to see the tipped over potty. Not one girl in sight! Crazy!

About Me

Remember that feeling you got when you were a kid as you chased after fireflies? Freedom, laughter, awe...those are just a few of emotions that come to mind. Then we grow up. Along comes the husband, the kids, the job, the home, the sports practices and games, the bills and the busy-ness. Somehow those simple feelings of happiness and joy become elusive. Strangely, I've discovered that as I chase after these feelings one surprising thing consistently brings me to them. Serving others. God tells us in his word...Love God, Love One Another. Those 5 words sum up the Bible beautifully. My hope is that this blog will be a place of inspiration. So I'd like to invite you to join me as we chase fireflies together.