Enjoying the Journey

I'm zipping along in the carpool lane, silently thanking God for the two little bodies in the backseat and wondering if there is anything in the fridge that will qualify for dinner and allow time for a bath before bed.

A voice from one little body intrudes, "Mommy, can we go in the rush hour?"  "Hmmm?" (I'm slightly distracted.)  "I want to go over there, into the rush hour."  Oh, he means, "traffic."  Is he kidding?  "Pleeeease, mommy?!"  Apparently not.

"Why, honey?"  (A stall tactic, though I am legitimately curious.)  I'm trying to figure out how to navigate this request and still make it home in time for dinner.

He proceeds to describe what he loves about car rides: telling stories, singing songs, playing car games, a sense of community with other drivers on the road (and this is my introvert!), and being together as a family.

"Hmmm..." (Now I'm really listening.)  We compromise and I merge into traffic an exit before my own.  I try to wait patiently and experience it the way my child does.  Maybe we should start singing.

Sometimes life is all about perspective.  May we all find ways to embrace the journey, allowing ourselves to more fully love and live in the moment.

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."  

Matthew 11:25

"Holi-daze" and Holy Days

Staring 2012 straight in the face now.  Hoping for more grace, more patience, more hope.  Hoping for more Holy days in the unholy craze.

We all know that “Happy Holidays” are not always happy.  Whether it’s a tragic anniversary or a painful reminder that life is not postcard perfect, many of us struggle to get through the year’s finale.  

And all the hustle and bustle makes it a challenge to parent our adopted, sensitive and traumatized children who do not respond well to stress.  Hard to show the love and thanksgiving, peace and joy, when we’re frantic and tense.

In a children's book by Anna Dewdney, the cure for Llama Llama’s “holiday drama” is a hug from his mama.  Remember to stop and hold your loved ones close (in whatever way, shape or form).

Take a deep breath, count your blessings, and kneel before the Christ-child: a perfect way to start the New Year.

I have set the Lord always before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 

Psalm 16:8

Daddy Love

This morning I overheard a conversation between my husband and my 3 year old. My son was expressing his undying affection for his daddy. It went something like this:

I'm so ANGRY!

picture by graur razvan ionut

"Ahhhhh!  It's not fair!"  Sometimes our children are better at expressing their anger than we are.  However we often shut them down instead of applauding and training them.

We all know (most of us by experience!) that "man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:20, NIV).  Most of us have also heard, "the truth will set you free" (Jn. 8:32).  What to do, then, when the truth is that we're mad?!

A Child's Prayer

I was snuggling my son before bed when he told me he wanted to pray silently, "in my heart." We both closed our eyes and he was quiet for a long time. Well after my mind started to wander, I peaked and saw that his eyes were still shut.