Sick Time....

  Sick time for mommy is just an illusion. A day off from mommy duty? I think it's a really nice thought, but again, it can only be a passing thought. The reality is that no matter how we feel, there are no days off, no "sick time".  As a mommy who suffers from Chronic Daily Migraines, I struggle daily to 1. Get up, and 2. Function all day, so when something like a cold happens, it could be my undoing.  Sounds silly, huh?  I totally agree, but it's  true. A sneeze or a cough alone....no biggie. A sneeze or a cough with a migraine....well, that is a whole new level of pain that should be introduced as a form of interrogation for our enemies in times of war! Needless to say, waking up with a cold, I could have used a "sick day".
  As I sit on the edge of my bed this morning, contemplating lying back down and waiting for my head to literally explode, my son comes in my room.  He wrapped his arms around me and asked if I am okay.  Hmm...am I okay? I want to be brutally honest and tell him absolutely "NO" at the top of my lungs, but instead I just say, "I will be baby boy...", pull myself together, and start my day for my family.  I pack the husband's lunch, and make his breakfast, feed the kids, and since they are on break from school this week, I know I must keep the momentum going.  I get the hubby off to work, put on load number 1 of 1,476 of the laundry, and sit to have a cup of coffee.  Both kids join me and snuggle in to watch some random cartoon, and as I stop for a moment, loving on my babies in this moment of feeling so bad, I know they are worth it. Sick days, shmick days....I will have time to take one of those when they are grown....until then, I will get up and get this housework done.

Peace Be Still....

As a mommy, I love to listen to my children laugh, and listen to my children play, and listen to my children tell me (no matter how long it takes to get through it) a story, but I also love it when there is a moment of silence. Every mommy knows the moment I'm talking about. The husband is showering, the kids are off to bed, and they are done making the 4,912 trips back into the living room to ask for things like drinks, stories, a different stuffed animal, etc.  I know every mommy reading this knows THAT moment. In that moment, I like to listen to the quiet. The stillness of peace that has settled in the house. I drink it in, I enjoy it, knowing it won't last long.....and just as I take a long, deep breath, here comes my baby boy, who is certain that the daddy long legsl spider in his room is going to eat him in his sleep and it must die NOW, and the moment is gone.

The stillness and quiet may have left, and those moments may be few and far between, but as far as peace goes.....I still have peace. You see, when I was single and all I wanted in the whole world was a husband and children, I would sit in my lonely, quiet home, longing for something to fill that emptiness. begging God to fulfill the desire of my heart and make me a wife and mother. So, yes, I enjoy my quiet moments that are quite elusive in my house, but I am at peace in this life knowing God has given me all that I prayed for and more in the stillness.

Train Up A Child

In this post-election atmosphere, adults are displaying some behavior that has my children asking all kinds of questions. My daughter is a very observant and intelligent child, and she understands the election process. Someone wins, and someone doesn't. Some are happy, some are not.  She even understands that it's okay to say that you aren't happy with who won, and that you don't like them and why you don't like them.  What she doesn't understand is why grown ups are hurting others, stopping traffic, and destroying property.  How do I explain when I don't understand this reaction myself? I thought it would be wise to tell her a story from my childhood:

Chicken  Little

Chicken Little likes to walk in the woods. She likes to look at the trees. She likes to smell the flowers. She likes to listen to the birds singing.

One day while she is walking an acorn falls from a tree, and hits the top of her little head.

- My, oh, my, the sky is falling. I must run and tell the lion about it, - says Chicken Little and begins to run.

She runs and runs. By and by she meets the hen.

- Where are you going? - asks the hen.

- Oh, Henny Penny, the sky is falling and I am going to the lion to tell him about it.

- How do you know it? - asks Henny Penny.

- It hit me on the head, so I know it must be so, - says Chicken Little.

- Let me go with you! - says Henny Penny. - Run, run.

So the two run and run until they meet Ducky Lucky.

- The sky is falling, - says Henny Penny. - We are going to the lion to tell him about it.

- How do you know that? - asks Ducky Lucky.

- It hit Chicken Little on the head, - says Henny Penny.

- May I come with you? - asks Ducky Lucky.

- Come, - says Henny Penny.

So all three of them run on and on until they meet Foxey Loxey.

- Where are you going? - asks Foxey Loxey.

- The sky is falling and we are going to the lion to tell him about it, - says Ducky Lucky.

- Do you know where he lives? - asks the fox.

- I don't, - says Chicken Little.

- I don't, - says Henny Penny.

- I don't, - says Ducky Lucky.

- I do, - says Foxey Loxey. - Come with me and I can show you the way.

He walks on and on until he comes to his den.

- Come right in, - says Foxey Loxey.

They all go in, but they never, never come out again.

At the end of the story, I explained to my little girl that sometimes people get "Chicken Little-itis" and because of things they hear or see or feel, they panic and make others panic with them. It's a very bad thing, because it leads you into trouble, because your fear can make you end up in trouble....with a bad crowd like Foxey  Loxey.  I reminded her it's always better to stay calm and pray and trust the Lord who is really in control of ALL things. I told her Mr. Trump has never been President before and people are scared, but he deserves our prayer, support, and a chance to do the job he was elected to do.  She smiled at me with intelligent eyes and said, "In other words, don't be a Chicken Little, right mommy?" I took her in my arms and said, "Yes baby girl, that's right."

Now, if only adults could understand.