Thursday, October 6, 2011

kite flying and so on

This last week or two we've been having very warm temperatures, a couple days it was just a bit too hot for me but I held it together and suppressed the urge to complain because I know very well that we can go from 80 degrees one week to 30 degrees another.  So there's no place for complaining, rather get those shorts and tank tops out again and enjoy the outside.  So today, that is what we did for a while in the afternoon, with all the kiddos.  It was so nice and warm outside (not too hot :)) and there was a strong wind.  So of course, I had to pull out the kite and all the kids took turns flying it.  It is such a simple and fun thing to do when there is a strong wind blowing.  Kids, including the babies were squealing when the kite flew all around and they were trying to catch its long tail. Makes me smile when I picture it.

Today during my afternoon mini break (while the babies are napping) I was listening to one of my favorite Christian radio shows and I was convicted of something.  They talked about a full enjoyment and contentment with our season of life.  I think it is like a lot of things, when you're reminded of it you think "oh yeah, I should be doing that more" but then we get busy with all the stuff life throws at us daily and we forget.  For me, the season of life right now is staying home with our kids, enjoying the short time I have with them and prepare them for life ahead.  It is so easy to complain about how tired I am most days, or drained from the whole day with kids.  It is easy to complain when I can barely remember I once had a job with adults where I could use my brain.  It is easy to envy those around me who to me have it so much better and that is really where the discontentment comes from - comparing our life to others.   I need to focus on our family and not what other people have or else I'll go through my whole life wishing I had a different life when I could have just enjoyed the beauty of my life that God gave specifically to me.  With me, my big enemy is the chores around the house.  I hate having a messy kitchen, a messy house, I like to provide home cooked meals for us on most days and I try really hard to keep up with it all but more times than not in my effort to do that I lose so many opportunities to comfort our kids, to hug them when they need it, to teach them a real lesson, to read or play with them for a few minutes.  Is the "clean" house really worth losing all that?  Because really, there is always something that is not quite done, laundry is hardly ever completely finished before I start the new loads, floors need washing all the time and all kinds of stuff so I am not winning there anyway.  But I am not treasuring and fully enjoying moments with the kids the way I should and that bothers me.  I'm not saying I should just quit all the work around the house and just sit and play with the kids all day.  That's not it at all, but I want to find that balance in life so that 10, 20 years from now I don't look back and think why didn't I spend more time with the kids. They are so worth it and they are so hungry for our love.  And the season is so different for everyone.  It can be someone married with no kids for 10 years even though they've tried everything possible, or a single mom with little kids, having the last of the children leave home, etc. Whatever the season is we need to find our joy in it because God has a plan for us, a perfect plan that we need to be a part of and not watch it float away.

So here is to kite flying with the kids, listening to their giggles and laughs, comforting them when they're hurt or broken, showing them grace through all their mistakes just like God is showing grace to us every day (something I'm learning to do better now), being less tasks driven and more enjoyment driven, and give praise to the One no matter the season we're in.

That's enough sappy words.  You can tell I just watched a sappy movie.  I took our Kade to the movies tonight to see a movie which is a huge treat for him and there I saw a few babysitters taking other kids to the movies and I thought why wouldn't the parents want to make it special for their kids to take them themselves?  Maybe I'm too old fashioned but I'd much rather have a date with my son and make him feel special, showing him I want to spend time with him, even if my free time can be pretty limited these days.

Here is one of my favorite songs that sums it up:

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