Breathing at the Door

I have four grown children, all very inquisitive and bright.  All totally active and busy all the time. I was constantly torn in four different directions and most of the time I was playing referee more than I was being mom.  I remember getting really tired of deciding who was right and who was wrong...

Sometimes when they were really small I just needed a moment's peace.

I would escape.

Usually to the bathroom (because there was a lock on the door).

I did not announce I was going to the bathroom to pray, I would just slip away and quietly step into the quiet.

Invariably within minutes I would hear heavy breathing on the other side of the door. Then, more heavy breathing.  Eventually I would hear a cacophony of heavy breathing.

 If I took too long, I would usually hear one of them say, "you prayin' Mom?"

Sign.  "Yes".

"Can we come in?"

So, here's the dilemma.  How do you tell your children they can't pray?

All right...come on in.  I loved praying with them, but usually within minutes someone would punch someone else and I would be back to playing referee.

Such is life.

Moments, or seconds count.

Here's the thing.  Both moments are important - moments praying and moments with my kids.

Even while I was playing referee.

Just a Smile Away

I had a great day at work today!

I've been struggling trying to learn how to do something very complex and detail oriented for some time and today I felt like I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.  That doesn't mean I have mastered it, but I finally started to see (and remember) the patterns and trends so I can speed up the process and complete the tasks in a timely manner.

When the light bulb went off, I was a little surprised how happy I was; that tells me how stressed I've been about learning this process.

As I walked down the hallway at work, my step was a little lighter.  I also found myself smiling without effort.  The result of my smile was instantaneous.  As I smiled, others not only smiled back, they looked at me as if they were thinking, "why is SHE so happy at work?"

Granted, sometimes it's difficult to be happy when we're under a lot of stress (and very few people I know don't have stress at work), but until today I had never noticed how few people really smile.  I was also reminded that a smile prompts a smile.

A smile is just a smile away when you smile.  It's a chain reaction thing...easy for you to share and it brings a great reward!

Cards

My kids and I have a custom that's gone on for a long time now.  We regularly compete to find the most humorous card for birthdays, holidays, and especially Mother's Day.

It's gone on long enough that when someone has a birthday we all want to see the cards they got.  Part of what's interesting about the competition is that it has become a family tradition and something we look forward to.  It's about one of our favorite part of holidays!

Who'd thought greeting cards can bring so much laughter?

Go figure...

Moments

I love Pooh and Piglet, and Tigger, too.

Once...

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.” 

Those are the best moments on the journey...when we take someone's hand and we feel sure we're okay.