Stay In It

A Sunflower from my Garden, but I have not done much gardening recently!

Have you ever looked up and realized that time has just flown by you like a mosquito swatter on a hot Southern day?  That is how I feel about the past few months. I think it is just the result of having a few kids and hitting the ‘Tween’ and ‘Teen’ stages of their lives.  I swear I was just feeling like I was sequestered from the world in my house with a newborn, 18-month-old and a 3-year-old!  I was just there and those days seemed to really drag out, but seemed to be a blur at the same time.  Now my three kids are 13, 12 and 10.  What?  Slow down. Wait a minute.  Sit for a spell.

Ah housekeeping.  Never done.  Max, don't act like
you have not seen this before--I use it all the time!

Time flies so fast that some things fall by the roadside of life around here.  I have been beating myself up for not being able to complete various projects in my mental ‘To Do’ list since the summer.  Clean out things.  Find things.  File things. Paint things. Re-purpose things. Read things. Curtains.  Well, I need some more curtains. Anyway, here we are in mid-October.  The summer was great but school started way too quickly for my tastes.  The first day of school meant back to homework and activities and pounding an iron fist about studying and getting up earlier.  I think it is an added bonus that I have three kids in three different schools right now.  I have been frustrated.  I have felt hindered (not just with my ‘list’ but in the training of these kids and the preparing them). So with all the changes I have wondered, “What have I learned?”  I have decided to make a list of ‘Things’ I have learned in the past few months.

Here goes.  In the past few months I have learned:

• That I am reaffirmed in the fact that parenting will keep you on your knees…in prayer.
• That adolescent girls (and boys) have somewhat of a Jekyll-Hyde personality – like a viper snake on the turn of a dime.
• That just because at bedtime a kid says he wants a homemade breakfast burrito for breakfast the next day does not mean he wants it 8 hours later.  You gotta think on your feet.
• That sometimes I make my bed on school mornings and want to crawl back in.
• That I appreciate all the Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus classes…that my husband took.  He helps my teen and is my hero.
• That according to my kids, I am always trying to “hide” their shoes from them.
• That singing Reggae and doing ‘The Running Man’ dance move at 6:30 am does not help my teen get up.
• That I need to cherish my 5^th grader who still wants me to come eat lunch with her everyday…before she turns into a viper snake.
• That I know very little and my teen knows everything else (he forgets I have been there).
• That I really can get up at 5:30 am on school days to have quiet time…before the chaos.
• That juggling multiple kids at this age is like a 3-ring circus.  I have clowns, bears and monkeys. You can think of the pros but I know the cons.
• That kids and electronic devices play out like a saga from Star Wars. The Dark Side can put up a good fight, wielding words or complaints with Light Saber speed and ability.  May The Force be with you.
• That carpools are the true gifts that you would never really know how much you love…til now.
• That I am cool.  I really am.  Someone please let my kids know.
• That the time your child comes back to you and says, “You were right, Mom” about something big… well, that is like getting a pay raise.

I know I have learned more than just this short list.  I am sure it will all come back to me like a boomerang hitting me mid-forehead.  You have to laugh at the things in life that seem to be frustrating or hindrances.  Like bad behavior, for example.  I won’t go on my soap box but I hope I can look back and laugh at some of these.  None of us are perfect and we live in a fallen world.  It is like I told my son, “Look, all of you guys in 8^th grade…you are all doofuses. But I was one too.  We all were.  It is a part of growing and learning.  It is awkward being a kid sometimes.”  What I did not tell him- it is awkward being an adult sometimes!  We never quit learning.

So with all the hindrances we all encounter, we learn.  Some are good or just not necessarily bad.  Trials are trials and everyone goes through a hard time here and there.  Some days I feel like I am treading water and not making a good time on free-style swimming.  Heck, some days I am swimming against the current!  I find comfort in the promise of keeping my faith despite tough times, and this will teach me true patience and the ability to endure (James 1:2-3).  I love this quote from Beth Moore I ran across this week:  “If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we will let him finish the work…”  I like to say, “Stay in it!”  That is one of my favorite expressions lately.  Press on.  Meanwhile, I will take any offered cages for my snakes, bears and monkeys.

With Joy,

Tracey

“…As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing.” –James 1:2-4 (VOICE)

 

My sweet dog, Chopper.  Waiting to play.