Monday, March 17, 2008

Packing the Days

So, it's been well over a month since my last post. Why? Well, here's a "short" list:

1. "Grease" Musical at the high school (Stephen involved)
2. Orthodontist Appointments (David)
3. Dance 5 days a week, every week and still going on (Jennifer)
4. T-Ball practices (Matthew)
5. Talent Show (Jennifer)
6. Valentine's Party (Jennifer)
7. Surgeon follow-ups (David)
8. Physical Therapy appointments (David)
9. Social Security appointment (Pam)
10. Dr. Appointment (Jennifer)
11. Church-wide Garage Sale (Stephen & David)
12. Baseball opening day & BBQ (Matthew)
13. Home Depot Grand Opening (Stephen)
14. Spring Break (All kids)
15. Mommy's get-away alone!!! (Pam, of course!)
16. Sewing props for dance (Pam, for Jennifer)
17. "Normal" stuff (cleaning house, laundry, yard work, board games, etc.)

Ok, so the list doesn't seem exactly "short"....believe me, compared to my complete calendar, that is super-short!!!! :)

I have learned a LOT in the past month since last posting...

1. God is good.
2. I am blessed.
3. My family is awesome.
4. I am thankful.

So, I already knew that. Still, it's nice to put it in written form and dwell on it. God IS good....ALL the time! Even when I'm $257 short in the bank and the bill is due yesterday. Even when I finish what I think is the last chair cover for the dance group and go to put it on the chair only to realize I sewed the wrong pieces together and it's twice the width it should be. Even when I'm curled up on the sofa with a homemade heating pack on my abdomen, covers over my feet, 82 degrees outside, and I want to die from cramping pain. See, God doesn't cause those "bad" things. People do. Namely ourselves. God gives us everything we need to accomplish tasks, but it's up to us to use the supplies, time, energy, etc. wisely.
If I'm short in the bank account, I probably misspent money. Really, how many Happy meals does one 4 year old need in a month?? How many joyrides does a 17 year old really need in a month when gas prices just about surpass the cost of buying the car?? Yeah, we all make stupid mistakes like that. But that's ok. God still loves us. He's still good....ALL the time! :)
They say patience is a virtue. Well, if I were virtuous when I sewed that last chair cover together, I'd have realized I picked up the wrong piece of fabric and I would have taken the time to get the correct piece before I attempted to sew away. I made a mistake. But God still loves me, and He's still good....ALL the time! :) So, I'm laying on the sofa complaining how much my stomach and back hurt from cramping and it never occured to me until much later that I had previously (translation: 3 days before) prayed for the time to just sit and do nothing. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in "poor me" at the moment, I probably would have remembered that God was right there waiting for me to ask for comfort. He presented the opportunity for me to have a valid excuse to lay around for a day and rest, and what did I do? I don't think He caused the pain....Eve did (grin)....but He did allow the opportunity. So, I made the mistake of shutting Him out and prolonged the pain, but He's still good....ALL the time.
We get so wrapped up and busy in this world these days, we forget where we came from and we forget what's really important. It isn't going to matter in 30 years that I didn't have a lot of cash in the bank one month. It isn't going to matter in 25 years that I sewed those covers for the company dance props. It doesn't matter right now that yesterday I stayed on the sofa all day. Nobody cares about that stuff in the long run, and when we go to Heaven, I doubt we're going to be sitting around discussing that day on earth when.... Nah...we'll be sooo busy hanging around that Glorious Throne singing those neverending "Hallelujah"'s.
So why do we get wrapped up in "busy-ness"??? Simply this: Because we're human and we have these teeny-tiny capsules called "minds" that are barely a fraction of the big picture. We don't understand it until much later. Just like children.
I'm sooooo glad that I have a Father who is good ALL the time. He doesn't give up on me, He doesn't lose patience with me (something I will NEVER understand!!!), He doesn't stop loving me, and He constantly places things in my path that serve to better me, painful or not.
It's been a month of craziness, but it's been good craziness. I've had my kids and husband around me, and I've gotten to watch my children involved in their activities. They're all so talented. They make me smile.
And my get-away....yeah...that's another post!!! :)

No comments: