What comes to your mind when you think about what you love to do? Snuggles with your children? Date night with your spouse? Reading? Cooking? Walking on the beach?
I have been constantly bewildered and overwhelmed with gratitude to find myself in this sweetest of seasons. Having the opportunity to be a full time mommy with the ability to schedule my days is a gift I will cherish forever and one I don’t take for granted. My days are filled with things I love to do. Spending time with my children, reading, writing, music, exercise, cooking…I truly feel so fortunate to be able to easily weave so many things that I love into my days without having to carve out special time for any of them.
But as we all know there is no perfect life, and yesterday afternoon was quite the doozy. In a two-hour time span, I cleaned the floors twice and bathed two dogs (due to a puppy who is completely house trained but had a random accident…maybe it was all the ice cubes I gave her which she loves) and cleaned marker out of carpet (due to a curious 3-year-old who decided to leave his room in secret during nap time). Now, either one of these occurrences happening in isolation is part of life, but happening all at once, to a 25-week-pregnant woman whose husband has been away traveling for work for the past 10 days, still battling a cold/sinus infection…I recall having one of those out of body experiences where I felt paralyzed and unsure of which direction to move in first. At first it was all I could do not to cry (and to be completely honest, I did). But then, the sweetest voice and hand on my shoulder, “Mommy, I’m sorry you have so much work today. You’re a star.” Seriously. My 4-year-old called me a star. I could stop right here and this story would feel complete. But I’ll finish.
My entire demeanor flipped, and before I knew it we were giggling in the back yard as we tried our best to bathe the dogs together, me with me pregnant belly and Caleb aiming the hose to the best of his ability (and missing to his delight). I will also add that our dogs are German Shepherds, and quite large (one of them being a 9-month-old puppy, and very energetic). It was a sight to say the least. It was hot. We got dirty. And wet. And it was wonderful.
I couldn’t be mad at our sweet puppy in the middle of all that ridiculousness, and enjoyed giving her love and attention, way more than she would have had while taking her typical afternoon nap. The marker came out without too much effort, and my curious 3-year-old was just doing what EVERY child does at some point, whether with marker or some other means. And when reflecting on the event as a whole, instead of just the mess, I was reminded that he is growing. And learning. And that’s his job. And it gave me opportunity to parent and teach him about right from wrong, accepting consequences, unconditional love, and forgiveness. Which is my job. And I was able to show my 4-year-old that no matter what happens, you can find joy. And laughter can be found in the least likely of situations, if you let it. In this case, in sudsy dogs and bellies and in playful helping hands.
If you would have told me yesterday morning all that I would “do” that afternoon, I would have said that certainly does not sound like it matches what my t-shirt says. Who enjoys mopping floors and holding onto huge, wet dogs while being sprayed with a hose and splattered with soap? And yet, it was so much of what I love. Because we have to look beyond what WE are doing, and see what God is doing. He gave me unexpected time with my children. Laughter and silliness with my 4-year-old. Teachable moments. He gave me joy, perseverance, and practice maintaining composure. Which, I believe, we ALL need now and then, especially when we are raising up and training littles. Staying calm amidst chaos takes practice, and God knows that every now and then we need a lesson. He was parenting ME, so I can better parent THEM.
You see, sometimes you can find more joy in the unexpected than you can in planned activities or situations. I planned to do other things during yesterday’s chaos, but my plans are not His plans. And when we can find the joy in His plans, no matter how crazy or tiring they may seem at first glance, that’s when we find ourselves truly finding love in what we do. Because His will is what we do. So whether we have a perfect afternoon or a chaotic one, I’m so thankful that I serve a God who reveals joy in all things. And so grateful for his patience in helping me find it.
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