Sunday, February 17, 2013

my big date

The other night Lee took the girls on a date. 
To a big ol' dance.
And the girls were gonna get all gussied up & everyone was ex-cited.
In the midst of all the planning, Lee decided to help my little man plan a date for me.
That boy kept a total secret from me....apparently discussing all the plans with his sisters & his teacher!  And no one ever spilled the beans.
The boys knocked on the door at about 530 & my baby yelled, "COME IN!"
:) like a true little lady.
Quick 'date' etiquette education was had & then we opened the door to 2 dashing men with flowers in hand.
Swoon.


He handed me a hand written note with instructions on where to go & then another note at dinner with a gift card to pay for dinner.
We played dot to dot & had sweet conversation & he was the perfect gentleman.
And before we left the restaurant we made a stop in the ladies room :) because that's where you go when you're 5 & you're in a public place with your mommy.  And as he was in the stall next to mine & a lady was waiting just outside, he said, "Mom.  You're the best mom."
And the whole thing made me want to laugh & good cry because it was all so adorable & so precious.
Another note took us to Baskin Robbins & and another with words just for me & another asking me to watch Star Wars with him.   
It was a perfect evening.
I love this kid.  I love his heart & I love his heart for justice & his love for his sisters & how he put a scoop of rainbow sherbet & chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream together...because only a really adventurous person would do that.
I'm learning about boys & very specifically this boy.
He encourages us.
He's often got me in stitches of laughter.
And he's got me on my knees.

Lord, thank you for this little man.  Thank you for trusting me to be his mom.  My prayer is that he would see & delight in the plans that You have for him.  And that he would walk that out for an audience of one.



Thursday, February 14, 2013

love = patience

OK.  I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day.

There.
I said it.
Confession is good for the soul.

But I do enjoy me some crafty time. 
And I enjoy all the love that comes with Valentine's day.
I just don't love the commercialization of it all.
And I am certain that I don't stand alone in that.
Plus, I hate standing in line.
Does that speak a little to my need to grow in my humility??
Probably. 
So making it a priority to try to have a dinner out on a day like this.....well, it just stresses me out a tad.
But like I said....construction paper & glue & what have you.  I do enjoy.
And these particular little valentine makers did a fantastic job!  
Don't cha think!


And so we carved out time that wasn't in the budget to sit still & create these little wonders to recognize a day focused on love.  
It was a nice practice in 'love is patient'...
When I choose to see God for who He is I can't help but be amazed.
Patience.
Something that is tough for me.
Sitting still is not my forte.
Waiting is not my favorite.
But for a child to create a valentine for one of the very first times in their lives, ever.....takes time.
It takes patience.

He is at work in me.
And He's been patient.
And so I will do my best to remember that I probably do not work as quickly as He would like me to sometimes.   
And I probably don''t do it exactly right the major majority of the time.
But the process.....
The process is perfect.
And the process.
It takes patience.


Friday, February 8, 2013

good work.

So, every now & then, at our precious school, we have a faculty appreciation meal.  A group of parents make really yummy food & just serves them.
It was a sweet afternoon.
Because the faculty is amazing.
Really....so amazing.
My kids came down when school was dismissed & they were having fun while the teachers ate.  One thing they did was to play with a large dry erase board that was in the room.
The possibilities, right!?
At one point they had written "I love _____________"  & they filled in each blank with the name of each teacher in the room.
Little suck-ups.
:)

But at one point I looked over & my 8 year old had drawn a complete orchestra.
Laid out & labeled with different groups of musicians labeled.
It was impressive to watch her.
You could tell she was deep in thought, trying to get it right.
Trying to recall it from some part of her brain.
Marker in one hand & stepped back from the board a little bit.
Amazing.
She has seen that somewhere else....I'm guessing in her music class.
But to be able to recall it.
I don't know.
It was a moment where I stood & saw this magical brain at work in this girl.
My girl.
I don't know....I just saw something new.
And I commented on how amazing it was.
Got called to a task & was going to return to learn more about this work of art.
And when I looked back up.
It was gone.
She erased it.
She simply moved on.

And something in me realized I had missed the moment.
I felt that little sick feeling in the pit of my tummy.

There was no more, "tell me about it, sister" opportunity.
It was just ..... not there anymore.

But I'm thankful I was there for it.

I saw it.

And I stand a little bit farther back from her right now....kind of like she did at the dry erase board.
Not with a marker in my hand.
Just admiring the work going on.
Because sometimes I don't get to see it so tangibly.
But there's a remarkable work going on.....

(PS - to my cousin Nancy, I promise I have some awesome pictures of the boy coming up....camera issues)

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

front row.

How is it that I get to witness these people growing up?
I get overwhelmed just thinking about it sometimes.
These lives, powerful lives, in my midst being trained up for big things.

I love these children.

I love all that God teaches me through them & I am realizing lately that I haven't been paying attention like I should.

Like I used to.

But He's pulling me back in....to become a good student again of my children.
To see where I can help to mold & train, to help lead them to the One who made them & to see what God is doing in my life through them.
 
They are small....but they are only small.  Because they are power waiting to be released.  And they will be a force for good in this world.

My baby, my baby who is 4, she knows the names of the squirrels in our yard.
She calls them by name.
She yells for them to get out of the road.
She knows the squirrels.
Jumpy & Jack & Jackson are the 3 we see the most.
J names, mostly.
And I'll say...."I think that must be Jack"
"No.  That's Jumpy, mom"
It's almost always Jumpy - he's her favorite.
And I don't blame her.
He seems to have the most fun.
I'll be honest....I can't tell them apart.
But she swears she can.

And I believe her.
Because she's paying attention.

And when I see that she pays attention to the squirrels & their goings on in the yard I am brought back to attention to the most important job that God has put before me.
The job I always wanted.
This job that is so fleeting.

And the projects & the hobbies & the responsibilities will get done.
But they will not get in the way.

These are my people.
I was called here for this.
The greatest show on earth.....& I've got front row seats.

I'm not missing this.