Hiking at Roxborough State Park
I’m sitting in the living room, right out in the open but trying like a covert spy to find a little writing time. I’ve talked a little about a project I’m working on, and carving out time to tidy it up and make it pretty has challenged me to no end. Summer means my chatty cherubs are home, which I genuinely love. Still, this fact has me hungrily hunting scraps of writing time like a dog hunting leftovers under the kitchen table.
So, while all three kids are situated with activities, I’m hunkered down on the living room sofa. I’m tapping for five minutes when the doorbell rings. My daughter’s friend wants to play, so off the two little girls go. Five minutes later they return to the living room to practice a piano song together. Five minutes later my son wants to know what’s for dinner and if it’s a long time from now can’t he just get a snack?
And so goes every fifteen minutes of my time. Interruption after interruption ’til I tell myself, “Forget it!” and fold up the laptop to work after they are in bed, except summer bedtime hours are late, late, late which isn’t terrible except they rarely sleep past 7am no matter what time they drift to dreamland.
Just when I start wishing for bedtime I stumble on this quote:
“You are not managing an inconvenience but raising a human being.” Kittie Frantz
Well now, doesn’t *that* just convict the livin’ daylights out of me.
My children aren’t pesky gnats that I wave out of my face, they are precious souls who need to know they are a priority blessing. Sometimes I need them to hug the ugly right out of me. So, I grab one and snuggle him on the sofa and cuddle another in her bed. In this case, touch is the anti-irritant and pretty soon my heart softens and I am {mostly} content to be smack-dab in the middle of crazy kidville.
God on His throne knows my deadlines, so I lift up tired eyes and schedule-gripping hands and say, “OK, show me how to work out the details.” And he does. My time stretches and somehow it gets done proving once again His ways are easy and light.
I’ll tell you–you could apply that to every person in your life! I don’t have kids, but I sure do have inconveniences. I call them “coworkers,” “husband,” and “friends.” My poor husband will probably be getting a sweeter greeting tonight because of your post. Thank you!
Love that, Becky. And yes…I need to remember that with more of my relationships, too.
This quote is so convicting.
Girl, it about knocked me over backwards. WORD.