He knows the way I take

“The Lord knows what you need,” my mother told me when I first had Jameson. If I got 5 hours of interrupted sleep, well, must be that would be enough to get me through the day.

I think of that often, hang onto it like a lifeline.

When William was up for all but two hours (two nights in a row) thanks to his fever, I slipped many times towards the edge of murmuring. But no. The Lord would make up the difference — and He did. I smiled at the end of those days when I realized, Hey! I made it!

See? He knew.

Today, dinner was being prepared. William was starting to fuss, but I left him for one minute more while I quickly slid the bread into the oven… Long story short, Pyrex shattered all over the floor, and that “one minute” turned into many while I frantically cleaned. William’s sobs were escalating, and he was starting to choke on his tears. I was frustrated to begin with (who enjoys broken glass?), and then cut my finger. Agh! I was thinking about perhaps getting really upset about the whole shebang when I glanced over and realized Jameson had quickly moved to the farthest wall in the kitchen and had stood there quietly the entire time I cleaned. This is a big deal: he usually wants to be involved every time there’s a broom or vacuum, and lets me know with much to-do (read: bad attitude!) But not today. Today he stood quietly watching — and it was grace. A small miracle.

(I’m on the lookout for those recently, and do you know, they’re everywhere!)

Later on, when things had calmed down, I realized, too, that the Lord knows what I need, and He knows what I can handle. Perhaps a 2 year old meltdown would have been just enough to push me over the edge today — who knows?

Small miracles, but to me, like Jesus showing up in my day.

love is patient

Several weeks ago, Ann V. wrote a post on love that stuck in my heart, her thoughts on patience in particular:

There are few emergencies.

My sister tells me often. So then why that pitch to the parenting voice? Emergencies are wildfires, screeching sirens, and gaping wounds. In everyday life, we rarely experience emergencies. Then why do we need to holler, fly, rush off? As Simone Weil writes, “Waiting patiently…is the foundation of the spiritual life.”

Really, what catastrophe will befall if we slip into church 5 minutes late or dinner is on the table 15 minutes after six? Sure, it’s time to be in the car and junior can’t find his other shoe. Or the soup needs seasoning and toddler wraps like vine up a parental leg. Take a deep breath. This really isn’t an emergency. We can go slow.

Now is good.
Now is not an emergency to rip through, but a moment to embrace with gratitude.

[read the whole post]

How many times has that thought whispered in my ear, calming my frenzied heart, stopping a flow of frustrated speech: There are few emergencies.

Is this an emergency?

Baby cries, high-pitched, hysterical. Two year old is pulling toys out, right and left. Oven’s timer is beeping, and casserole is now beginning to overcook. Shards of broken glass demand my immediate attention. Clean laundry is spilling over the dining room table’s edge. Dust bunnies are everywhere I look. And I’m so tired.

I’m about to snap.

And then those words.

I realize no, there is no emergency. No, no need for anger, frustration, any of the above.

This is a real-life moment, the kind my life is made of.

The kind my children’s lives are made of. Do I want to shape it, define it, with my lack of patience?

This is not an emergency.

Quietly shush the babe. Wrap him tighter, whisper love.

Turn a blind eye, for now, to the “one toy at a time” rule. Pick up can come later.

Dinner may not be fit for the King of England, but the king of this house will appreciate it and be blessed, no matter the extra time in the oven.

And the rest, well, it’s never ending. How could that possibly constitute an emergency?

And then, a miracle:

That moment is transformed. A small victory, a small miracle. But to me, right then, grace I can almost feel.

love: what we do

My awesome and supportive friend, who has no children, sent me a link to an entertaining article.

Now I’m sending it your way. (Read it; the rest of my post won’t make sense until you do. It’s short!)

‘kay. Done?

That article was just what I needed. You know why? Because sometimes I’m the one asking the questions that, ahem, “friend” asked. Why don’t I have 5 minutes for an email? Why do working women work and keep up with the same chores I struggle to maintain? How is it that, at the end of so many days, I look around and realize I’m exhausted from working all day and yet, somehow, nothing got done? What’s wrong with me???…

Thank you, Carolyn Hax, for telling that woman what’s up. And thank you for reminding me of what I do all day.

That it’s not nothing.

That I am the center of the world to two little boys.

That the only reason they’re dressed, fed, bathed, hugged, rested, and read to is because I’m here. Doing all of those things. In between my to-dos. (And sometimes instead of my to-dos.)

I didn’t get nothing done. At the end of the day, I linger at the bedside of toddler, adoring his sweet face, wondering what he dreams of. A surge of love fills my heart when I slip into bed beside a little infant, his fingers curled around the edge of the blanket, his cheeks flushed with sleep.

And I remember: I loved today. What a privilege.

jameson update

Life with Jameson

Life with Jameson has had its fair share of challenges, as he exerts a bit more opinion, a bit more will, a bit more Adamic nature. (Ah, yes. Sorry, kid. No fun.)

But it’s also been sweeter than ever. He’s a joy…

  • When he runs, his feet barely touch the ground. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
  • When we cross the street, he waves the orange flag madly and waves to all the cars. He thinks it’s a parade, and that he’s the star. You are, son, to me.
  • When he watches Peter Pan, his eyes are huge, his face beaming.
  • When he goes to bed, he runs to me with his lips puckered for a kiss. He never forgets.
  • When we sit down for dinner, he’ll say, “Mmmm, thanks, Mom!”
  • When I cook, he “helps.” And it all takes forever, but it’s so much more fun.
  • When I’m overwhelmed by something and need to pray, he’ll hold my hand and pray with me. Always.

I love him. To pieces.

…And in Pictures

This is him watching the men mowing our lawn, which he loves. He’s so focused!

And this is him posing with a birthday gift we made this week for a little girl. He loves to say, “Cheese!”, but I’m wondering how many years it will be before I’ll be able to capture a real smile on film again.

smile option #1:

smile option #2:

books: again

This is one of the books we have most enjoyed reading this winter. We had it from the library for the maximum 9 weeks, and now have moved on — although I’m tempted to get it again this next time around. Jameson loves it because it’s about snow and snowmen, mittens and scarves, fireplaces and pancakes.

I love it because the illustrations are unique. I’m pretty sure you can almost feel the waxiness of colored pencils. And you can definitely feel the cold of November when you turn to the first page of gray skies and migrating geese.

I also love it because it’s one of those one-word-a-page, Mom-makes-the-story-as-long-as-she-wants kinds of books. ;)

*****

I’m also enjoying Patricia Polacco. We’ve worked our way up from simpler books — like Oh Look and Mommies Say Shh to some of her longer story books, like The Bee Tree. (Jameson is suddenly super-excited about having honey on his toast!) Yesterday we read Just Plain Fancy, and then [for a really long time] watched videos of chicks hatching on youtube. (Aside: Isn’t youtube amazing? I mean, really. We watched chicks hatch, roosters crow, giraffes give birth, and lions roar, all on youtube yesterday.)

Her illustrations are incredibly enjoyable — colorful, silly, detailed, and imaginative.

*****

What books are you enjoying?

another ramble

Another goodbye early this morning: Louissa is on her way back East after a week of visiting her big sister.

I love my sisters. Every one of ’em.

So it goes without saying that I love Louissa, and I loved having her here with me.

As for what we did? It doesn’t amount to much in terms of fun reading. (Holding babies, picking up toys, buying groceries and turning them into dinner…) But it amounted to very much in terms of fun living. We did have one special day — a whole Saturday, just us and William, in San Francisco. Sunshine, perfect temps, strolling in and out of indie shops and creperies, and sitting on park benches watching the sun set and sailboats glisten in the Bay. And a fun, splurge of a dinner, just us. Yes, that was all very much fun. (Thank you, Ryan!)

Funny, though, how after only a week of her helpful company, I’m left feeling a bit like, How do we do this again? How do I do the laundry and baths and meals and cleaning and library and train sets by myself?

Part of me says to just dig in and work hard — there’s nothing you can’t do with hard work.

The other part of me says, honey, you need Jesus.

Yes, I could probably muscle my way through a much larger mountain of laundry. But I look at my little Jameson, so precious and unique and willful (and sinful) and I know you can’t just muscle your way through mothering. This isn’t just a Nose To The Grindstone sort of occupation; this is a Get God Every Day calling.

I realize as I lay in bed at the end of another day that these are winepress days. You know — squeeze and squeeze and squeeze till you pop, and what’s in there is what’s going to come out. Is it Jesus? In some seasons, I may have had the time and space to make sure the right stuff was spilling out. In these long, pressure-filled mama days, there’s no time for looking in the mirror at my soul to make sure nothing ugly is showing. Fact is, if there’s ugly inside, it’s on its way out. And my precious, precious children are the ones watching, receiving.

If that doesn’t make you desperate for God, I don’t know what will…

And so I find myself, in the midst of the constant giving and caring and correcting and confronting, desperately reaching for the life of the Vine. Wherever He is, I need to be there. Need to be there.

Jesus, be the center.

You are my supply
My breath of life
Still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
Still more awesome than I know

And all of You
Is more than enough for
All of me
For every thirst and
Every need
You satisfy me
With Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough.