Mom Joys

 

1. I lost my glasses 2 weeks ago. They vanished.

A child found them in his backpack Thursday, when he went to Grandma's.

I ordered new ones Wednesday night.

2. In Aldi's Aisle of Shame recently, I picked up a hammock chair, for myself. Craig screwed a hook into the beam above the deck, and we all take turns enjoying it. 

Also from Aldi's AOS, I got a 3 foot round inflatable swimming pool, which was on the deck with about 2 inches of water in it. 

Boy sat in hammock chair and went round and round and round and round and round and round... then KERPLOP!! KERSPLASH! He, still sitting in the swing, was also sitting in the pool. Except he, swing and all, landed on the side of the pool, after which all 3 air receptacles were popped open. They- the pool and the boy- were quite deflated.

3. This morning, a certain person was dashing around here, completing his task of picking up stuff, vrroooming around.... "Mom, do you know why I'm a Monster Truck?" (Pulls his pants down far enough to reveal his new monster truck undies.)  Informs me that he next will be a jet engine, then a race car, then a dump truck (he'll have to go slow that time, because dump trucks are slow).

I dunno. Maybe I make life's issues too complex.

Maybe I just need new undies.

The case of the explosive cupboard

My friend innocently opened the cupboard door. Its contents, stuffed and stacked like a vertical domino track, exploded out at her.

1. Was the friend or the cupboard at fault?*

2. This scenario happens a lot between people, too. 

3. Instead of fixing the issue with the cupboard,  we keep pussy footing around it and trying to avoid semi-surprise explosions. 

4. Then we blame the friend, not the dysfunctional cupboard. 

*There may be a logical 3rd option, that it was the person who rigged the cupboard who may be held responsible, but that ruins my illustration, so I'll leave it out.

Imperfectitis

I'm not very wise

I'm not very smart

I'm a Too Big size

I can't focus for art.

My house gets messy

My garden has weeds

My clothes are not dressy

My poetry needs

An editor. 

I talk when I shouldn't, 

Don't talk when I should

I wish I wouldn't 

Do harm- just good.

I'm not Pinterest Perfect, 

I struggle to be

Full of defect upon defect

Yet live the best version of me.

My voice, stricken with laryngitis,

Crackles out a healing, old song

“Just as I am”- with imperfectitis

I come, just to Be- and Belong.

Joy Mast Miller

6-8-24

……….

 

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot;

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt;

Fightings within, and fears without,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind;

Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thy love unknown

Has broken every barrier down;

Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Lyrics:Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871)

Music:William Batchelder Bradbury (1816-1868)

hymnal.net

Mini Me and Me, just as we are.

When I set out for Aldi and ended up at Audi

Life is a grand obstacle course.

It starts early: look at what it takes for a tiny human to even get out of his mom's body!

Then notice all the tumbles and bumps it takes for a child to learn to walk.

There's a pretty standard set of obstacles that most children go through at a fairly standard pace. Some, however, face insurmountable obstacles early on, and parents are forced to recalculate and innovate to navigate the course.

At some point,  the obstacles differentiate greatly, and one adult's obstacle course looks very different from another's. 

Some people enjoy navigating through obstacles; others despise it. Maybe it's why some adults manage to appear happy most of the time, while others are plain down grumpy every time they hit an obstacle. In my lenthening experience of being an adult, I've discovered that, on my course at least, obstacles are everywhere. I can either embrace it, or hate my life.

All that to preface how I set out for Aldi and ended up at Audi.

 ......

I planned my day:

Take child to Grandma's,  pick up Walmart order, get a huge amount of buns at Aldi, go home.

Obstacle 1: Thanks to Craig's dad reminding him that we had the Expedition scheduled for some work at the repair shop, my Big Vehicle was absent.  I remembered this when I was ready to load my children into it.

Recalculate.

Plan B: Take Toyota Corolla.  All children to Grandma's.  Get Things. Bring things home. Empty car. Retrieve children. 

Obstacle 2: The children who were supposed to be sitting calmly in the car waiting for their mother were, well, not sitting calmly.

Recalibrate. 

Children exit car. Children wait in line, get in car one at a time. Buckle in. Keep your bodies to yourself. Thank you.

Obstacle 3: Forget to add air to tire. Oh well, it will be okay. It's still plump. It's not that far. It'll be fine.

Execute Plan B.  Walmart? Check. Aldi? Check.

Look at tire.

Oh, duds and bummers.

I can't drive home on a pancake! At least it was a little plumper than a crepe- I could limp somewhere to get air. 

But where

Can I find air?

It's all around 

Yet can't be found. 

"Hey, sir!" I said to the guy parked beside me. "Where is the closest place I can find air for my tire?"

He looked around.  "Go to the dealership across the road. They will have air."

My courage and pride both felt a little wilted at that moment,  but it truly was the best option. So I drove my dusty, rusty, out-of-shape 2007 Toyota Corolla to the Audi dealership, past the blue and red and black grand, brand new vehicles,  and asked for air.

The fatherly gentleman at the desk was very kind, told me where to pull in for air, and served me himself.

"My car feels a bit out of place here," I said.

"Why is that?" 

"I've been driving it a long time!"

"You've gotten your money's worth out of it."

Yes, indeed.

And that is how my trip to Aldi ended up at Audi.

Now-off to face the next set of obstacles!

Our toddler, equipped and ready to face the obstacles!

Chain Cleaning

When I was young, my favorite church service was the monthly hymn sing.  Depending who the song leader was, he would state "We're going to do some chain singing." It was a copout, really,  for the song leader who didn't want to lead the acapella four-part congregational singing, so he could go sit down. That's how my 15-year-old self interpreted it anyway, with an inward groan.

The song leader would say the number of the hymn to be sung, then pronounce the name of someone in the group. That person would pick and lead the next song, two or three steps up or down from the given pitch, and pick the next person to pick the next song. And then the next person would pick the next person, and so on and so forth until 8:20 when the chain was broken and the Amen was said.

One day, I was tidying the house. At least I was making a noble attempt. Like I often do when Clutter has taken over, I just gathered an armful, put the stuff away, and wherever my Putting Away Journey took me, that became the new launching pad. I gathered 10 things, put them away, and wherever I landed, I launched from there, with 10 more things to put away. Pick up 10 things in the living room, take them to where they belong. If the last thing to put away was a cup, it goes to the dishwasher. While at the dishwasher,  make the counter better and gather all the trash. While at the trash can, gather the shoes on the floor and take them to their home. While at the shoe closet, pick up the dirty socks and take them to the hamper in the bathroom.  I realized I was chain cleaning!

Kinda like chain singing,  in chain cleaning, the last place decides the next place, and the stuff in that place determines the next spot to tidy.

The short-term goal is to make a small difference in a small place. 

Eventually,  the whole house looks So Much Better.

Chain cleaning may not be the most efficient way to clean a house, but it's an excellent way to display the Big Difference that a making a series of Small Differences can make.

Go make a small difference,  somewhere-anywhere.

It just may start a chain reaction. 

Better yet, snag some teammates,  and do some chain singing while you chain clean.

Tra-la-la!

Teeth of Different Value

Two sons each lost a tooth.

One son misplaced his newly lost tooth. "Oh no! Now it will never be part of my collection!" 

One son said yes, his mother could have his newly lost tooth.  And yes, she could throw it away.  "I just like to give it to The Fairy," he said.

The Fairy took the tooth, bent over and gave the son a kiss. Then she flew the little tooth to the trash can.

The End.

image from pixabay.com

The Shoe Saga

Four kids and one mother, all packed into one Expedition,  went on an expedition.  

En route to Destination, it was discovered that one kid had no shoes.

A call was made to another mother of different kids. "Hey, are you going today? Got any shoes? Please?"

Shoes were brought and attached to the unshoed kid.

Much tromping and stomping through woods and adventureland was done and pleasure was experienced. 

Borrowed shoes were returned. 

Four kids and one mother, all packed into one Expedition,  returned from the expedition.

En route to home, it was discovered that three kids had no shoes.

A call was made to the park. "Got any shoes? Please?"

An additional trip was made to the park office a few days later.

"I see some shoes that belong at our house!" said the mother.

"Ah, yes, please take them!" said the lady. "At least you're not the only one!" she said, pointing to the second pair of shoes.

"Those are ours also," said the mother.

The End.

Are adults destined to be Boring, Stale, and Mad About Life?

I had one of those startle moments recently, when I realized that I was almost 20 when Caitlin Clark was born.

I don't usually talk sports, because two sentences in, it becomes obvious I have No Clue what I'm talking about. 

However,  Caitlin Clark became famous while attending the University about 15 minutes from my house, and I know people who have talked to her,  so I started paying attention.  I watched to see who she is and how she plays, and how her teammates reportedly love her- because she's that kind of a person.

I admire Caitlin's enthusiasm about life, her strength,  and her stamina. Her ability to fight well, yet speak highly of the team who defeated them is noteworthy.

I look at her amazing smile, and silently pray that her smile survives- that nothing and nobody is brutal enough to destroy that beautiful smile.

I hope that Adult Life doesn't crush her.  

.....

When I was entering adulthood,  I fought it with my whole being. 

I even wrote a paper about all the reasons I didn't want to graduate into adulthood. I don't remember what words I used, but the idea was that most adults are Boring, Stale, and/or Mad About Life.

A couple decades later, and I think, to the current pre-adults around me, I probably seem just about as Boring,  Stale, and Mad About Life as any adult ever was.

Truth is, I'm tired. Exhausted.  Stale.

I want to sleep and do Really Boring Things, because there's this whole buzz of constant excitement around me all the time. I crave quiet. I read posts from The Dull Men's Club, for fun. A Boring Day is a Good Day- that's my motto!! How utterly boring. 

I try really hard not to (because, amidst all the things I can NOT control, I have to practice what I teach my kids: "Your response is YOUR responsibility!"), but some days, I DO feel really Mad About Life.  Grief has slashed my heart to pieces, and some days, I find myself still struggling to pick up the pieces. Navigating subtle OR obvious special needs of children has kept me awake more nights than you know. I feel so much more fear than I did as a child,  even though my trust has deepened. I feel a lot of emotions about the actions of people who may or may not have a direct effect on my life.  I have to consciously "clean my glasses" so I can see life around me outside the filter of my own experiences. 

I TRY not to let all this stuff make me grumpy, but I am quite certain that, to my former self, I would hit the "Mad About Life" list. On some days, anyway.

Here's my Challenge of the Day-

To the pre-adults: Hug an adult today- they probably need it. 

To the adults: Smile occasionally,  sleep when you can, and remember to clean your glasses.

To all: Be cheerleaders, across the span of age.

.....

One more outstanding thing about Caitlin Clark: 

After being selected as #1 pick for the WNBA, she was asked about her goals. Instead of focusing on the competition and The Win, her answer focused on continuing to enjoy the game, as she moves forward. 

I want to enjoy each step of my journey,  too.

Celebrating the Family of God- 10 things I love about my church

 

The "family of God" is much larger than our church. But these ten things are about our church, in particular. 

1. We meet in an old church building with  stained glass windows.

2. We're an odd mix of traditional, old-fashioned,  and modern.

3. The people make incredible food. Seriously,  the potlucks never disappoint. I think I always take the worst food there 😆 

4. The children have some wonderful Sunday School teachers who have invested many hours into developing a through-the-Bible interactive study.

5. Bible memory is encouraged and rewarded, for the kids.

6. Our singing is a lot better than it was 10 years ago 😉. The building acoustics help, too.

7. Adult Ladies' Sunday School Class. We're working our way through Romans right now, and I am thoroughly enjoying the study.

8. We practice some New Testament teachings that many find strange and many more deem unnecessary. Washing each others' feet. Anointing with oil for the sick. Heads covered for the women. Fasting is encouraged.  

9. We do fun things together. 

10. We serve each other. We have had so many meals cooked for us, through Baby Season, and we've cooked a few for others. There is willingness to pitch in and get things done. Sometimes,  as in most groups, there has to be some extra motivational encouragement,  depending on the project,  but I'm thankful for the work-together attitude. 

There are more things, but there's my Ten Things List!

Celebrating Life on the Farm- 10 things I love about scratching out a living from the dirt

Being on a farm is not where I envisioned myself in my adulthood,  and parts of it I will never love. But this isn't about that; it's about the parts I do love.

1. Wide open spaces

2. Animals

3. Few neighbors

4. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets

5. Quiet places

6. Big skies

7. Fresh air

8. Green things

9. Educational opportunities 

10. The Farmer Himself