Day 2 - Giving & Serving

It's day 2 of our challenge and we didn't get to leave the house on this day! So...we GAVE through HOSPITALITY! I invited a few other young moms over, and their boys who are Graham's friends, for coffee. I told Graham that we were having friends over and that he would get to share his toys with them. I think he did a pretty good job at sharing. :)

I love having people in my home! Especially during the holiday season. We had the Christmas decor up and the Christmas music going...fresh tea and coffee...and the holiday candles burning. It is so important for me to be able to connect with other moms who are in the exact same phase of life. We can talk, relate, encourage and share with each other. It is life-giving and very much needed. But I've realized that for so many of us, it is hard to actually initiate something. Probably because we get bogged down with our daily routines and feel overwhelmed with kiddos, etc. But part of it may also be fear, insecurity, or just wanting to wait until someone actually pursues us. I know I think and feel that way a lot. But sometimes we just need to pursue first. Take the first step, because we all want that relationship and community. Anyway, this time, I decided to just go for it and initiate something. Because I WANT to make time for people in my life...for relationships to deepen and grow. And I need it! So I'm trying to get better at initiating and pursuing people...and GIVING of myself and my time in that way.

We had a good time together, but as you can imagine, with 4 young boys running around it got a bit out of control at times! But that is just the phase of life we're in now. And at least we can all understand that together. I love my friends, and their kiddos too. And I'm so happy that I can open my home up to them...and I hope to do it a lot more in the future! :-)

The Giving Challenge

Today I woke up with a thought in my head. And instead of just dwelling on it for a bit and then throwing it out the window with so many others that I've had, I decided to just GO WITH IT.

Last night I had the privilege of attending a banquet here in Oklahoma City for the Whiz Kids organization. This is a faith-based, tutoring/mentorship program for kids in elementary school. It is making a huge impact here in OKC. The key-note speaker at the banquet was Collins Tuhoy, the sister from the movie The Blind Side. She told her story of how her family became so connected to Michael Orr and the impact he had and is still having on their lives and hearts. It's a pretty amazing story. Her charge at the end of her speech was, as we walk away from this banquet, away from hearing stories of lives that are being impacted and changed, that we would STOP. Turn Around. And ACT. That we would be people who ACT. Not just hear and be encouraged, but ACT.

So back to my thought for today. The Giving Challenge. I want to teach my children that it is better to GIVE than to receive. That it is more fulfilling to GO and GIVE away, because we have been given so much. And THEY have so much to give. And God calls us to GO and GIVE it away to others, to the world, in whatever way we can. So my thought for us, for me, for my kids, my family, is to do the Giving Challenge.
Today is December 1, 2010. For the next 25 days, I am challenging myself to do an "ACT of Giving" every day with my kids. This will challenge me to first THINK of and LOOK for opportunities, to be proactive, to be CREATIVE, and to ACT. As an act of accountability, I will post what we do each day...give me grace on posting though! I might get behind on the blogging, but hopefully not on the giving! I'm praying that this will have an impact on me and my heart, making me more sensitive and aware of ways that I can give and encourage and impact, as well as teaching my 3 year old son that he can make a difference in people's lives...that even at a young age, he can give and influence and share what's been given to him.

So today's ACT was taking clothes and toys to GOODWILL. I asked Graham if he wanted to give some of his toys away to kids who didn't have any, and he responded with a resounding, "YES!" He was so excited to go through his room and pick out toys to give away. It's already in him! This generous, joyful-giving spirit!!! I love it. A child's heart is so precious. His only disappointment was that we didn't actually get to "see" the kids. He kept asking me where they were! Sometimes I forget that kids are so literal. :) Here are some pics from today's Giving Act...




If you have "GIVING" stories to share during this season, I would love to hear them! Or, if you would like to join in on our 25 day Giving Challenge, that would be awesome too! Either way, I hope that all of our hearts are sparked to give a little more this holiday season.

P.S. My daughter had an INCREDIBLY, HUGE blowout diaper during the writing of this post. So I was interrupted with this stinky explosion, which required bathtime and all. Just wanted you to know it's always just a normal mommy-day life over here in these neck of the woods. Fun times. :)

I Blinked...

...and my babies GREW like crazy!! What in the world?!? So, today is November 18, 2010. It is exactly one week until Thanksgiving, and 37 days until Christmas. I am in shock. Not only because the holidays are here, but because my babies are growing like small TREES right before my very eyes! Seriously. Where is the time going? Today I realized that I am still feeding my little girl like she was a newborn baby, when I suddenly realized, she's not a newborn any more. She's FIVE months old! I should have dropped like 1 or 2 feedings by now, but oh well. It's gone so fast, that just seemed to slip my mind. She has been the WONDER baby! Sleeping through the night by 4 weeks old, hardly ever crying, just happy and content most of the time...oh, and a fabulous eater. :) Sometimes I wonder if it's going by too fast...am I missing things...am I taking it all in?? But then I remember how in love I am with this little person, and this stage right now (5 months) is one of my absolute favorites! She is so interactive and aware. She coos like crazy. She grabs her toes. She smiles. She laughs. She rolls around. She grabs my face, my hands, my hair. She's precious. And her HAIR just keeps on growing! Oh, and have I told you how CRAZY she is about her big brother?? He is the only one that can make her belly laugh! She loves him so much, that she can't take her eyes off of him! I love watching them interact and "play" together. They definitely make life much sweeter right now.






I just can't get over how quickly they change. And that very fact is the thing that just makes me want to have more. :)

Are you Rich?

Finding richness of soul... A couple of weeks ago I had what you could call a "moment" with God. I love these moments. They seem to happen at the perfect time in my life, in my day. And I think that this moment happened simply because I was asking for it. It's amazing what God will do if we just ASK. A lot has come out of this particular moment, and I believe that even more will come forth. Because I believe God awoke/is waking some things inside of me, in my soul. It's good. And it's good because I'm feeling the nearness of God again. Sometimes we can feel as if the Lord is light years away from us...wondering if He even has a clue what's going on in our lives, in our hearts, our minds, etc. Other times, He seems so close and real, that we can actually feel His presence in our midst...as if your best friend was sitting right next to you. The reassuring thing is - even when He may seem distant to us, He's not. He's always right there. Right beside me; right beside you. So the conclusion, then, that must be drawn is, if we feel that "distance," it is not Him who is far away, but us.

I was desperate and longing to feel that closeness again, so with the mercy and grace that He always shows me, He gently nudged me back to His side. As I was processing and reflecting on things I felt He was saying to me, a good friend reminded me of the the little book, Practicing His Presence, by Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach. I have underlined a good portion of the book, which I'm sure I will continue referring to. But the first thing that seemed to catch my attention in this book, was this: "It is not fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best in us is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking 'small talk' whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul... My part is to live this hour in continuous inner conversation with God and in perfect responsiveness to his will, to make this hour gloriously rich."
Chew on that for a bit. :)
So I am on a quest now, that will help produce greater richness in me and in my soul. And I fully believe I can find this richness where I am right now, being a wife and a mom of two kiddos, trying to sort through the dirty diapers, the disciplining, the good, the bad, the highs, the lows, etc, etc. I can find a deeper and greater richness, because I have His presence in my life. And that is all I need.

Something New

Thought it was time for me to get a fresh new look for my simple little blog. So here it is...a new look for a new season of my life. Maybe these colors will inspire more creativity. I'm feeling inspired tonight already...inspired and motivated. Looking forward to what this inspiration and motivation might produce. Hopefully it will be something I can blog about - HA!

A Million and Two

Yes, that's right. There are a million and two things in my life that I'd love to write about right now. It's been so long. I feel like my pen has run dry, and I've been searching for more ink for a couple of months...no, scratch that...for a couple of YEARS. Writing is an outlet for me, and when I feel like I can't do it, or when I can't find the time, a part of me aches. I need the release. I don't know how many blogs and journal entries I've written in my head. What has happened to my quiet time? My down time? My times of reflection? My creativity? At the stage of life I'm in, it's challenging to find this time. Then, if I do get the time, it's almost like I don't even know what to do with it any more. I am a MOM. This is one of the most amazing, fulfilling, and joyful gifts anyone could ever ask for. How blessed I feel that God would entrust two of his incredible little miracles to my care and upbringing. Wow. I am so grateful. But with such blessing also comes many challenging and stretching times as well. The biggest challenge is usually a constant dying to myself. In a world that tells me that life is and should be all about me and what I need, it's sometimes difficult to veer past that false reality and realize that it's not all about ME. It's not all about what I need to make me comfortable, happy and safe. But my flesh fights this...probably on a daily basis. Now my days are filled with pouring out everything that's been poured into me to train and love my children; to love my husband; to be more of the woman that God has created me to be. And I guess, right now, that's what I'm trying to figure out how to do well. How do I balance these things in my life? How do I continue to think of myself less, and focus on the amazing gifts that are right in front of me? BALANCE. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to conduct a juggling act...feeding, burping, changing diapers, cleaning house, disciplining, playing, going to the grocery store, making dinner, loving my husband, loving my kids, my friends, etc, etc, etc. I want to do it all well, with a joyful heart, and still find time to be still and quiet, grow myself, enjoy creativity and hobbies, take care of my body, etc. How do I do it all?? Whew. I'm making myself dizzy! I guess the good news is that there is GRACE. A much-needed grace. Nobody figures it all out right away. It's a journey. And I'm right in the middle of this journey.
I once had a wiser, older woman in my life tell me that there is always a battle over the priorities in our lives. But the number one priority has to be my relationship with the Lord. Me and God. So first I focus on HIM and what He's asking me to do/change/reflect on/etc. In the midst of a GIANT transition, like having a 2nd baby, that #1 priority can get thrown off kilter a little bit. And, I think I need a bit of a readjustment today. I need more of HIM. Need HIM to fill me up, and remind that I can do this. I can do the things He's called me to, and I can do them well. I can push through on the hard days, when I feel like I don't know what I'm doing or that I'm not loving well or that I just want to focus on myself. I can do it, because He's in me. And I can fight through the selfishness, because HE is greater in me.
Story: The other day, I was in the car with my two kiddos. After running errands all day, I made it home in time to unload the groceries, put my 3 year old down for a nap, and feed my baby girl, all before cleaning the house for our company that was coming over that night. I pulled in the driveway, with Ryan Adams "La Cienega Just Smiled" (my favorite tune at the moment) blaring in the speakers. I sat there before unloading and going inside, listening to the song. I started crying, as I sat there thinking of all the things that I'd like to do, feeling like I'm still trying to figure out who I am, just thinking of me, me, me. When all of a sudden, out of nowhere, my three year old pipes up, "Mommy, you know what?" I responded, "What?" He exclaimed, "I love Jesus." And my mothers heart smiled. Thank you God for children who remind us what life is really all about.

I look forward to posting the other million and one thoughts on another day...

DETOUR

Um, well, so I got a little sidetracked there for a while...had somewhat of a detour in my life. Not only do I have another baby now, but she is actually 2 months old! Yeah, I decided I needed to take off the "new baby banner" at the top of my blog. Left it on there a tad bit too long. Seeing as how the last blog I posted was when I was 32 weeks pregnant, you can understand that I've been caught up in a major whirl wind. But life is good. Let me introduce you to my daughter, Miss Abigail Jay Smith...



I love her so much. My cup runneth over...