Times Like These

There is a great song, by a great artist. His song is called "Times Like These". Although the overall song doesn't exactly apply to what is on my mind, there are lyrics that are very fitting. I feel as if I may be at a point where I need to dig deeper and give more then I ever thought I had to give. There is no replacing the time you have, it must be embraced, good or bad.

It is possible that as an individual I have taken on more then I can handle. It is also possible that this may just be a point in my life as a mom, and an individual where I feel especially overwhelmed and I just have to figure out how to maintain. It is definitely too late to back out of anything that I have taken on. I certainly cannot back out of raising any of my children. I checked the Birth Certificates, read all the fine print, on both the Hospital pretty frilly version and the "Official" copy. There is no return policy. I just have to figure it out. Darn rules.

Actually, my kids aren't the concern. It is me. It sounds like I am breaking up with someone - it's me not you. I am not breaking up with anyone. Maybe I am breaking up with a perspective or a state of mind. I went to a conference last Spring called Hearts at Home. I loved it. I was very moved and emotional and happy and refreshed, all at the same time, and came home with all these great idea. I now only remember one specific thing from the entire experience. One of the speakers (I don't remember which one) said "Embrace what you cannot avoid". Try to say it to yourself. Embrace what you can't avoid. It sounds pretty simple, very reasonable and kinda easy right? It is easy, once you figure out what you are trying to, or want to, or have been avoiding. Laundry. It is my nemesis. Laundry hates me, it taunts me, mocks me at every corner. I have fairly mutual feelings for it as well, or at least I used to. Then I figured out a system that works very well for me and saves me a tremendous amount of time. And anyone with a child, or two, or ten knows that time is a precious precious thing. Although my system sometimes fails me because of an unbelievable amount of resistance from the troops, I still don't feel as overwhelmed.

So, at times like these I have to sit back and evaluate what I need to embrace. Individuals. Their feelings, their needs, their wants, and I especially need to embrace my desire to know that I am here to try to fulfill a great many of these needs and wants for the people I care about the most, all without losing myself in the mix or running myself ragged.

These are the times you have to give more when you think you have nothing more to give. So I have to be more purposeful with my time and my effort. I think being purposeful with my effort is the hardest to figure out. There are things I want to get done, things I need to do, things that have to be done, and things that absolutely no one in the world would notice if they didn't get done, except for me, and my husband, because I would babble on incessantly about how I didn't get it done, or I want it done, and he would have no choice but to know. So the effort that I spend thinking about the things I need to do is where I feel the problem is. So, I have just started to embrace the things I can't avoid and stop pondering and thinking so much. Just do. When you don't build things up so much they seem much more simple. Simplicity is good, especially these days when I am juggling school, housework, MOPS, Bible Study (which I totally forgot about today - whoops), football, gymnastics, Awana, Scouts, blah, blah. The list goes on. Everyone's list goes on, it isn't just me. Fortunately for me though I don't have to make sure everyone else's lists get done. I do however have to care about other people and their busy lives and their needs as well because as a human and as a person who generally wants to be as good to others as they have been to me, I want to care.

I am going to be tired. Everyone is tired. Basically everyone I know works just as hard, if not harder, has different things that they take on, different places where they expend their efforts and a completely different problem set that they have to embrace. I am lucky enough to have someone standing by my side whose love and faith in me never waivers, even when I don't have any faith in myself or my abilities.

Times like these I need to act out of love and intentionally not be bitter about how tired I am, or how much I feel I have to do, or how much I have already done and how much I have left to do. That is life, and best of all if is my life. We are a busy family. We are also a very loud family, that has probably offended more people then we ever intended to. We are also a family full of love that talks, laughs, sometimes cries, yells, teases and functions. Yes, we do function, albeit sometimes not well, but we haven't lost anyone so far or forgotten anyone at a gas station so I count that as a "W". Go team.

I do believe every person and every family goes through seasons. The fall is especially a tough season for me. For a few reasons, one mainly, but instead of avoiding it, which I tried to do last year and failed at miserably, I am going to embrace it this year. I am choosing to be intentional. I am going to be intentional with my time, my effort, my words, my love and most importantly my actions because we all love the cliche about actions speaking louder then words now don't we?

In the process of embracing times like these, I may unintentionally forget something important (ahem  - Tuesday morning Bible Study), or unintentionally not do something with completely the right mindset. That is okay too, that makes me human. Thank God I am a human and I can, and am expected to make mistakes, that relieves a lot of the pressure.

So at times like these, the valleys of life, the hard times, the busy times, the overwhelming times I encourage you to embrace what you can't avoid. Once you get to thinking about it you will realize there is very little that can be avoided, regardless of how hard you try. So embrace it. Love it, live it out and move on. There are memories to be made and life to be lived, and more importantly people to love, even when I think I have no more to give, I do. There is always more to give. Always.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WasmZyQ6ZIs

And for those keeping me accountable - I have 7 pounds to go until my pre-Kaleb weight. Yeah, I know last time I only had 6. That my friends was NOT intentional.