Nothing is wasted

One big, happy, GREEN family. St Patricks Day 2013

I'm starting at the end. Because it's late, as it always is, when I blog. And it's the end of another day of fullness here. 

Tonight, I look away from the endless piles of things to be washed, folded, sorted, thrown away, gone through, given away, stacked, moved, handled, brushed, fluffed, touched, shuffled, put away... (and those were just the first words to come to mind.)

And instead, I look to the members of this family that need to be touched, loved, kept, understood, hugged, held, nourished, kissed, danced with, bathed, tucked in, heard.

I read recently, 'Raising young children can get a little lonely sometimes.' What a strange truth. And yet, I am surrounded by such noise, and constancy and little faces and hugs and kisses. They are, without question, my best friends. They know the most about me. I spend more time with them, than any one on the planet. They see me with and without makeup on, honestly with and without everything on. They know the real me. I am molding them, challenging them, discipling them. And they? They are molding, challenging, changing me. 

This is not wasted time. Nothing here is wasted. 

This is my mission field. To live out what it means to love the Lord and serve Him in the big and little stuff. In the math problems and making dinner and reading the stack of library books that almost put me to sleep mid sentence this afternoon. All of it. 

Of all the commentaries on the Scriptures, good examples are the best.


Quote from 
The Art of Parenthood 
by Wilferd Peterson

'Our children are watching us live, and what we are shouts louder than anything we can say. 

We can't stand there pointing our finger to the heights we want our children to scale. 
We must start climbing, and they will follow!'

Carlisle is authentic. Never trying to hide or underplay something. She is through and through...herself. Which makes her interesting. No manipulation or passive aggression here, she is who she says she is. I've come to appreciate this. 

Tonight after I hot shower, I laid down on her bed. She was holding her littlest sister. 

I asked her what her favorite subject in school is and she said 'spending time with the baby.' I consider our little baby a subject of mine, just didn't know Carlisle thought she was too. I said, 'What about language, arithmetic, bible? Any others come to mind?'

She said, 'Um. Yes. Reading and Girl class.' 

In the hands of our redeemer, nothing is wasted.

So as I fall into my favorite chair, smear on a bit of my favorite lip-balm and pull my laptop into my lap. My thoughts clear for a moment and I think, 'Did they feel loved by me today. Did they feel God's love through me today.' And 'they' includes Brian. It's such a privilege to live this life. Seek the Lord. First. And help me Lord, as I see more and more my short comings. 

Lord I need help. 

'One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.'
Psalm 27:4

Nothing is wasted. 

Spring is coming! It was a 'spring-y' 80 degrees for the annual St. Patricks Day parade. 

This picture confirms it. The leggy 5 year-old definitely belongs to me. :)

 

I love just about everything about this picture. 

The fact that Carlisle took it. 

The fact that I have a child old enough to want to take a picture and then do it. 

Well.

And center it. 

The fact that I have green glitter smeared all over my face. 

The fact that I could eat this baby alive. 

And that we match. :)

'Girls let me get a picture, of just the four of you.'
Here's what happened next... 

Green with LOVE

One of the things that strikes me about God's word, the beauty, is that, it is down to earth. It touches us each where we live and walk, where we work and where we are in our lives. The bible is a book that should inspire us to praise Him from our heart. 

But our lives are filled with tragedy, hurt and pain because we live in a fallen world. God's Word cuts through that darkness and despair with the truth of the gospel, reminding us that our approach to God has nothing to do with our attainment; it is based on Christ's atonement alone. 

We are his 'BELOVED' one. This should bring us such freedom, joy and DEEP praise. 

Occasionally, we are in a thirsty season. 

Our mind thirsts, our hearts thirst, our soul thirst or our bodies thirst. 

So what does Jesus say. 'Come to me and remain thirsty? 

NO. 

He says, come to me and DRINK.

If you are in a dry season, BE refreshed! 

Spring is coming. New birth is here. 

In the gospel of John 7:37, Jesus himself says, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' Streams of living water will flow from me! From you!

No matter how difficult your path, how sad your hurt, how far away your loved one, no matter how helpless you feel, Jesus can meet all needs…and more. 

Let the words of Isaiah 43:4 wash over you: 'You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you.'

There is something so sweet...so very, very right in preparing for the arrival of a little one. 

EACH little one. 

It doesn't get old. Even after all these pregnancies and births. For us, it actually gets more exciting. Brian and I were whispering our excitement to each other during church this morning. 

We KNOW what a baby brings. And now there are three little girls that can't seem to see straight about how they can't wait to meet their baby either. 

I guess it's like Christmas. When children are involved, it's more fun. There's more excitement. More energy. More enthusiasm. Which builds the love and joy for Brian and me too.

Evelyn says 'I'm gonna just chew her up....I am just gonna eat her Mama.'

I can't help but agree. The smell of a newborn. Makes me want to chew her up too.  

And I cannot wait to sleep on my stomach again. Not sure if I have another anything, that I look forward to, that falls quite as high on my list as that. 

I'm thinking back a lot to the final days before each of our girls were born. And wow, how experience does change you. I seemed to be impatient as the days went on.

Even though all have come before 40 weeks. One at 38 weeks. One at 39 weeks and one at 39 and a few days, I think it was. 

So here we are, still early. Could in fact be another week or even two. 

There is a peace. A quiet. An anticipation. A rush with each passing day. A charge that each contraction gives. Hanging up the little tiny clothes. 

I am still nervous as a cat. Fearful. But praying, with FAITH, that God will allow us to have this little sweet girl. Take her home. That only one daughter will live in heaven and the other 4 will live with us.  

Still in preparation for this little baby to come into our lives I have tried to peter down everything. Live more simply. Say 'no' more and say 'yes' to offers of help. 

And so, life goes on. Brian has been taking one or two girls fishing with him each afternoon. Some of our girls are better 'fisher-girls' than others. Ah-hhhm. Not mentioning who the wild and crazy one is. She knows who she is! :) 

But it is SHE who helps teach him patience when fishing. 

God has blessed us, that the baby is not yet here. It's allowed us a quiet time that we didn't know that we desperately needed. A family retreat, here at home. I am looking for opportunities to cherish each of our girls and cherish Brian and am continuing to ask God for what they each need right now. 

So I am savoring the time. With the girls. With Brian. 

I've enjoyed returning to some loves. Blogging. Taking pictures of my family...being 'normal' - Brian and I joke about what that means...but we think it means resting occasionally...

I asked Brian today, what are you enjoying most during this time? During the waiting. 

He said, us all being together. With no where to be. Together. 

I told him that it's like we are all in his man room/man cave. Secluded, together. But our whole house is the cave. 

We ventured out of the cave for the St. Patricks Day parade. 

Daddy's girls

A lady came by our house one evening this week. It was gorgeous outside. She was knocking on all the neighbors doors, looking for her little dog Winnie. The same Winnie we met a year or so ago when she wandered into our yard. Carlisle came to the door with me when the doorbell rang. We talk about Winnie, promising to return her again if we saw her. After a few minutes, Carlisle, very extravertedly introduces herself and explains very matter-of-factly that she is the oldest of three girls. To which the lady looks at me and also matter-of-factly says, 'Three girls? Oh.... I feel sorry for you.'I muster up a polite smile. I don't, after all, feel sorry for me. At all. God has blessed me FARRRRR beyond what I deserve. I am humbled by this family HE has given me. I look down at my little Carlisle, and slip my hand around her hand. The lady mutters something about them all being Daddy's Girls. And it seems that her point is... that she feels sorry for me, BECAUSE they must be Daddy's Girls. Not sure what she said after that...I kind of tuned her out. She walks off, reminding us of her dog, and we, promising to return him if we find him.

Daddy's Girls. They adore him. He adores them. Is that what Daddy's Girls means?

Or maybe Daddy's Girl means that he tells them silly bedtime stories about unicorns and clouds and fields of flowers with zillions of sweet animals and makes them uproariously laugh. Maybe being a Daddy's Girl means Daddy takes you on bike rides and teaches you to use your brakes. Or takes you on a morning trip to the Krispy Kreme just him and you, no extra sister in the car. Or maybe it means he watches your dance practice, every dance practice, because he just wants to see you spin and twirl with a smile on his face. Or maybe being a Daddy's Girl has something to do with laying on the floor being tickled until you are laughing and squealing and literally have to come up for a breath. Maybe being a Daddy's Girl means standing on the stool making fruit smoothies side by side, then sitting on his lap to share the fruits of your labor. Maybe being a Daddy's Girl is rolling in the grass, playing chase and tackling him to the ground with your sisters. Or maybe being a Daddy's Girl is memorizing scripture because he does it and says it's important. Or maybe it's feeling that your Daddy is your hero. Maybe it's waking up in the morning and running to the kitchen, knowing he'll be there, with hot coffee in hand, just to spend a moment alone...just you and him...

I've heard it said that fathers set the course for little girls lives. Fathers bring to the table courage, creativity, intelligence, fearlessness. My little girls (all little girls) NEED that. I know how AFFECTED I have been because of my fathers love and adoration of me as I was growing up. He told me 'Jennie, you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to.' I BELIEVED HIM. In college, as a 19 year old, I purchased a plane ticket, hotel and flew to Florida to interview for a job at Disney. But that's a whole different story. And yes, of course, I got the job. I set my mind to it.

In my way of thinking, all of this is just what I want for my girls. Each girl. A STRONG since of who they are. And whose they are. Not even just Brian and my daughters. But daughters of the King. A since of love and belonging that a Daddy drives home better than a Mama can. A Daddy makes a girl feel loved, adored, cared for, protected.

Are they Daddy's Girls?

Yes.

YES!

Which is the best thing they can be.

Said like only a Daddy's Girl can say.

I love you Dad.

And Brian. Keep loving, disciplining, adoring, treasuring, teaching, encouraging, smiling, tickling, adoring somemore, caring for, protecting, laughing. You do it so well... a Father of three little girls. God knew what He was doing picking you for the task.

I can't get enough of pictures of my babes in the morning light. I'm still learning alot about photography, and pictures, and lighting. I think I probably never will get it all down pat. Probably will be in a constant state of learning. And that's probably a good thing too. I did do a photoshoot last weekend for a sweet family. I'm really proud of a few pictures I took.

I always tell Brian, I accidentally took a few really good ones.

Here's a goodie...