The Year of Babies

There are some years that seem to come and go with no significant happenings.  And then there are the ones in which I just hit January 1 knowing it’s going to be a special one.  We were blessed with two biological children, but because of friendships, have enjoyed being involved in the growing up of several “bonus” kids.  Now, as with ours, the kids are growing up and starting families of their own. It’s a blessed part of life, for sure.

This year is chock full of new babies!  We are so happy to be allowed to rejoice with each family as they bring new life to our world, and thankful to their grandparents for sharing them with us. 

This little bundle of joy was the first to be added to our circle of love, just before the new year.  She is so full of life, loves to explore, and seem to be unafraid.  Her parents are smitten with her, and I just love getting to be a part of her world. 

This handsome little boy has stolen hearts already.  He has a ready smile and such a sweet disposition. He is a special blessing in a transition time for his family, which is God’s way, isn’t it!

This bundle of sugar was a welcome surprise for all of us that love her family.  She has a passle of siblings that loved her before they saw her, and she can’t get enough of them, either.  Her smile is super sweet, and she is one of the most content newborns I’ve ever known.

If these bundles of sweetness don’t give you a hint of how much I cherish new life, let me just make it very clear.  When my own babies were tiny, I came across this Bible verse:  Children are a treasure from the Lord. (Psalm 127:3)  Treasure!  Like an inherited heirloom.  A gift that has been carefully handed to us, intentionally, to be treasured and nurtured and protected.  To be shared with caution, which is why it is so special to me when other families allow us to be a part of their children’s lives.

Now, this year, we will also be getting a special blessing in our own family.  Cowboy and Sweet Thing are bringing a little bit of Sunshine to our lives in October.  We are beyond excited to have another grandbaby to love and watch grow.  I know Little Bit will be a great big sister; she is already planning!

The treasure of children just keeps giving.  We receive the blessings of watching their personalities form.  We get hugs, cuddles, games, jokes, special “just us” moments together. We get to watch as they make life decisions and then…they give us grandchildren!

I enjoy putting artwork on the frig in my kitchen from any of the wonderful blessings that pass through our circle of love. It reminds me that life goes on.  The empty nest doesn’t stay that way forever, even though it feels like it will.  I’m so grateful that God has chosen to bless us with these treasures in this Year of Babies.  Life does goes on.  Thank Heaven! 

Busy vs Lazy

If I found out my life was about to end, how would I react? Would I have done everything I was placed in this generation to do? Would I leave anything undone, unsaid, unnecessarily messy.  I’m sure everyone thinks this way once in a while, maybe more as we age. 

I’ve been convicted of my laziness.  Again.  You may laugh, or maybe you can bear witness with me.  It seems like our culture is one that makes us need to be constantly busy, and I don’t believe in busy-ness for busy’s sake.  (Grammar and spell check don’t like that at all!) As in everything in our world, there are extremes on the line of busy vs lazy. I am fully aware of that fact.  So where is the “sweet spot” between the two? 

We have many things that can take up our precious time that we didn’t have just a few years back.  However, laziness is nothing new.  Even in the Bible, in Psalms and Proverbs especially, laziness is compared to the diligence of the ant, that prepares her bread in the summer and gathers her food in harvest.  (Proverbs 6:8) The New Testament tells us that the things we do are to be done as to the Lord and that we are to run with endurance the race that is set before us.  (Ephesians and Hebrews) And even in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Paul wrote these inspired words, “ For even when we were with you, this we commanded you:  that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” So, I know that “doing” is godly. 

We also like to pull out the Psalm that tells us to Be still! (Psalm 46:10) What could be more imperative than that? And other scriptures that remind us to listen first, hear God’s voice, and then walk in His ways.  (Isaiah 30:21)

I guess the balance then, is in the way we break up our times of quiet and business.  Are you, like me, a list maker?  Do you start your day checking the to-do list and at the end of the day do you flog yourself for what didn’t get done?  I have to ask myself why it didn’t get done.  Was it because of another necessary task that had to have priority?  Or was it facebook or tv that kept me from completing my list. 

When my children were at home, they always took priority over anything else I was doing.  I may have been in the middle of cleaning the bathroom, or some other task that needed finishing, but as soon as I could stop, they got my full attention.  I realized that the dust and dishes would still be there after they went to bed, and certainly after they left home.  But I also had the responsibility of keeping a sanitary and healthy environment in our home.  Sometimes, we did the chores together and had meaningful moments and talks in that time also.  So, don’t let my ramblings give you the impression that my children ruled my time.  It is a matter of recognizing the importance of each moment of the day.

As a homemaker, I certainly did not go gracefully into that empty nest.  I missed the interaction with my children so much it ached.  I even said out loud that I was “retired” as a mom. (My daughter corrected me often on this, by the way.)  And I found myself wondering what I was going to do with all this free time I now had.  What were the things I had “always” wanted to do?  The truth that kept coming back to me was that I had asked God to make me a wife and a mom; it was all I’d ever wanted, all I’d ever dreamed and day dreamed about. 

Depression and laziness are ugly stepsisters.  They come in and bark orders and giggle as you struggle through your days.  They call you names and make you feel “less than.”  And until you stand up to them like the bullies that they are, they will take over your every thought and action.  This was something I could not do alone.  And I am so very grateful that I have a God Who cares!  (1 Peter 5:7)  And even now, when I struggle with loneliness, I can turn to Him and He gives me strength to get up, move, do something. 

I think we all want to matter.  We all want to make a difference while we are here on planet earth. We may not know what that difference is until we see Jesus, but until then, we are called to be faithful.  I am called to be faithful.  Have I done everything I was placed in this generation to do?  Well, I will continue to walk one step at a time, in His grace, until He calls me home.  I will be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when I am being lazy and, also, when I am overdoing it.  And when He calls me home, I will relax in His presence and continue to do His will for eternity.