Today I Will Choose Joy

I need to repeat this aloud to myself multiple times a day.

Like when I hear matchbox cars being scraped across my hardwood floor. That is such a grating sound. I want to take good care of the things God has given me. And when I hear that sound all I can think about is the scratches that are being left behind.

So I say to myself, "Today I will choose joy."

I think about the little boy that is "driving" those cars. I think about how tender his heart is and how much fun he's having while he plays. I take the time to listen to him singing "10,000 Reasons" while he races cars back and forth over the floor. I remind myself that people are more important than things.

I also add "purchase a rug for the bedroom" to my shopping list. ;)

Wood floors are pretty trivial around here with the babies and the monitors and the tanks of oxygen. But sometimes a pet peeve can be even more irritating when it seems like we can't even "control" the small things. I am thankful for all my little boys and all the "excitement" that they can cause. ;)

Desperate for More

I love Sally Clarkson. And I love her books.

I appreciated going through The Ministry of Motherhood along with Good Morning Girls. It was such an encouraging reminder that what we do at home with our littles is important and eternal. Our home and our family is our ministry. Whether I'm praying with my little boy after he's been disciplined to wiping yet another tiny hiney - I am ministering. God loves our mommy hearts and Sally's been so great at encouraging them. :)

She has a new book out, Desperate, that she wrote with Sarah Mae. I ordered my copy a few days ago, but am really looking forward to it. This has been a difficult season for me. 12 weeks of bedrest through the spring, spending 12 weeks of summer in the NICU, and being "trapped" in my house since August 8th and seeing no "relief" until RSV season is over at the end of May has been tiring on my heart. And it's been lonely.

But I've noticed something, there are a lot of lonely moms out there. Moms that are tired from racing around in their vehicles delivering one child to this and another child to that. Moms that have children with special needs that require more time, patience, care and understanding. Moms that don't have family nearby to help when you just need a 10 minute walk around the block to keep your sanity. Moms that feel the need to keep up a perfect home, decorated, clean and inviting, but too tired to have anyone over to enjoy it. There are moms who are exhausted from disciplining - oh, so tired.

We all love our children and would do anything for them but it's a tiring and often thankless job. We are desperate for more. We are desperate for God.

I'm so looking forward to reading Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. And the authors are hosting a give away of a spa/mentoring weekend in Colorado Springs!! Make sure you head over to the Desperate website to find out how to be entered in the give away.  **contest over**