Pineapple Chunks, Rain, & the Star Spangled Banner

As I sit here in my dimly lit kitchen eating the kids' leftover pineapple chunks out of a plastic bowl that I'm pretty sure has also been played with outside once or twice, I'm reflecting on my beautiful crazy life. Let me just share with you a little... Not because I feel like any of you are super eager to hear about my life, but mainly because I like to pretend someone is listening to me sometimes.

I'm thankful for rain - and precipitation, in general. I actually genuinely enjoy it. It's soothing to me. And, plus, I know in about 3 or 4 months, we'll be wishing for just a few drops to fall. So, I'm thankful we're getting it now. But what I'm not thankful for, necessarily, is mud. Mud means if I let all of these little people and dogs outside to run off energy, I will spend the rest of mine cleaning the floors later. I can deal from time to time. But it's been sleeting/snowing/raining for about 6,325 days. Ok, not really. But it's been about a week of this mess. We're all going stir-crazy. For example, today after lunch, I was cleaning up from the kids' lunch while simultaneously reheating my lunch for about the fifth time and telling my man goodbye as he headed back to the office. Then I had one loudly and repetitively announcing that he was ready to get down from his high chair, two playing "2-square" in the entry way, one singing the national anthem for the hundredth time in the last 3 days, 2 boys overexciting the dogs, and one screaming (literally) due to a random bloody nose! Sheesh.

But the beauty is that it's my crazy. No one else's. Mine. I love this life. And I honestly wouldn't trade it for any other life, no matter how appealing some other lives sound from time to time. I know one day I'll be "old", my floors will be clean, my house will be quiet, and I'll be able to sit by the fire and enjoy the sound of the rain outside. But I also know that there's a good chance that the whole time I'm doing that, I'll be sitting there thinking about these days, wishing my kids were little again or that my grandkids were there to play. Truth be told, I'm sure I won't have many days of just sitting around when I'm older. I look forward to a time in my life that I can minister to people without as many time constraints. But I'm sure there will be quiet moments that I sit and reflect. I just probably won't find them "hiding" in the kitchen during rest time like I am today.

So, I'm going to choose thankfulness. I'll mop again tonight. I'll clean tables and noses and everything else. I'll referee games of Monopoly and 2-square. I'll listen to my sweet perfectionist learn the Star Spangled Banner. I'll do it all. It will be messy, no doubt. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I get irritated. Sometimes I hide in the pantry and eat chocolate. But griping sure doesn't help anything.

So, here's to looking past momentary chaos and toward my ultimate goal of raising kids who love the Lord with all their hearts!

~~~

"I am yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings you glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain"

 

- Bring the Rain, by Mercy Me