Blog – Page 21

Speaking Love

May 28, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 5 Comments

I saw her standing next to the milk.

Her little girl had chocolate brown eyes and animal cracker crumbs stuck to her sticky face.

I walked by, gave her a small smile and she ducked her head, apologetically making a funny comment about “having to open the cookies just to finish her shopping.”

I knew. I had been there yesterday.. except it was a hastily opened bag of goldfish and my little one was having a very loud “moment” until I distracted her with a snack.

I nodded my head and told her as much.

Immediately, I saw it on her face. Safety. She visibly relaxed and then went on to ask if she could ask me a question.

She did and we talked for a minute about babies and toddlers and how to try to just get them to eat-for-crying-out-loud.

I sensed something in her that I had felt in my own heart a hundred times so I spoke brave to this stranger/ fellow mama.

I said, “Hey you’re doing a good job. You’re just the mom she needs.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she said, “Thank you. Thank you very much. I’m trying.”

She walked away and I wondered if anyone was regularly encouraging her. Anyone in her corner? Telling her she’s a beautiful mom? Smiling at her with kindness?

I missed an amazing opportunity to try to connect with her more, but when I looked for her she was gone.

As I walked away I realized what an amazing gift you give someone when you just…. say something kind. Be a blessing. SEE THEM.

Because, we really never know. We never know what their life is like. What their heart is like.

And it goes far beyond kind words. It’s the Gospel that takes our kindness from self-help to actual words of Life.

Last September, we became intimately acquainted with the ministry of encouragement. Not because we were experts in encouraging others but because we needed a whole lot of encouragement.

And the most undeniably amazing thing we learned? God KNEW exactly what we needed to be encouraged. That’s the True Power of Encouragement. That no matter the form the encouragement comes in, God sees our hurts, our needs, our struggles and He KNOWS. He is Jehovah El Roi. The God who sees.

The God who sees. That puts a whole entirely new meaning and wonder to being encouraged. And to being the encourager.

He is All-Sovereign and All-knowing and He could have chosen a different way to make us, a different way for us to be made– but He did not.

He made us for community and for one another and for Him. We GET to encourage one another. WE GET to be the living love of Christ to others. WE GET to allow the light of the World to shine into and out of our dark places.

We are given the gift of being the Grace Gift to one another.

Linking up with these amazing ladies over here on the Power of Encouragement.

Close & Comfortable (FMF)

May 22, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 7 Comments

I leaned in through the car door and helped buckle her in. For some reason the thought flashed through my mind that maybe soon she could probably learn to do this like most other 5 year old children.

If I didn’t know better.. she could have read my mind.

“Mommy? Having a Mommy is comfortable.” (Actually, she says it, Comfertasul– and gosh, is it so cute.)

“Comfortable? What do you mean?” I ask.

“Mommies are comfortable. They do things for you when your hands are small and you can’t do things as good.” She cheerily explained.

I smiled. Kissed her forehead and closed the door. As I walked around to my side of the car I thought about it. I want to be comforting, sure. But I don’t usually think about being “comfortable.” Maybe she meant comforting?

But she didn’t. She meant comfortable. She was struggling with the seatbelt when I opened the door, and then she looked up, saw me and sort of sighed and sat back. As if to say, “Oh good. you’re here. I don’t have to struggle anymore.”

She knew I was close, and I knew just what to do. Such trust. Such sweet FAITH. Such belief that I will do what I say I will do.

As for me? I need reminding that God will do what He says He will do. I need reminding of WHO He is. Not so my obstacles can magically disappear, leaving only ease and comfort in their place… but so that I give Glory to the One who is so worthy of my trust.

It’s humbling to have the faith and trust of a cherished tiny soul. It’s daunting when you know how extremely human you are. It’s exhausting when you just need a little “breathing room.” It’s just A LOT sometimes.

But in the leaning on HIM as they forever lean on us, we draw closer. Nor for comforts’ sake. But for closeness’ sake alone.

Draw Me Nearer, Lord.

Five Minute Friday

Photographic Torture. (In which Lucy keeps getting older.)

May 21, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

I’ve been struggling with writing this week. Each time I prepare, I sit with my Iced coffee or water… and nothing.

Nothing comes out. Nothing. Hence the random post on quirkiness earlier this week.

Any guesses why? Well, basically, I have not the problem of nothing to say– but TOO MUCH to say.

There are so many milestones this week and they all have me introspective, grateful, weepy, and feeling slightly silly for all the emotions. Lucy finishes Preschool Friday. She turns 5 on Memorial Day, giving us a last-day-of-school/ 5th Birthday Celebration DOUBLE WHAMMY within 48 hours. OY with ALL the feelings.

I’ve literally tried to write a post “To her” or “about her” 7 or 8 times this week. And each time, nothing. Perhaps I’m trying to sum up every bit of joy and gladness she has brought us over the last five years. Actually, I know that’s it… each time I sit down to write, I find myself opening old folders with pictures from the day she was born, the day she first ate solids, first time she drank from a cup, her first halloween (she was a pumpkin and it swallowed her.) Etc. until I’m sitting there a weepy mess remembering each and every photographic detail of her life, musical montage style like I’m some crazy Steve Martin clone on the Father of the Bride movie.

Self- inflicted torture I tell you.

Pictures like this:

And these:

Alright I should really quit…

Hence the emotional exhaustion which normally would lead me with much to say. Instead all I want to do is go sit next to her and read books. Except that now she can read to me. (Stifled Sobs.)

Where on earth do all those days go that they snowball into FIVE short years? All those loads of little clothes. All those trips to Chick Fila. All those little people left scattered around. All those millions of hair bows. All those hugs given tightly and desperately.

Pictures really are worth a thousand words.. and then some. I look up at the first few shots and I can remember how tiny and snuggly she was in a fleece blanket sleeper. Every night for the first year of her life, I would hold her in my arms, feed her and then sing a few songs. Around 8 months old, she started gently clapping her little hands each time I would stop singing until I would begin again. I will always treasure those moments– and each night I held her until she fell asleep and I HAD to lay her down, not once did I worry that I was holding her too much or spoiling her. Others told me those days would fly right by. They were right.

These days are too.

I am so filled with gratefulness that God has entrusted her to us. She has been such a joy-bringer for us. A lesson-teacher– with her gentle spirit and kind words. A comedian with belly laughs and high-pitched squeals. From the very first– she has delighted us all.

We love you, Lucy Lu!

Quirky Quirkiness

May 19, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 5 Comments

One of my favorite movies has always been Runaway Bride. There is a funny scene between Maggie and Peggy (Julia Roberts & Joan Cusack) which goes like this..

Peggy: No. I’m weird. Weird and mysterious are two different things.  

Maggie: But I’m weird.

 Peggy: No. You’re quirky. Quirky and weird are two different things. 

Maggie: Peggy, there’s a distinct possibility that I might be profoundly and irreversibly screwed up.

Well, then Julia Roberts does the duck-billed platypus face and all is forgiven. If you don’t know, you haven’t seen the movie and you really should. It’s full of great music, beautiful scenery and some great wedding dresses. And who doesn’t love that? Oh and Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. It’s a feel-good movie for sure.

All that aside, it has recently come to my attention that I, indeed have a few… quirks. I do. You know those things? The things you do but you don’t really know why you do them but you just keep doing them because you’ve always done them?

So I thought it might be fun to compose a little list of 10 things you might not know about me. At first, I shied far away from doing this because it just seems so egocentric, but then I realized that since most of them are a bit embarrassing and self-deprecatory… and it is not really in my best interest to share most of them, it should be ok. HA!

1. Suitcase Problems. I have ’em. I LOVE to pack for trips. I begin to mentally and physically compose “packing lists” weeks before any vacations or fun trips. I’ve done this since middle school. We’re talking detailed packing lists in which I wrote out each outfit, pair of socks and matching scrunchy. I still do this.. minus the socks & scrunchies. BUT. I have a REAL problem unpacking my suitcase. I mean we’re talking seriously crazy. If I don’t unpack in the first 18 hours of a return from a trip.. It doesn’t happen for days.. and days. I don’t know why. I’ve tried to figure it out. I probably should try harder.. for the sake of my marriage. And for the sake of my husband’s toes. He trips over it a lot in the middle of the night.

2. I have several strange and irrational fears. One is the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. I can’t even explain… how much they freak me out. I cannot watch that movie and I hope I never have to again. Love Dorothy. But unless they re-release that movie without that scene.. and also the Wicked Witch/ Mrs. Gulch. Cannot. handle. it.

3. My toast. I love lightly buttered toast. I love Peanut butter toast. BUT, if I even THINK I will get both butter and peanut butter on my toast, I internally freak out a little bit. So much so that I use different KNIVES if I’m making one piece of each. They can be on the same plate but only if there is buffer space in between. I know. Me = weirdo. I could tell you how this came about but it might throw my Mom under the bus a little bit.. and I love her too much to do that. This time. (Just kidding, Mom!)

4. Paper Towel Cutting Boards. I don’t know why I do this but, when I’m chopping fruits or vegetables or ESPECIALLY garlic or onions, I put a paper towel UNDER the thing I’m cutting even though I have a cutting board. It’s second nature. It’s weird. but I do it. Maybe so I don’t have to keep washing our giant wooden cutting board? Maybe because I have a weird concern about getting garlic juice on whatever else I’m making that shouldn’t be garlicky?? My dear husband has pointed out a few (ok, several) times that I do that… and that it’s a bit.. odd. I mean, what’s the cutting board for if I’m going to put a paper towel down? I don’t know. I just know I can’t stop.

5. I read magazines from back to front. Every single time. I used to read the last chapter of a book immediately when I got it, just to see if there was a “happy” ending. If not, I wouldn’t read the book. I stopped doing that a long time ago but I still read magazines from back to front. It’s not convenient and I always have to find the start of an article when I’m interested in it, but it takes REAL focus to start from the beginning and read through the magazine the normal way.

6. I absolutely always, always check behind the shower curtain when I walk into the bathroom. You know. Just to know there’s no one in there. Even in my own house!!!! Thankfully I don’t do it at other people’s houses.. because HELLO, invasion of privacy. I don’t know maybe I accidentally saw that scene from Psycho as a child.. Do you do this? I’m sure many people do… right?

7. No Fly Little Bird. In College, I tried to purchase a plane ticket and I couldn’t get one because my name was mysteriously on the Homeland Security No Fly List. Isn’t that nuts??? I thought it was a little scary when I looked into “what to do” in that situation– but a few days later, it was all of a sudden gone and I could buy the ticket. It was during the time that a few international spies were being apprehended in America and maybe my name was similar to one of the aliases used– HAHA! Funny.

8. My trip to the “Big House.” Also in College, because apparently that’s when all crazy weird things happen-– I was driving around with a “friend” (whom, admittedly I hadn’t known very long) and we were pulled over. This “person” was immediately cuffed and taken to jail because they had REVOKED drivers’ licenses in THREE states. THREE STATES! I had to drive this person’s car downtown to the SLAMMER to wait on them. Me. I had never even had a speeding ticket, or been to the Principal’s Office for that matter– but there I was.. 10’oclock at night and sitting on the floor of the POKEY waiting on my “Friend” to get “released.” Unfortunately, that little incident didn’t tip me off enough to make haste away from such company… but I lived to tell about it. And that has made all the difference.

9. One -eyed reading. I read before bed, like many people. When I start to get tired and my eyes start to feel heavy, instead of setting the book down and going to sleep– I try to squeeze a few more pages in by closing one eye (to rest it) and reading with my other eye.. and then I switch eyes after a few minutes. Why????? I do not know. I recently discovered that there is really no point in this and if I would go to bed earlier I would not fall asleep while reading, but we do weird things, don’t we?

10. For many years I thought Rosetta Stone was an actual person. Like Mavis Beacon teaches typing.. I thought Rosetta Stone taught foreign languages. Lance discovered this one day and set me straight. THE Rosetta Stone is NOT in fact an actual person. The article THE should have tipped me off. But then there is THE artist formerly known as Prince, so whatever.

I’m sure I could come up with many many more… and I could tell you how I was ACTUALLY late to my own wedding. Not late to the church, mind you.. but slightly LATE coming down the aisle!!! You can even see it on the video.. Looonnng pause in the music, long pause while everybody waits, several seconds of DEAD SILENCE and then BOOM. My dad and I came through the doors. HA! But that’s another story I guess.

I want to hear from YOU! Tell me something funny or strange or odd about yourself in the comments!!! Come on, make me feel better about my quirkiness!!!

Happy Monday!

Friday Rest

May 16, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey Leave a Comment

It’s Friday. (insert happy, contented sigh.)

I’ve always loved fridays. Now that fridays are Lance’s day off and we are all together for most of them– I ADORE them. So we have very little planned this weekend, which I also adore. Just a little relaxing, making pizza tonight, and spending some time having fun together– OH! And some happy-fun crafting for Lucy’s birthday party next week! I’m really looking forward to it. Now, if I could just find my battery charger for my camera (which has been missing since BEFORE we went to Disney World??) I will be all set. I might just have to call my emergency photographer friend… Kasey?? Are you there? 😉

There was no Five Minute Friday link up this week, and though I missed having the opportunity to write on the one-word prompt with my fellow writer-girls– I was happy for the rest!

We have needed some physical and mental rest around here lately, anybody else? There have been so many stories of tragedy and sadness this last week, that I’ve found myself just staring at my girls, just being so happy to be there, with them, and have all of us healthy and together. I’m just thankful. Even in the crazy days, lately I’m just so aware of how blessed we are.

So I’m going to do everything in my power to mentally REST this weekend. And soak it all in.

If you’re looking for a little rest and encouragement today– I’d encourage you to check these beautiful posts out by some of my favorite writers.

The Sacred Work of Sitting by Emily P. Freeman

Also on Emily’s Blog, A guest post by Jeff Goins: A Challenge to Slow Down

And last but not least, 5 Surefire Ways to Breathe New Life into Ordinary Days by Edie at Life in Grace

Happy Friday!!! Enjoy the rest–even if it only comes 15 minutes at a time!

Best. Day. Ever. (Our Magic Kingdom Marathon!)

May 13, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

So can you tell I don’t want the sharing of our vacation to end? I really don’t. So thanks for being patient with me.

On Thursday of our vacation, we planned to get up super early and go to the Magic Kingdom for the extra magic hours (such a perk of staying on property!!) Since our previous two days at Magic Kingdom (Mon. & Tues.) ended up being partial days due to travel and sickness– we were ready for this long, wonderful day at our favorite park! This was quite possibly my FAVORITE day of the week — filled with so many special moments!

Perk of going in early spring– the temps are so mild, you might even need a light jacket in the morning!

wd060wdw201410062450679 — Early morning shots with the castle

We started the day with a stroll down Main Street to the Main Street Bakery which is now a STARBUCKS!!! And can I just say, there was something magical about standing on Main Street with a delicious Iced Coffee? There are plenty of coffee options in Disney but I really hadn’t had an Iced coffee like I’m used to making at home, all week. So it was great! We also grabbed a quick breakfast there– and ate it standing outside in the brisk spring air.

As we worked our way down the street, a Main Street Trolley vehicle stopped and they performed a little song and dance routine. The girls were transfixed and it was a fun thing to just stop and watch.

Abby's #1 Favorite-- Prince Charming's Regal Carousel! — Abby’s #1 Favorite– Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel!

One of the girl’s favorite character meetings was Ariel in her Grotto. She was so GREAT! She was definitely one of the most realistic and so sweet.

wd066wdw201410062465071 — Abby really did like Ariel– despite the look on her face of, “Why am I sitting in a shell next to a fish??”

We did the jungle cruise, rode the magic carpets of Aladdin, rode Peter Pan and a few other rides in Fantastyland and then ate lunch. After a quick break, Lance and Abby headed back to the hotel to get a jump on rest time– but Lucy and I had some things to accomplish first!

First, we rode the teacups and then the train.

It was so fun to ride these things together, because naturally I thought of the first time we rode them when she was almost 2 years old! She actually remembers much of it.

Then, it was time for some pretty, pretty primping! We headed to the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique for a little bit! This is a fun special memory to make. We brought our own Princess dress from home– which dramatically cut the cost down but it is still a special, once in a great while treat. But that’s what this week was all about for us, so we went for it!

Then we raced back to our resort for a quick rest and to change for dinner. Dinner that evening was certainly one of our trip highlights at Cinderella’s Royal Table (in the Castle!!) The food was delicious and many of the Princesses came around for hugs, photos and autographs. We happened to get a table right next to the window and our view looked out over the Carousel. Simply amazing as the sun went down and Fantastyland was all lit up! Dinner began with a Photo with Cinderella (no autographs at this one,) and included the photo in a pretty cardboard holder.

Princess Jasmine– see that girl in the upper left hand corner? It was her birthday but she’s about to get engaged!!! Really- they got engaged right during dessert! I thought she was expecting it, I mean.. she is wearing a tiara, right? Ha!

The dinner was fantastic. The experience was even better! After dinner we had even more fun as we headed out of the castle and down to Main Street where some friends from church were saving us front row seats for the Electrical Parade! Really– three other families in our small group were there the same time and we all had the unexpected treat of sitting together for the Parade– total icing on the cake of a great day!

The Main Street Electrical Parade-- so fun. — The Main Street Electrical Parade– so fun.

Lucy enjoying the fireworks from her vantage point

We decided to go against the crowd and ride a few more rides while everyone tried to leave-- the carousel was first, of course. — After the Fireworks, we decided to go against the crowd and ride a few more rides while everyone tried to leave– the carousel was first, of course.

This was so cute, Lucy introduced Aurora to Abby, and then curtseyed.

On the way to the bus when we finally did leave at Eleven-Thirty. Abby was saying, "OOCY? You sweeping????" "Wake up!!!" Since Abby had a nap she was still ready to go! — On the way to the bus when we finally did leave at Eleven-Thirty. Abby was saying, “OOCY? You sweeping????” “Wake up!!!” Since Abby had a nap she was still ready to go!

Whew! Thanks for sticking with my with this uber-picture heavy post! If it isn’t clear, we had an amazing, amazing time!!! Still to come, Hollywood Studios and What I learned!

Grateful

May 8, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 12 Comments

This is it.

The last known *good* picture before I became an official (baby-on-the-outside) mother.

All the other pictures of the weekend involve swollen things. Ankles, Feet, Faces. And pictures of the triage room of REX Hospital.
This picture says so much to me. So much love we had (have) for each other.

So much anticipation. So much hope and excitement. So much humor in that when Lance said he wanted to graduate before babies… well, we just squeaked past that deadline.

So much we thought we knew that we were getting into.

It just so happens we had absolutely no idea.

I had absolutely no idea the way my heart would feel– so full it would burst when standing over their beds at night.

I had not a clue how hard it would be to see my own sin displayed in sweet cherubic faces… and not be convicted.

It had not entered my mind the hilarious joy we would find in bedtime dance parties on the dark, shiny floors.

I did not realize how hard it would be finish a thought, a conversation, a book… a cup of coffee. Nor did I think those things would matter as much as they sometimes do. Even less did I realize how guilty I would feel when the selfishness would creep in and steal my Mama-joy.

I did not know the depth of the joy.

Frankly, I did not know the depth of the sacrifice. Because it might come with the bite of the first (or 976th) saltine cracker; but the sacrifice goes on and on way past nausea and post-partum pains. If there is LOVE, there is always some degree of sacrifice.

And nothing. Nothing could have prepared me for the GRATEFULNESS which my heart knows.

We wake and we play and we learn and we go and we do…

And all the while, we count gifts. Thousands of them.

Stones of Remembrance. Mile Markers to HIS grace. Mental scrapbooks of all we have been given and blessed with.

I pray that the GRATEFULNESS we know is bigger and wider and longer than any other element of this Mama-Child Love.

And I am so very grateful that someone, two someone’s call me Mommy.

Why May is already amazing…

May 7, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

Oh, don’t think I almost didn’t title this post, “A-MAY-zing” but I didn’t. I know better than to throw a poorly constructed pun around like that.

However, there are several things I think you should know about and after telling you “What I learned in April…” I wanted you to know what’s great about May.

So here it is in no particular order–

Mom’s Night Out the Movie is coming out this weekend!!!!! Last year at Allume, I had the privilege of talking for a few minutes with the lovely ladies from Provident Films. We were all shown the movie trailer and I have been excited about this movie ever since. PLEASE consider grabbing a few friends and making it a girls’ night out! Watch the fun trailer below and GO SEE THE MOVIE!!! I will definitely be there with several of my favorite fellow Mamas– you should too!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZTmFa-2l4k]

Walt Disney World just released their FREE DINING dates for this year!!!! Lots of dates available, so if you are even considering Disney vacation this year, this is a fantastic deal. (If you are not familiar, basically you book your package paying for the hotel and park tickets and get the dining plan for FREE!) We used the dining plan this past April and it was the most wonderful thing! We were able to sort of “go all out” with the restaurants we chose, including character meals and the whole thing was linked to our Magic Bands, really eliminating the need to even carry money during the day. Dining is certainly one of the more expensive portions of any vacation, and certainly so at Disney. Going during a free-dining promotion allows you the all-inclusive-ness of the trip and the benefit of being able to choose from a HUGE list of fabulous Disney restaurants!

We use Destinations in Florida for our Disney planning needs and I HIGHLY recommend them. (Post coming soon about some of the benefits of booking through them as opposed to WDW directly, but they are a FREE service!) They offer all the same deals Disney does and they offer the ADDED bonus of FREE deal watching. Which means, if you have a vacation booked for later in the year and Disney releases new discounts for that time, they watch for those things so you don’t have to! Destinations In Florida Travel is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and since Disney pays them for bringing in the business, they are a free service to you and me! Contact Becca at Destinations In Florida Travel for more information or a free quote on a Disney vacation. (Offer Valid for arrivals most nights: Aug. 31-Oct. 3, Oct. 26-Nov. 1, Nov. 9-20, Dec. 12-23, 2014. Book by Aug. 8, 2014.)

I’m still hoping to post more Disney pictures soon. There is still much I want to share with you about our trip! And yes, I’m aware my little twin has all the same sass. Ha!

And just to add a little bit of a sappy quality to all the Mama’s out there— leave it to Publix!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwPInEIkVS0]

**The Destinations in Florida links are affiliate links. Thanks for clicking!

Grace for the Working Mother and her Guilt (Guest Post from Lisa-Jo Baker)

May 5, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey Leave a Comment

I am more than honored to welcome a guest post from Lisa-Jo Baker today in celebration of the upcoming Mother’s Day and the recent release of her fantastic book, Surprised by Motherhood. I spent the first 18 months of being a mother as a working mom. At the time, though it may not have been my first choice, it was clearly God’s plan for our family and we were sustained and blessed in that season. Never the less, I allowed myself the unhappy luxury of an incredible amount of “Working Mama’s Guilt.” If I had to do all over again, I wish someone would have said these very words to me at that time, and I hope that Lisa-Jo’s beautiful, grace-filled words will help erase the bold lines that are sometimes incorrectly drawn between Working Moms and SAHMs. You ALL Mother so bravely, so beautifully and so well. Please be lifted up today by this post from Lisa-Jo Baker. Happy Early Mother’s Day!!!

Grace for the Working Mother and Her Guilt

This post is not about whether mothers should work or should stay home.

This post is not about whether it’s better to home school or go the public, or Montessori or other route.

This post is not about whether it’s harder to work at home or out of the home.

This post is simply a whispered, “I know,” to the Sunday night, getting ready for work tomorrow, mamas.

The ones who are right now wiping down the counters, packing up the lunch boxes, sorting the socks, going through the mental gymnastics of gearing up for another week of good-byes. The ones preparing themselves for the waves of weekend homesickness that will hit when 5am comes early and preschool or daycare drop offs come inevitably.

This post is for the brave moms who know the ache of early good-byes.

For the ones who will commute hours before the rest of us get up because that’s what it takes to keep home a place of food and warmth and security. For the courage it takes to trust your children to someone else’s care. For the ones who beat themselves up harder, longer, more ruthlessly than the rest of us could possibly imagine.

This post is for the women who are short on grace for themselves.

I hear you. I know you. I lived in your shoes for long years and it is hard. And there are voices that can make us feel small. Make us feel achey breaky in our bones. Voices that lie about the quality of our mothering and try to steal the joy of time spent with our children by making us worry about the time spent apart.

My Sunday night sisters, I have listened to the crackly static of a nagging voice that whispers, deserter, and hear me when I tell you that that voice is a liar.

I know that going to work when you want to be home can feel like being trapped. It can make you want to beat your head on the wall. It makes you shrink next to those who point out what you should be, especially when it’s what you want to be. It can be an endless cycle of self beratement.

But for those of us in that place and season, we lift up our eyes to the hills and help comes. The Holy Spirit ministers tenderly, bandaging wounded hearts and restoring what the deceiver has tried to destroy. We need grace from others because goodness knows we rarely get it from ourselves.

And when the crackly static of the nagging dies down there is another voice and He whispers, provider.

He sings over you.

He is waiting for you in the morning as you struggle to wake up. When the glare of the bathroom lights blind and tired eyes fight the lenses they need to face the day, He is there.

He sings,

She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family.

Proverbs 31:15

You are no less and no more than the mothers who get to stay home. God did not give them a pass and you a punishment. You do not need to apologize for the fact that you work. You do not need to be embarrassed.

We practice dying to our own desires every day with each good-bye, each desperate hug, each meal prepared and left to be eaten in our absence. We walk the hard path of trust. Trusting that the God who built our kids will parent them in our absence, will grow them in courage, and teach them over time that this is what love looks like.

Gritty, committed, and determined to do what is necessary.

And drenched in grace, friends. Drenched in grace.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whahbpRd18w?rel=0]

{To see the video reminder of why ALL mothers are braver than they know, click here}.

This guest post comes with love from Lisa-Jo Baker to our community in celebration of Mother’s Day. If you haven’t already – treat yourself, your mom, your sister, your BFF or your grandma to a copy of her new book, Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected About Being a Mom. No matter what stage you’re in when it comes to motherhood, we promise it will encourage. And remind you that you are braver than you think.

Mess. (Five Minute Friday)

May 1, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 14 Comments

Honesty: very rarely do I feel completely put together. I love getting “fixed up” but time (read-my littles) doesn’t always permit. Instead I usually try to fake it with my favorite earrings and a dap of lip gloss.

But today, I was a mess.

We were planning on staying in but when the walls were a little too close together for it to be pre-lunchtime, I hurriedly thought of an errand to run and the yoga pants got swapped for a pair of jeans. They’re really the only jeans I wear and they have a small rip by the right pocket. A rip that was there when I bought them. I figured, “I’m not even 32 yet. I can rock a little classy rip in my jeans.” Trouble is, my kiddos like to stick their fingers in the rip and make it bigger. Sigh. They think it’s hilarious and it kind of is.

But even those slightly “Hip” jeans couldn’t save me today. The way-too-messy-to-be-on-purpose sock bun wasn’t even my problem. It was my cluttered, messy heart and mind.

Today started with a bang and by the time I came back from the gym my early risers were rising even earlier. Leaving no time to start slow and take in a bit of scripture and prayer.

It doesn’t always have a direct and immediate noticeable affect on my attitude. Today it did.

Before I knew it, the mom who tried to spruce up a bit on the outside felt frustrated and well, a desperate mess of a mess.

That was me, trying to listen to the story being told to me by one little while the littlest little was pitching a ROYAL FIT at a very heightened volume in the middle of Costco. Every little thing I tried to do today was like walking through a swimming pool of jello. Which for mamas of littles, isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary. But my messy, cluttered heart and mind could not deal. And I took it personally. I felt defeated. I felt like a mom who shouldn’t have any more kids. I felt like I couldn’t, wasn’t handling the two I had. I felt, I felt, I felt.

But for GOD.

Praise Him He is the righter of our wrongs. The cleaner-out of our messy thought closets. And when we are just… so far from being together… So far from having it all together with children who behave and hair that stays in place— HE is what we need. More of HIM. Less of our insecurities.

Much, much less of us. And More of Him. And more, much more of saying “yes” to whatever it is He wants of us. There is nothing you touch, no skinned knee that needs a kiss and a DocMcStuffins Band-aid, no attempt at cooking ground beef in yet another *exciting* way, no neighbor that just needs a bit of grace… nothing that doesn’t fall under the heading of, “bringing Glory to God.” So let Him have it all.

It’s friday (almost) and that means we write for 5 minutes together and link up here!