It's 10 in the morning, 3 of my kids are at the table, but instead of doing their schoolwork, they are bickering over who needs the blue crayon. My precious 2 year old is screaming in her room because she got into trouble for coloring on the wall, and my one year old is waddling around the house, pulling everything that is inreach off of counters, tables, and shelves, just as happy with herself as she can be. I am busy getting lunch started, and finishing up a load of laundry. As I come upstairs with an over full basket of socks and underwear, it happens. Just at the top of the stairs, I put my bare foot down right on top of a LEGO! OUCH!!! Now if you are a mom of boys, you know exactly what I'm talking about. There is nothing worse then stepping on one of those bumpy, hard, scratchy little legos. They should measure labor on a scale of 1 to stepping on a lego. Let me just say it again, OUCH!!! Needless to say, I drop the laundry all over the floor, grab my now bleeding foot, hop up and down a few times while biting my tongue so that my littles, who are all now staring at me, don't learn any bad words, and grumpily hobble over to plop down on the couch to assess the damage. However, it is now more then just the lego that is upsetting me.
Suddenly it bothers me that my house is torn apart. It angers me that the kitchen is a mess, that the school work isn't done, that my daughter is STILL screaming in her room, that my one year old has crumbs from something she found in the kitchen strewn across the living room floor, that one of our fish is dead in the tank, that the laundry is now all over the floor, that my husband is never home to help out around the house, that, that, that.... the list goes on.
As I sit on the couch, I can feel my blood pressure rising, and sharp words building up. But just as I'm about to speak harsh words to all the offending parties, my 2 year old comes running out of her room with a huge smile. She gives me a big hug, climbs in my lap, kisses my cheek and says "I sorry mommy, sometimes the naughties just get me, and I forget".
Yup, that girl sure knows how to melt a heart, and sooth a tired spirit. While I snuggle her closer on my lap, I can hear the Holy Spirit gently whispering in my ear. He is telling me to stop thinking about how big of a mess the house can become, in under 4 hours, and to take another look.
This time, as I take another glance around the house, the messy kitchen reminds me of the fun my oldest daughter and I had while working on breakfast that morning. This time, the marker on the walls makes me smile as I think of all the other times my kids and I have had so much fun coloring together. This time the noisy children that are supposed to be doing school at the table remind me of how blessed we are to have 5 children and to be able to raise then in a country where I can teach them at home. This time, as I look at the crumbs, and the dead fish (which is still gross), and the laundry, I am thank full that my husband is blessed to have a good job that provides all these things for our family. And this time as I sit there quietly, now with two littles one on my lap, I am glad for that awful lego that made me stop for a moment, take a deep breath, a take alittle time to listen to His still small voice telling me not to let the"naughties" make me forget the blessings in my life.
This doesn't mean that I won't loose my cool at my children, and my husband, all to often when the house work seems to pile up and no one else seems to notice. But it does mean that every time I see another lego sitting in the middle of the floor, just waiting for an unsuspecting bare foot to come by, I intend to pick it up and remember to take a moment and think ofall the blessings that we enjoy.
Now, as I push the two kids off my lap and lean down to pickup the scattered laundry, my heart is at peace, and my spirit is restored. I send up a quick "thank you" prayer, take a quick peek to see if my boys are within range, wad up 2 balls of socks, and chuck them at the back of their heads. They both let out a squeal and a sock war has begun. Soon all 6 of us are running around the house, throwing socks and underwear at each other, having a marvelous time. After all, when they all move out, my house can be neat and tidy, with no legos lurking about, or laundry piling up, but for now, it is the laughter that makes this house a home, and I intend to enjoy it.
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