Monday, September 24, 2007

Made to Order

Jovey has seemed to continue to expand her vocabulary and her understanding and expressing of thoughts the last month, if that was even possible, and she has really started to understand the concept of being thankful for the people and things in her life. We always tell her that everything we have belongs to God, so we need to tell Him thanks for it all! So, she prays and thanks God for people, days and toys, unprompted, as well as thanking us for the small things we do, when she isn't distracted by the stuff going on around her, that is!

This morning was no exception. Last night was our first night of having the girls co-habitate in their bedroom. They both did beautifully and we are so glad that hopefully, this can be the beginning of a fun relationship as they grow together, learning to respect each other's space, yet share it as well.

As I was getting Laney ready to take a ride to drop off Jovey at Parent's Day Out, Jovey says, "I love you Laney! You are my best sister!" She then looks at me and says, "Mommy, thank you for bringing Laney home from the hospital for me! I love her so much!" That's right, Jovey, I just went to the hospital, pulled through their drive-thru and said, "I'd like one, cute, little girl with a head full of hair that my older daughter can love on and play with!" If only it were that easy! ;-)

I just hope and pray that she will feel even half that appreciation years down the road when there will be clothes to fuss over, space to share, and attention to get!

Monday, September 03, 2007

Learning to just keep quiet!

This blog is all about being a mommy (as well as a wife) who is continually learning about this gift called life, so that, in turn, I can teach my beautiful girls how to behave, how to enjoy each moment, and hopefully, even learn from the many mistakes I have made. Fortunately, for them, not me, I have lots of stuff I have learned from as I am human and my flesh takes over so many times, revealing my weaknesses.

Recently,I have "injured" a relationship that I hold very dear. This person has been super supportive, very loving and quite open in sharing with me, so that I may glean from her experience as a more experienced, learned adult herself as well as feel the love and support that should come from such a relationship. As usual, in my haste, my flesh took over, and unintentionally, I said things that not only hurt this person, but also made her feel like a failure to me, deeming her to believe that I wish for her to be excluded from aspects of my life. I brought upon her hurt by uttering words that I thought would be a relief to her, but instead, brought forth only heartache and resentment. I messed up. I chose to use words before looking to God to help me sort my thoughts out, which would have probably lead to a more positive outcome, as is the case when consulting with the person who created your very soul and knows those silly thoughts and "good intentions" that make up who you are. I made a choice to speak when I should have just simply remained silent, and unfortunately, all choices have consequences, some being negative. All I can do now is sit back, pray fervently that God will mend this relationship and grow me to somehow keep quiet and be content in the silence of learning and listening.

Now, this is a mommy blog, so I pray that my girls will learn as I continue to grow that yes, they will at times choose hurtful words, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that have consequences that may or may never be corrected. If I can spare them of the pain of injuring those relationships that they hold the dearest by sharing with them my own experiences and the importance of recognizing when simple silence is more important than trying to "fix" or "explain" things, then at least I have reconciled myself to move past the experience and on into a brighter future of staying quiet and still, looking to God before opening my mouth.

Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)