Time and lessons
Whether we like it or not- all of us have a set amount of time here on Earth. For some it's only a few minutes, for some it's a million. You may not have much of a say in just how many minutes you get, but you do have a choice of how you spend them.
I have found that having Bethany has made me much more aware of how I spend my minutes. At any given time, there are so many choices as to how to spend my time. I could sleep (and I need sleep). I could do housework (it's never ending). I could have quiet time with God. I could volunteer somewhere. I could do something just for myself. I could exercise. I could hangout with a friend. I could spend time with Tom. I could spend time with Bethany.
Sometimes it's an easy choice. When she screams, I hold her. When the hamper is full of clothes, I wash them. When I try and file the paperwork in the bathroom linen closet instead of the filing cabinet, I sleep. When I'm up in the middle of the night and she won't go back to sleep, I pray. But then other times, it's not so simple. Do I sleep or stay up and talk with Tom? Do I sweep and mop or go to the gym? Do I have quiet time or call a friend? Do I hold her and talk to her when she's alert and happy or put her in the swing so I can do something for myself?
I remind myself often that it's about the big picture. What do I want to leave as the legacy of my life? What is most important in the long run? Because of the answers to the those questions I guarantee my house will never be spotless, but usually clean enough. I will never be a super athlete, but I will try my best to be healthy. I will never have enough time for myself, but I will try to love others well. I will spend a lot of my life slightly tired, but my family will know I love them. And when my minutes run out and I enter a world with endless minutes (or no minutes depending on how you view it), I pray my God will say "Well done good and faithful servant."
On a lighter note, here are some things I have learned:
1. When your baby is screaming in the car and suddenly gets quiet, they're probably still alive. And if you pull over suddenly to check and make sure, you will probably find that they have simply calmed down on their own. But upon seeing you, they will begin screaming again. You should probably have just kept driving...... But if you're a mom, you know you'll worry until you stop and check, so the above knowledge is no good- just pull over and check.
2. When your baby has not gone to the bathroom in several days and you know it's going to be a big one, go with your gut and don't take them into church with you. They WILL decide to let it rip in the middle of the sermon causing everyone in your pew to turn and stare. "It was the baby, I swear." And besides, if you had trusted your gut and taken the baby to the nursery, they would have had to change her!!!
3. Don't give your baby "tummy time" right after they eat. This will result in a play mat full of spit up and a baby's face and hair covered in spit up.
Thank goodness she's so darn cute!!!
I have found that having Bethany has made me much more aware of how I spend my minutes. At any given time, there are so many choices as to how to spend my time. I could sleep (and I need sleep). I could do housework (it's never ending). I could have quiet time with God. I could volunteer somewhere. I could do something just for myself. I could exercise. I could hangout with a friend. I could spend time with Tom. I could spend time with Bethany.
Sometimes it's an easy choice. When she screams, I hold her. When the hamper is full of clothes, I wash them. When I try and file the paperwork in the bathroom linen closet instead of the filing cabinet, I sleep. When I'm up in the middle of the night and she won't go back to sleep, I pray. But then other times, it's not so simple. Do I sleep or stay up and talk with Tom? Do I sweep and mop or go to the gym? Do I have quiet time or call a friend? Do I hold her and talk to her when she's alert and happy or put her in the swing so I can do something for myself?
I remind myself often that it's about the big picture. What do I want to leave as the legacy of my life? What is most important in the long run? Because of the answers to the those questions I guarantee my house will never be spotless, but usually clean enough. I will never be a super athlete, but I will try my best to be healthy. I will never have enough time for myself, but I will try to love others well. I will spend a lot of my life slightly tired, but my family will know I love them. And when my minutes run out and I enter a world with endless minutes (or no minutes depending on how you view it), I pray my God will say "Well done good and faithful servant."
On a lighter note, here are some things I have learned:
1. When your baby is screaming in the car and suddenly gets quiet, they're probably still alive. And if you pull over suddenly to check and make sure, you will probably find that they have simply calmed down on their own. But upon seeing you, they will begin screaming again. You should probably have just kept driving...... But if you're a mom, you know you'll worry until you stop and check, so the above knowledge is no good- just pull over and check.
2. When your baby has not gone to the bathroom in several days and you know it's going to be a big one, go with your gut and don't take them into church with you. They WILL decide to let it rip in the middle of the sermon causing everyone in your pew to turn and stare. "It was the baby, I swear." And besides, if you had trusted your gut and taken the baby to the nursery, they would have had to change her!!!
3. Don't give your baby "tummy time" right after they eat. This will result in a play mat full of spit up and a baby's face and hair covered in spit up.
Thank goodness she's so darn cute!!!
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