I Have Been Blessed

We have this devotional book that Mike got from the chaplain for Christmas when he worked at the jail. I'm not NEARLY as good as I should be about reading it daily, but I'll try to pick it up when I can. Today was one of the days.

As I was flipping through to get to today's devotional, the pages got stuck together on August 3rd. Curious, I decided to read it. This is what it says:

"You shall serve the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water..." --Exodus 23:25

  "Four generations of the family are gathered at a beach rental house for a summer vacation. Not everyone is here at once. Some are coming for the day; some arrive for a few days and then have to go back to work.

  We never know exactly how many are going to be here for dinner. Getting a head count can be difficult. Carol or Mom or my sister or I make calls before going to the market: 'Are you coming tonight?'

  Beach time proves elusive for many, but everybody tries to make dinner. My niece has dished up Rice Krispie Treats topped with chocolate for dessert; my brother-in-law brings tomatoes he's grown in his garden; my sister-in-law has made a hummus dip. We come in from the sand, take a shower, change clothes, and gather as the sun slips into the ocean. The conversation bounces from subject to subject: what the kids are doing in school, the new dog, how work is going, baseball scores. Someone's making a salad, burgers are on the grill, zucchini is almost finished.

  Dinner is on the counter and we serve ourselves, complimenting the chefs. There are so many of us tonight that we can't all fit at the table. How did our family grow so large? Everybody's ready and the call goes out, 'Who says grace tonight?' Mike volunteers, and in a voice so loud it can be heard down the beach, he begins, 'Dear God...' We grab hands.

  I feel my eighty-something-year-old mom's grip in one hand and my teenage niece's in the other, the words of Mike's prayer ringing in my ears. Should we be surprised that Jesus first offered the gift of Himself to His disciples at a meal? In a beach rental, the generations linked, we give thanks for all we've been given. Soon we will leave this place, return to our homes. But for now we hold on to what is important: each other. 'Amen,' we say. 'Amen.'

  Lord, thank You for large families where generations can join hands and pray. Bless this food to our use and us to Your service. Amen. --Rick Hamlin"

All I could think of when I read this was our large family. The Virginia branches of my family got together today for an impromptu cookout at my parents'. Some pop in for a bit, others stay later. It's a little crazy when all, or even most, of my family gets together. Good crazy. I wouldn't trade my family for anything, and I am incredibly blessed to have been born into such a one as mine. You can't help but feel the love radiating from the house.

It's Only Monday...Mr(s) Mom!

This is somewhat a follow-up to a previous post. Mike and I have decided it would be beneficial for me to stay home with Jake! Yay! This was my first official week of stay-at-home mommyhood and so far it's been going pretty well. We don't have a real strict routine as yet. The morning is usually about the same--we get up, he helps me feed the doggies, he eats breakfast while mommy cleans/straightens the house, then we go to the living room where he plays for a couple hours and watches his shows ("Martha Speaks" is one of his favorites, along with "Super Why"...the latter he actually will get in to, which is so amazing to watch him do!). Then he goes down for a nap/quiet time, and mommy has quiet time as well. It's actually pretty nice not having anything on. I'll get on the computer for a bit sometimes. But for the most part I'll do crosswords or read. The TV is off. Just the music is playing coming over his monitor. As for the afternoons, I haven't really done much. We went to the park the last couple days (which he LOVES!!). He played in the backyard. I'd like to start doing different things in the afternoons. I love Pinterest, as I believe I've stated before. Well, on Pinterest, I've discovered a couple sites that give summer schedules parents do with their kids. For example, Mondays are craft days. Tuesdays are library days. Stuff like that. I could tweak it a little bit for his age as well as the seasons.
To be honest with you, I never thought this would happen. I never pictured myself as a stay-at-home mom. I always wanted a family, having come from a family of five siblings. But I never really thought I'd stay at home with the kids. I didn't think I'd have the patience for it, that I'd always want to be working and moving. Don't get me wrong, I do miss work. You probably think I'm crazy for up and leaving a perfectly good job, and maybe I am. But in the long run, I think I'd be crazier for missing out on these precious years with my son. Once he's older (and if he doesn't have any siblings by then) I'll probably go back to the work force. Until then, I'll enjoy every minute I have with him. I've already discovered he knows a lot more words than I'd thought. And he's starting to put sentences together and talking understandably. It's like he's a little person now! ;-)
I am so thankful to God and the support of my family for helping us get to this. It's a wonderful thing and I wish all mothers had a chance to experience it and become closer with their children in this way. It might make for a better world.