The last couple of weeks have reaffirmed an important message from the Bible for me. Mark 3:25 says "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Now, the ways I have felt this perhaps aren't as it was biblically meant, but the basic principle is the same. Whether at home, in the church, or at work, if those within that environment can't work for a common good, it's divided. United we stand, divided we fall.
In our house we've been fighting four sick kiddos. Sick equals no sleep. Lack of sleep means score keeping. Keeping score leads to division. See resentment is easiest found when your exhausted. Faults are easily found and nitpicking becomes easy. It's easy to count how many times you've gotten out of bed in comparison to the other. It's easy to notice that extra twenty minutes the other was in bed while you were up. It's easy for the milk in the bottom of the glass, the hair in the sink, and the Cheerios on the floor to send you over the edge. These things, just trying to survive each day, and keep seven different meds in four different kids make division easy.
At work the atmosphere is changing. Hard decisions are going to have to be made. Over the last several years we as an entire unit have been working to prepare should tough times come. The time has come. We are all aware. Working together to achieve the goal of saving money and jobs is the ultimate goal. Words get said. Works go unnoticed. Division occurs.
We have to be a team. We have to remember that we're working toward the same goal. Whether that goal is surviving crushed Cheerios and coughing until there's puke or saving jobs. The "we" has to be there. If we aren't working together, what are we doing? We simply become a house divided against itself. We may reside under one roof, but if we aren't on the same page working with mutual respect and understanding, it's never going to work.
My hope is that the words said out of exhaustion are forgiven. That the stones cast don't have ripples that last forever. That amends are made and working together for a united house resumes. We can no longer be a house divided, we have to be a house united. So here's to wiping out the sink, dumping out the milk (which despite what my husband says, I do), Cheerios getting eaten by the dog (hey he's indoor for a reason), budgets being made, and division being a thing of the past. Because a house divided against itself cannot stand.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
What I Learned From A Doughnut And A Puzzle In The Washing Machine
We've all had those days. You know the ones where you wake up and instantly know that you should go back to bed and hit the reset button (which by the way if anyone knows where to buy one of those, I NEED one). In this house, a good indication that you need to restart is when all four of your children begin the day in tears...
Normally the twins wake up crying because they're hungry (they may get that honestly). However, the older two generally wake up in decent moods. I'm still not sure what Bry's deal was for the day (perhaps it was that she only made it half way to her 10 pancakes for the day goal the day before), regardless, she woke up crying. Now Maui while not always bright eyed and bushy tailed is usually ok. Nope, not this day. Turns out her major function was wanting a caramel filled long john for breakfast. She was told no because she messed around too long to get out the door and get one. Then came the water works...
Now I'm not one to judge for crying over doughnuts. Particularly not the kind she was crying over because I may or may not have had that cry myself when I was pregnant with her (there are no substitutes for the caramel cream filled long john). She however did not have the pregnant excuse and may have taken her disappointment to the extreme.
Fast forward a bit and I make it to work. My day at work was a tad bit stressful as we're going through our annual audit and working on reports. By the time I get home, I have high hopes of playing with the kids and an easy to bed routine so I can relax.
If it weren't for hopes and dreams, I'm not sure we'd know what disappointment is. My hopes were quickly dashed with children who still seemed tear filled and resistant to sleep. Maui went to a ballgame with Rob, so one child down. Check. I take Aspen to bed and it appears I have success. Check. Nope wait....as I have Afton in arm to go to bed, I hear the blood curdling screams of Aspen. Yep, wide awake jumping up and down in her bed. Fail.
So out Aspen comes to the jumper and my attempt with Afton begins. No success. To the jumper. I'll get that laundry started I think. I dump the last hamper in the machine. Something doesn't sound right. So I dig around a little and find several obscure items that are the likely culprits of the sound. Laundry started. Check.
Bry, lets go rock. Rock, kisses, bed. Check! A few other quick chores and the laundry is done. And then I open the lid to the washing machine. Sweet baby Jesus, what is this!?
Tiny piece of cardboard are covering EVERY article of clothing. As I remove the clothes, piles of cardboard fall to the floor. About halfway through I discover that there was more to the sound than I found initially. In fact, MUCH more. An entire puzzle box (complete with all its pieces) had made its way into the older girls laundry basket along with their dirty clothes. Sigh.
So I shake out the clothes, clean up the floor and the washing machine. I pray that the dryer magically takes away the tiny pieces of cardboard so I don't have to rewash all of the clothes (side note, it did). Then I get back to the twins. Exhaustion has FINALLY hit them. One is out in the jumper, the other barely hanging on. I seize the opportunity and grab the one that's awake. Bottle, rocking, kisses, bed. Check! Baby number two. So out of it that she just goes straight to bed! Score for mommy! Check!
The take away from all this? Because as I said, I did learn a few things from all this (besides that if I were a drinker, I'd have needed a stiff drink that night).
Lesson 1: Some days are just going to be rough. When you get to the end of the day, you just thank God that everyday isn't like that one. It certainly makes you appreciate the days that are less traumatic.
Lesson 2: If something doesn't sound right, it's probably not. Dig a little deeper. Don't take things at surface value, you're likely to find more if you continue to look.
Lesson 3: Sometimes the pieces aren't going to fit back together. Those times, you clean up the mess, cry or laugh if you need to, and move on with the knowledge that it will get better.
Lesson 4: Sometimes you have to just throw it all away and start over with something new. The puzzle was lost. I threw it away and we'll get a new one. The following day I was fortunate enough to speak to our CEO class. For a group of young kids, they got this one. As each tried to plan their own successful business, I heard many of them say that their initial one wasn't going to work so they started over. It isn't always easy, especially when you've invested a lot in something, but in the end it sometimes just makes more sense.
Lesson 5: The doughnut. Sometimes you know what you want and when you can't have it, it's hard. That's true I think regardless of age. A doughnut may seem trivial, but if you have your heart set on something the disappointment is just as great.
Lesson 6: The next day I took Maui to get that doughnut (with a much speedier resolve and chipper attitude). When I gave her a hug and kiss goodbye, she was wearing some of the caramel icing. It's those hugs and kisses that make life a little sweeter. Life is sweet, we just have to look for the sweetness in the little things.
Lesson 7: Life is messy. From the puzzle to the doughnut, both left a mess. One I appreciated more than the other, but both served a purpose. The puzzle reminded me that I have to laugh at this crazy journey or else I'll lose it. It taught me that messes can be cleaned up, but hearts can't. No child was in trouble for the puzzle in the washing machine, mommy should have looked closer. If I'd have blamed them and yelled instead of taking responsibility for my part, I'd have had two broken little hearts. The doughnut the mess is sweet. It's the smiles, the yumminess, the happiness and the "thanks mama" that gets me every time. I hope that I never get to busy or lost in myself to appreciate those messes.
Lesson 8: Tired kids and tired mamas make for a long night. I find myself remembering that this too will go too quickly and I'll wish for it back. So despite the lack of sleep and the frustration that comes from not getting enough, I'll do my best to remember how sweet they are as I get to rock them, hold them, and kiss them for one day they'll be too big.
Life isn't always easy. It's not always pretty. There are days you just have to hang it up and say I tried. But part of this journey is learning to find the up in the downs. Was it the worst day of my life? No not by a long shot. But it was definitely trying. I want to remember the lessons from that day because I know that another one will come along and I'll have to look for the same bright spots.
Normally the twins wake up crying because they're hungry (they may get that honestly). However, the older two generally wake up in decent moods. I'm still not sure what Bry's deal was for the day (perhaps it was that she only made it half way to her 10 pancakes for the day goal the day before), regardless, she woke up crying. Now Maui while not always bright eyed and bushy tailed is usually ok. Nope, not this day. Turns out her major function was wanting a caramel filled long john for breakfast. She was told no because she messed around too long to get out the door and get one. Then came the water works...
Now I'm not one to judge for crying over doughnuts. Particularly not the kind she was crying over because I may or may not have had that cry myself when I was pregnant with her (there are no substitutes for the caramel cream filled long john). She however did not have the pregnant excuse and may have taken her disappointment to the extreme.
Fast forward a bit and I make it to work. My day at work was a tad bit stressful as we're going through our annual audit and working on reports. By the time I get home, I have high hopes of playing with the kids and an easy to bed routine so I can relax.
If it weren't for hopes and dreams, I'm not sure we'd know what disappointment is. My hopes were quickly dashed with children who still seemed tear filled and resistant to sleep. Maui went to a ballgame with Rob, so one child down. Check. I take Aspen to bed and it appears I have success. Check. Nope wait....as I have Afton in arm to go to bed, I hear the blood curdling screams of Aspen. Yep, wide awake jumping up and down in her bed. Fail.
So out Aspen comes to the jumper and my attempt with Afton begins. No success. To the jumper. I'll get that laundry started I think. I dump the last hamper in the machine. Something doesn't sound right. So I dig around a little and find several obscure items that are the likely culprits of the sound. Laundry started. Check.
Bry, lets go rock. Rock, kisses, bed. Check! A few other quick chores and the laundry is done. And then I open the lid to the washing machine. Sweet baby Jesus, what is this!?
Tiny piece of cardboard are covering EVERY article of clothing. As I remove the clothes, piles of cardboard fall to the floor. About halfway through I discover that there was more to the sound than I found initially. In fact, MUCH more. An entire puzzle box (complete with all its pieces) had made its way into the older girls laundry basket along with their dirty clothes. Sigh.
So I shake out the clothes, clean up the floor and the washing machine. I pray that the dryer magically takes away the tiny pieces of cardboard so I don't have to rewash all of the clothes (side note, it did). Then I get back to the twins. Exhaustion has FINALLY hit them. One is out in the jumper, the other barely hanging on. I seize the opportunity and grab the one that's awake. Bottle, rocking, kisses, bed. Check! Baby number two. So out of it that she just goes straight to bed! Score for mommy! Check!
The take away from all this? Because as I said, I did learn a few things from all this (besides that if I were a drinker, I'd have needed a stiff drink that night).
Lesson 1: Some days are just going to be rough. When you get to the end of the day, you just thank God that everyday isn't like that one. It certainly makes you appreciate the days that are less traumatic.
Lesson 2: If something doesn't sound right, it's probably not. Dig a little deeper. Don't take things at surface value, you're likely to find more if you continue to look.
Lesson 3: Sometimes the pieces aren't going to fit back together. Those times, you clean up the mess, cry or laugh if you need to, and move on with the knowledge that it will get better.
Lesson 4: Sometimes you have to just throw it all away and start over with something new. The puzzle was lost. I threw it away and we'll get a new one. The following day I was fortunate enough to speak to our CEO class. For a group of young kids, they got this one. As each tried to plan their own successful business, I heard many of them say that their initial one wasn't going to work so they started over. It isn't always easy, especially when you've invested a lot in something, but in the end it sometimes just makes more sense.
Lesson 5: The doughnut. Sometimes you know what you want and when you can't have it, it's hard. That's true I think regardless of age. A doughnut may seem trivial, but if you have your heart set on something the disappointment is just as great.
Lesson 6: The next day I took Maui to get that doughnut (with a much speedier resolve and chipper attitude). When I gave her a hug and kiss goodbye, she was wearing some of the caramel icing. It's those hugs and kisses that make life a little sweeter. Life is sweet, we just have to look for the sweetness in the little things.
Lesson 7: Life is messy. From the puzzle to the doughnut, both left a mess. One I appreciated more than the other, but both served a purpose. The puzzle reminded me that I have to laugh at this crazy journey or else I'll lose it. It taught me that messes can be cleaned up, but hearts can't. No child was in trouble for the puzzle in the washing machine, mommy should have looked closer. If I'd have blamed them and yelled instead of taking responsibility for my part, I'd have had two broken little hearts. The doughnut the mess is sweet. It's the smiles, the yumminess, the happiness and the "thanks mama" that gets me every time. I hope that I never get to busy or lost in myself to appreciate those messes.
Lesson 8: Tired kids and tired mamas make for a long night. I find myself remembering that this too will go too quickly and I'll wish for it back. So despite the lack of sleep and the frustration that comes from not getting enough, I'll do my best to remember how sweet they are as I get to rock them, hold them, and kiss them for one day they'll be too big.
Life isn't always easy. It's not always pretty. There are days you just have to hang it up and say I tried. But part of this journey is learning to find the up in the downs. Was it the worst day of my life? No not by a long shot. But it was definitely trying. I want to remember the lessons from that day because I know that another one will come along and I'll have to look for the same bright spots.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)