Blessings

There's some pretty yucky stuff going on with a family member.  We are in the middle of all of the mess - counseling, hugging, loving on this person.  When I am able to back away for just a bit, I am reminded just how blessed I am.  I have a wonderful husband and 6 kids who are healthy and happy.  (I must just say that I am not bragging here -  not saying my husband is always this perfect man -- he's broken and imperfect.  In fact, he told me this morning that he was sitting in church thinking about how flawed he was and how flawed I was, but yet we work together with Christ to fill in each other's gaps.  My kids are also not perfect -- they're whiny, argumentative, and irritating, but we're working on it!)  I am so thankful for friends -- deep, real, true friends.  Friends who cry with you when you don't know what else to do.  Friends who help out this family member even though they have never met them.  Friends who are praying for this situation.  I am also thankful for extended family -- for difficult circumstances forcing family to have to work together and be real with each other.

I spoke at a mom's group at our church on Friday, and as I was introduced the host gave a little bio including all of my "awesome mom" stats:  married 18 years, 6 kids, homeschools, funny, etc.  It was very humbling, but not an accurate or at least not a complete picture of who I am.  I didn't want these young moms to be intimidated by me.  I'm the farthest thing from "mom of the year".  I used a visual of a beautiful crystal glass filled with the dirt I swept off my kitchen floor.  We all put on our beautiful side and show off how shimmery and sparkly we are, but it's when you are willing to tip the glass on its side and reveal what's inside that people can really get to know you, dirt and all.  That's the real me -- the dirt on my floor.  You can know about me...the gum wrapper revealing what kind of gum I chew, the bandaid wrapper showing that someone had a cut, the corn silks showing what we ate for dinner, the parts of my front door wreath that got knocked to the ground by 2 kids playing chase.  That's the real me.  And, yes, I do package it in the beautiful glass -- we all do.  But if we are going to be true, we must be willing to look at and accept the "dirt".

WHY???

Why....
-  does she crush up the egg shells in the sink and rub the goo all over?
-  does she squirt half a tube of toothpaste all over the sink and rub it in?
-  does she eat the blue ice packs you put in coolers?
-  does she sing, "ooh, baby.  ooh, baby.  Oh, yeah!" in the grocery store?
-  does she only wear one shoe to the pool?
-  does she only make it half way to the pool on her bike and then want me to carry her and the bike (and the pool bag, towels and inner tube) the rest of the way?
-  does she think whoopie cushions are hilarious -- saying she's going to do a "booty sit"?
-  does she chew up apples and spit them out before swallowing?
-  does she insist Barbie also get sunscreen on before she goes to the pool?
-  does she see our favorite check out woman at Target and say, "Miss Maria!  I wuv her.  I wuv you, Miss Maria"?
-  is she so darn cute....particularly after a bath with those blonde curls hanging down in her face?

Sometimes it's so hard not to be irritated all day long.
And then she looks at me and smiles and says, "I wuv you, Momma" and instantly the frustration melts....at least until I discover the next mess.