If you have little kids you know that it is nearly impossible to finish anything... the dishes, a book, a phone call... a sentence. We love them like crazy, but our kids just don't seem to understand what it means to not interrupt.
It was over. Jesus was crucified. Dead. It was witnessed by many, so it couldn't be denied. Their lord, their hope, was gone. What a sad day it was for those who loved Jesus. His body was removed from the cross on which it hung, and it was given to Joseph of Arimathea so that it could be put in it's final resting place. The tomb. And in accordance with Jewish custom, Joseph and Nicodemus proceeded to wrap, along with myrrh and aloe, with burial linens. This was a form of preparing the body for burial, a "seasoning" ritual. They then placed the body of their beloved Lord in the tomb, where he would stay forever. Or so they thought...
I have to admit... I am not a big fan of spring. It's really only because rainy, gray days start to get to me after awhile. But this year is a little different. After all the snow we have gotten in the last few months, things are really dirty. So at least at the beginning of the season, the rains will be very welcome.
The one thing I love about spring is what it brings: New Life. It's like all things made new again. The rain washes away all the dirt and grime from fall and winter to make way for new green and life full of every color of the rainbow (which spring also has a lot of...).
For our bi-weekly post on One Word At A Time, the group decided on: Remember. I know, for me, this is actually something that's very important. I admit, sometimes to the point of obsession. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I am actually afraid of forgetting.
This is something that became very apparent to me when I became a mommy. I so thoroughly enjoyed being a mom with young little babies. Yes, there were some very hard times and lots of crying on my own part. But really, I loved celebrating all the firsts, no matter how small and unimportant the firsts were to others.
Fellow blogger Sarah Markley wrote a really good post this week called "Defining Me." It really got me thinking. My young children are beginning to have lives of their own between school schedules and activities like soccer and horseback riding. As a stay-at-home mom, I'm finding I have more flexibility in my time. That's not to say that I have more free time, just that I have a little more control over the insanity.
With this new flexibility in our family's routine, I'm finding that there is a little more time to think about how I'm spending my own life. My family is still my first priority, but once they are off and doing their own things, I'm left wondering what else God has planned for me. Which sometimes brings me to the same question that Sarah asked, "What defines me?" "Who am I?" Am I a mom, a teacher, a financial adviser, an office manager, a runner, a wife, a friend...
But after some thought, I realized the answer is... yes, I am all those things. Why do we have to make things so complicated? I came to the conclusion that who I am determines what I do. So if I want to know who I am, I not only need to look at how I spend my time, but also with what attitude I do it.
I have the amazing blessing of being a wife and mom to the best little girls ever. I take care of our household because I like it and I want to, I'm part of my children's education, and I run because I can. God has put me in this place at this moment, to do the things he's given me to do. And that's all I need to worry about. I don't need to try to be like anyone else, or accomplish more than what I'm doing. Because God has put me right here, right now. When the time comes for me to be anything more than what I am right now, I'll be waiting, with the faith that God will be there to guide me.
Amy Grant sang this song years ago. "All I ever have to be" ...is what you made me. It's the truth. He asks nothing more of us.
Monday, May 17, 2010 at 9:19AM 
