So I'm pretty sure I don't totally understand the whole concept of blogging and what it's all for... so forgive me if I don't necessarily follow the right blogging etiquette. The last time I tried to blog I uploaded 26 pictures (which didn't end up loading correctly, and why not?) and Ty informed me that blogs are meant to be short and sweet with just a few photos (as to not lose people's interest). And I'm not sure if blogs are meant to be informative and factual, or insightful and inspiring. I'm quite intimidated by the whole thing actually! But I do enjoy our friend's blog and love peering into the lives of the famous family of 10. I'd planned on cleaning right now while the girls are napping, but instead I'm feeling the need to write. I often deal with the messiness of life by writing it down... never with the intention of sharing it on the world wide web however. But today I'm up for the blogging challenge! These past two weeks have held so many significant events and situations and there's just not enough time or space to go into each one's details, but God's Holy Spirit is speaking to me in so many undeniable ways with one primary message.
Time Is Short. The time with our children is short, the time with our parents is short, the time with our spouse is short, the time of our health is short, the time of our freedom is short, the time with friends is short, the time with our family is short, our time on earth is short. And honestly, some times life hurts so bad and it's comforting to know it's short and that earth is not our final destination. But while I'm stuck here what am I going to do with my time? This is a question I've been asking myself for a few years, but have never sensed the urgency to fulfill the answer as I do now. When a close friend moves away it's hard not to wish you'd made more time to spend together; when a parent loses a child it's only natural to wonder how it would feel to lose your own; and when a baby is born fighting for their life it reminds you of
what a miracle life truly is. Anyone who's battled a life-threatening disease or experienced a near-death situation will tell you that it changed them... it changed their priorities. I don't want to wait until I'm facing death to realize what mattered to me the most. As much as I want to grow old with Ty, I'm not guaranteed I'll have him beyond today... so I want to enjoy and laugh with him for as many days as God does give us. It's easy to assume our children will live with us until they're 18, but God has not promised all of us that priviledge. So I want to absorb, delight, play, and take in all of them that I can while they are near. It's so easy to take family, friends, & health for granted... until they're gone. It's easy to write these things (and truly mean them), but it's another thing to practice them on a daily basis. My prayer these days is for God to help me live according to His priorities and to be ok with the things that don't get done and the messes left behind. It reminds me of the scripture from 1 Corinthians 13:13 "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."
I think I'm starting to understand the true meaning of the statement "Momma burns the midnight oil". There was an old song with that title and somehow from listening to it I got the impression that "momma burning the midnight oil" went something like this. Momma tucks her beautiful children into bed, turns out the lights, then quietly slips into her closet to put on a beautiful long nightgown that's both comfortable and attractive to her husband (is there a nightgown like that?). Her hair and makeup look slightly worn from the day, but she still radiates beauty. She quietly sits in her favorite chair under the glow of a lamp sipping on Chamomille Tea while reading the Bible. Then she kneels down to spend her last minutes of the day talking with God. Kinda makes you go "ahhh" doesn't it? Well, let me tell you what I really think it means. Momma's burnin the midnight oil cuz she can't get nottin done durin' the day! The normal routine for this momma goes a little more like this... tuck the girls into bed, turn out the lights, listen to Nya say "Wud you" 4 or 5 times after I've shut the door, then go to the bathroom because it's probably been 5 hours since I last went. There's no time for nightgowns and tea... it's off to the kitchen to clean, sweep, and sometimes mop. Then the dryer usually dings letting me know that my final load for the day is done. Then I do a quick cleanup of all the miscilaneous toys, dolls, & animals strung all over the house. At this point it's probably about 10:15 and I'm getting tired physically so this is when I work on bills, mail, emails, worship team prep/schedules, & go through photos (we take like 10 a day). I might add that my hair is not gently swept up as I imagine the lady's was in the song, but more like a tangled mess on top of my head. And my makeup has pretty much been rubbed off, sweated off, or cried off (as seems to be the case lately). By 11:30 I start thinking "oh it's getting late, I better call it quits".... "oh, but I just wanted to get one last thing done for the day..." next thing I know it's 12:30 and I think "hmmm, I'm kind of hungry". Off to the kitchen for a snack... nothing dainty like tea, usually cereal actually. Then it finally hits me ~ I AM TIRED. So I wash my face, brush my teeth (or not ... but don't tell my hygienist, he thinks I brush AND floss), then put on my footed pajamas. Yip. Yes they do make them for grown ups... especially for momma's burnin the midnight oil. 
