I never thought I would be forty-one years old and completely overwhelmed by my life with four kids. That sounds dramatic, and it is. Just bear with me because I’m hormonal and really emotional and need to put my thoughts to words.
My Hubby was talking to his mom the other day on the phone and she made a comment after hearing all that we’ve got happening something to the effect of, “Oh you are in the thick of your lives right now. I remember that time. It was crazy!”
And that is pretty much how it is. Two high schoolers, a middle schooler, a preschooler, a Hubby, a Dragonfly, a Church, extended family and a community have made our lives very, very full. And we wouldn’t trade it for the world. But sometimes it feels like a lot to juggle.
What that means is every night of the week has something or multiple somethings happening. Believe me when I say that I am a huge proponent of not over scheduling a family. I wish that were our problem. It isn’t. We are just doing our lives and trying to please God. Times six.
There are many nights when The Hubby and I laugh a little as we both plunk our worn out aging bodies on the couch after everyone has gone to bed. We need two minutes together to decompress, fill each other in on the day’s happenings, laugh at the Big Bang Theory and wonder how we got to this crazy juncture. There’s no one else I’d rather be crazy with than him!
What it has meant for me recently is less time doing some of the things I love, like writing here or taking endless pictures with my camera. I think over and over, I should write about that, or I need to catch that with the camera, but then when it comes to the end of the day, the energy is gone and it hasn’t happened.
But feeding my family has happened. And cleaning their clothes has happened. And visiting a woman in my church who just had surgery has happened. And going to see my parents has happened. And watching my kids run races has happened. And cleaning toilets has happened.
See, so many good things are happening while we are in the thick of it.
Off and on over the past two months, I have had my camera with me in the hopes that I could capture something beautiful to share on my blog. This post is an accumulation of what God has given me to work with in what I am feeling is The Most Perfect Fall Ever In Our Virginia Family History.
These pictures are what I look at when I am feeling overwhelmed and tired and old. They are what remind me that God is aware of me. They are what tell me He continues to bless my life with His beauty and glory because He knows that I need a full moon or a sunset or a perfect pumpkin or a golden sunlit tree or a tiny flower or a few ducks in a pond in order to feel loved and to remember that He will always be with me. Even in the thick of it.
7 comments:
We are very thankful that you have included us in your thickness. Drive on, Ranger!
I am so grateful for this post! We too are in the thick of our lives with little time for any extras. Ours looks different than yours, of course, but the same God keeps showing His love in the details which I cling to. Lovely pictures!!! Love you!
Yes you are in the 'thick' of it but you're doing it so well. Years from now because of your ability to write such interesting, truthful blog, take the most beautiful, awesome pictures that exist, you will be able to take a moment and remember all these tender mercies that taxed your energy, blew your mind and above all gave you a deeper love for Him, your family and this glorious earth we inhabit. You're on spot Samantha - take a breath, even if it's a short one and continue forward. Love reading and viewing all you capture of 'life'.
Yep, I agree with Mona Balona you are in the thick of it and you will be there for many years to come. You're doing great but at the same time realizing you can't do everything and that's okay. Focus on the priorities and you'll be okay. I know I'm totally impressed with all that you accomplish every day.
Take us off your list of to dos but put us back on in 10 years :-) I'm sure we'll be a mess and in need a bit of attention.
It has been the very best fall and I hate to see it end.
I read this post five times….that's how much I identified with it and loved it.
Things have been quite thick here, but, yes, God gave us fall. Sometimes, fall feels like a personal gift just for me. With all its dramatic beauty, fall keeps pulling me up and out of the thickness.
Thin is overrated anyways! Love you my friend!
God is good! Thanks for sharing the beauty of the small moments- so easy to overlook when you are in the thick of it all.
Post a Comment