We use the phrase "this too shall pass" a lot in our family. My grandma, Sweetie, has taught us all it's wisdom. I usually have thought of it as something to dwell on when you are hoping to get out of whatever situation you're in.
A while ago I read Ashley Ann's take on it and I'm so glad I did! On a sign she made to display in her home she put the phrase "this too shall pass" and included an extra little phrase "be present".
That changed my perspective so much.
Today we've had a second round of pink eye, canceling plans, crazy disinfecting mama, water heater out of commission since last Saturday, house a mess sort of a day.
But I wanted to still do ten on ten today and while I didn't feel I had the energy or time to try to record stunning photographs of the glimpses of beauty in this messy day, I did think about "this too shall pass" and also "be present" and I wanted to try to capture some of that.
Running out of wipes mid poopy diaper change
Not gonna last forever
but then neither will teeny tiny baby jeans that need to be rolled up and have the most adorable bows on the waist line
*and* I am so thankful for a son who is not only big enough to help but who came running when I called him and was able to get that refill package of wipes out of the closet for me
sad, gunky, red eyes and snotty noses and faces that need to be cleaned of grape jelly will not last forever 
little hands that like to fill dump trucks in the backyard won't either
fussy faced babies and those super pink cheeks that look awfully similar to the ones her brother used to get when we discovered his dairy allergy :( :( :(
won't last forever
but neither will shoulder cuddles
piles of baby laundry waiting to be put away will not last forever
and neither will teensy fingers at play
and teeny tiny baby toes
making messes when you'd rather them not will not last forever but neither will imaginations ready to poor jingle bells down a toilet paper tube and tell you that they are going down the water slide and splashing into the pool
He's taken to calling me "Tiger" and he of course is "Kipper" and if you know me, you know I'm really not a dog person so being called one is not the most exciting thing to a tired mama on a long day but one day I will miss being his favorite playmate and special pal.
He wanted to sleep in his basket for nap and I let him as long as he was resting and he chilled out in there for over an hour in his room and everytime he heard or saw me coming to check on him he would snap his eyes shut so he wouldn't get moved to his bed. :)
Also, tonight after bath when I was lysol wiping his family of rubber duckies he asked me what I was doing. I jokingly said that I was cleaning the germs off so they wouldn't get pink eye and he commented that their eyes are only pretend. Smartie! Then he told me that he would only take a bath with his tugboat tomorrow since it didn't have eyes only the front windows were kind of eyes! Oh his imagination and understanding of the world!
I am really glad I did this today because I am getting all sentimental writing this post but in the moments I still was not feeling that way for the most part. It still took a lot of mental effort and relying on God to get through today with a somewhat cheerful attitude. Just being real.
And some things to be thankful for:
farmers market carrots to roast for dinner that were SUPER yum and come in so many fun colors!
And do you see the "hugging carrots"?
Carrot tops to fry in butter for dinner tomorrow night!! YUM YUM!
an amazing and wonderful husband who fixed our water heater tonight when the replacement part finally came in the mail!
a new fall tablecloth from my mother-in-law and fun pumpkin gifts from my husband for a centerpiece
So, what about 7?
well, I used quite a few paper towels today which is not very "green" but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do
it takes time to go through your possessions and decrease them (we are in the middle of "possessions month", have I mentioned that?) and sometimes you just have to live life and not worry about the projects
when sickness strikes and you don't have hot water to wash you're glad that although you did just great for well over a month with a stash of 7 towels, 7 washcloths, 7 hand towels, 7 dish towels and 7 dish cloths that you had been "experimenting" with whether or not this was a good number and still had a huge bag hidden away in the closet filled with the surplus to dip into
Now to figure out how many a good number really is to even accommodate times like this . . .
So, hope you had a good day and I'll see you tomorrow! A hot bath is awaiting me!!!
Kelly
3 comments:
Love this post! Praying you all feel better soon! Love that David "napped" in the basket... Beautiful memory in the midst of a not-as-planned day!
LOVE the cupcake outfit!! and PURPLE carrots, so fun!!!! Thanks for the reminder of the joy in the chaos.
LOVE this post! We are also a family that espouses "This too shall pass" but how have I never thought of the flip side of that. I, too, want to be present. Even if my present isn't all sunshine and rainbows. God is there and whenever I ask Him for joy, it doesn't take long for me to realize it's already there.
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