New Beginnings

I thought I would share my MOPS Newsletter article: 

I love new year’s resolutions. Mostly because I love making lists. You wouldn’t know it by looking at my house, but I’m actually a very organized and orderly person. If you need proof, you can look at my underwear and sock drawer--everything’s folded and stacked by kind and color. ;) (Just kidding--please don’t look.) Unfortunately, my sock drawer is pretty much the ONLY thing that’s organized in my house these days. *sigh*  But I digress.

So, yes, I love making lists and goals and new year’s resolutions. It pains me to say that I’ve only gotten as far as making them in my head, however. Tell me--who has the time?!

As I sit here thinking about the new year and new beginnings I have to chuckle. I can BARELY finish a MOPS Newsletter (So far, I’ve been interrupted four times.), let alone a “long term goal”. (Five times.) There are a LOT of “new beginnings” in our house--it’s the “finishing” or ending that I have a hard time with!

New beginnings? Resolutions? How about finishing the dishes?! (Six times.) How about the never ending game I like to call, “Pick-up-the-toys-now-just-to-do-it-all-again-tomorrow.”? (Seve--eh, who’s really counting?) (For the record, I’m not one of those moms who cleans in every spare moment. I know I could  but I don’t love cleaning that much. And I do have hobbies, people!)

Life is good though. Really.

Just this morning I was doing the girls’ laundry and as I pulled a little pair of pink pants with tiny pink flowers all over them out of the basket, I thought of my sweet Lorelei and a smile spread across my face. My girls are so precious and when I think of them I thank the Lord for blessing me with them! My life is so complete with my family in it. Never mind that chaos sometimes reigns supreme.

I can only hope that if you happen to stop by unexpectedly, amongst the toys and clothes (since neither of my children likes to wear clothes and rip them off at random during the day) spread all over my house, you’ll also hear laughter and the voices of people who love each other and who love the Lord. That’s really what matters at the end of the day anyway, right? Our relationships?

So, as much as I might like to sit and write a long list of all of the things I’d like to change and accomplish this year (which I still might do), for now I’ll just try and take EVERY SINGLE PERSON’S advice (anyone know what I’m talking about?) and enjoy every second of this season of life.

I think the Lord is really trying to teach me to just let things go. You know, that whole “Let go and let God” thing? It’s cliché, but it’s true.  I need to let go of my expectations of a perfectly organized and “clean” (what does that even mean, anyway?) home.

There will be plenty of time later for lists, resolutions, organizing (Praise God!), cleaning and all of the other terribly exciting things that life has to offer. For now I’d just like to resolve to finish the dishes after dinner at least four times a week.