April MOPS Coordinator's Article

April is our annual Tea and Testimony event at MOPS. Today we will enjoy a tea party brunch while listening to two women share the spiritual testimonies of their hearts. It seems only fitting that our session this month is entitled Botony 101. Like the growth of a flower, women need to have the seed sowed, be nourished and start to grow before they can bloom into who they really are.

As a woman in her early thirties who is mother to three small children, I sometimes feel as if that blossom is clouded by dirty diapers, school field trips and folding laundry. The monotonous becomes routine and that growth—as a woman, a wife, a mother and a disciple of Jesus—seems to elude me. At least it seems that way when you focus on the day-to-day details. Should I make chicken or beef for dinner? Pampers or Huggies? Should I mop over naptime or do some office work instead? The idea that doing these everyday tasks could possibly encourage spiritual or personal growth just doesn’t seem possible. Where’s the growth that results from packing a lunchbox each morning or scrubbing a toilet?

Well, the truth for me is that when I look back over the past few years as a wife and mom the spiritual and personal growth is everywhere. I just have to take my eyes off of the details and look at the big picture to see it.

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

Each day as I change diapers and direct the children in everyday activities, the Lord is giving me a lesson in patience. My, how I have grown from a once impatient person to someone who can listen to the dreaded why question from morning until night.

He also has instilled in me a compassion beyond what I ever thought I’d have when God made me a mother. It is not that I was not compassionate before I had children but this virtue has increased threefold now that I physically know what it is like to know unconditional love.

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” (Romans 12:4-6a)

It is amazing how God has allowed me to grow and flourish by way of the spiritual gifts and talents that He has given to me. I have discovered passions and skills that I never knew I possessed in my walk as a mother. It truly is awe-inspiring to know that God made me a mother and at the same time gave me specific gifts that would only shine in this new maternal role. Whoever would have thought that I would develop such a heart for other mothers of preschoolers and would come to lead the MOPS organization at BranchCreek? To me, that truly is a God-given gift and one that was only able to prosper once I became a mother myself and was in a position where I could relate to other mothers. Surely, God “knitted me in my mother’s womb” so He already knew that one day these gifts of mine would shine; it only took becoming a mother myself to bring them out.

So this month my challenge to you is to embrace your motherhood—spit up, laundry, dirty diapers and all—and ask God to grow you as a woman and mother in your role. In fact, as you look back on your time with your children, chances are that you, too, will be able to see just how much you really have grown. God works in funny ways like that. He knows exactly the right woman he wants to grow in her role as mother to your children: YOU. He will get you through these preschool years, and then the teenage years and adult years after, and will equip you for all circumstances. You are His child just as much as your little ones are your own children. So let Him guide you and grow you as a wife, mother and woman in Christ. He’s watering your soil so that you will blossom into all you can be.

MOPS: March Coordinator's Article

March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb. It’s that way this month when the bitter cold as we enter March is morphed into the beginnings of spring as April approaches. And, as human as we are, it is sometimes like that as we go through life and are faced with challenges that make us want to just roar like a lion!


As a mother of preschoolers, I certainly humble myself to admit that there are just some days when that lion wrestles with my patience. You know, one of those days. Maybe something is on your mind or you had an argument with a spouse. Maybe you have a full calendar today that really doesn’t have room for wiping noses and tushies. Maybe your dear little ones are constantly arguing or whining or clawing at your leg as you try to do, well, anything. Maybe you just want to go to the bathroom in peace: alone and with the door locked instead of with a full house watching your performance.

I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes it is just tough to keep that lamb safe from being attacked by the snarling feline within. If you put your guard down for a minute, it could eat you alive. Kids get snapped at, tears start, voices are raised. It is never a pretty sight. And to make matters even worse, episodes such as these are usually  followed by guilt and remorse. Who really is winning in this situation? Not the downtrodden mother or the tearful child, but only that sly serpent who is sitting back watching us take a bite of the apple.

Since becoming a God-fearing Christian woman, I have often prayed over James 1:19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Yes, this means even when that 2 year-old has been talking the entire day; when that 4 year-old throws yet another tantrum (isn’t he too old for this anyways?); or when that 6 year-old begs you to play Candy Land for the umpteenth time this week when you really would prefer to get some work done around the house or in the office instead.

God has hand-picked these tender little hearts to be sculpted and shepherded by you, the one who often feels unworthy or inferior in the mother role. He knows that nobody is more perfect for your young one than you and believes in your ability to raise these children up to know the  Lord and to help to guide their path. He even provides us with instructions on how to best raise these little ones: the Bible.


So as a mother, when the days seem endless and naptime evades your household, take a deep breath, get out your Bible and recite James 1:19 a few times. It is such a calming, restorative verse that never fails to open my ears to listen to a round of why questions for the millionth time. It holds my tongue when I just feel like truncating that round of curiosity with a curt response. And it calms my soul when I feel like yelling at one of those sweet little ones. As Christian women, we know the Bible is the tool to keep that ferocious lion within us at bay so that the gentle lamb can rest peacefully. Let’s go ahead and use what God has given to us.

Blessings!

February MOPS Coordinator's Article

When you think of Valentine's Day, what comes to mind? Many people think about love, and spending time with the sweetheart in their life. Some people think of chocolates, flowers, dining out and taking time to let the person you adore know they're special. Still others may equate Valentine’s Day as a time to shower their children with extra love and kisses. Regardless, most of us use Valentine's Day to go that extra mile and show our love to the special people in our life. It’s that one special day every year when love is in the air and people just want to inhale it!

Well, spread your love a little further. This year, how about adding one additional special person to your list? Someone whose love for us never ceases. Someone who splurges on us daily by way of the many blessings He bestows. Jesus sends us valentines not only on February 14th, but everyday. His ultimate valentine was his own sacrifice for our sins. There is no greater love; it's a love that has produced priceless salvation to many. Our God is a god of grace, mercy, kindness, generosity and love; especially love.

Below is something I had heard a while back, which always blows my mind away when I really stop to think about it.

We give our loved one flowers; He gives us beautiful fields, mountains, oceans and tropical paradises.

We make special dinner reservations for our loved one; He is preparing a feast for us in Heaven.

We give our loved one our life in marriage; He gave us His Son Jesus Christ so that we could spend eternity with Him if we should choose Him.

The love that Jesus gives to us is so strong, yet so surreal and unfathomable that it is in our sinful human nature to glaze over it and not take notice. It’s easier to acknowledge that dozen red roses from our husband or that homemade valentine from our child than it is to remember that everything we are given in this world comes from our Savior because He loves us. He blesses us with gifts everyday, despite our greed and ungraciousness.

So this month, as you go about the days approaching Valentine’s Day, shower your spouse, children and other loved ones with hugs and kisses. Send cards and order flowers to your heart’s content. Take Proverbs 3:3 to heart, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you...write them on the tablet of your heart.” However, also remember the lover of your soul and don't forget to show your love toward Him.

MOPS: January Coordinator's Article

Typically, January is a time for change. For resolutions. For a reevaluation of one’s life and the subsequent plan to make this new year the “best one yet”. Diets are started, gyms are joined, projects are begun and attitudes are changed. That is, until the motivation wears off and we go back to our old ways, leaving us even less satisfied with our lives than before.

Yet why should we be so dissatisfied with ourselves? We have recently been through the Christmas season, with all of it’s splendors in the form of gathering with loved ones, giving and receiving gifts, an over-abundance of delicious food and most importantly, the celebration of our Lord and Savior’s birth. After being given all of this, how can we not be satisfied with our lives?

Unfortunately, many people are dissatisfied with themselves, even amidst such abundance. Instead of seeing a table full of food at dinnertime, so many of us complain about what’s to eat. Instead of seeing a closetful of clothing, some of us claim that there is “nothing to wear.” Our mirrors and scales become our biggest enemies when reality differs from our mind and society’s ideal.

Our problem, however, is not a lack of possessions, worth or possibilities. Rather, the problem here is inward focus, which results in dissatisfaction and discontent. We become blind to what we have been given and instead focus only on what we lack, or think we lack. We are focusing on ourselves instead of on Jesus, the one on whom our eyes should always remain.

Jeremiah 31:14 has been written as a means for reminding us where our focus should be. “’And my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,’ declares the Lord.” When we focus on God’s goodness, we can plainly see all of the blessings He has bestowed on us. His Goodness has hand-carved each of us to be who we are with unique personalities, characteristics and talents. He has given all of us so much, which is evident when we open our eyes in thanksgiving. And when it gets right down to it, what more can we really want? God has already given us everything in Jesus Christ, in the Word made flesh, the light that has overcome the darkness of sin and death.

So why not start 2011 as a Year of Satisfaction, rather than ferreting out all of the areas in which we are lacking? Be content with what God has given to you and how He has made you. Know that you are perfect the way that you are. By focusing on His goodness, we are honoring ourselves in the way in which He meant to create us. God loves you the way that you are and longs for you to embrace this. So go ahead and make this your resolution for 2011. You’ll be glad that you did. More importantly, Jesus will.

MOPS: December Coordinator's Article

As I look through my family’s photo collection, I realize that we have an overabundance of Christmas photos. Pictures from my childhood, from my husband’s childhood, and of us as a couple with our three young children. Babies in Santa hats, little boys in matching argyle sweater vests...all of us in our Christmas Eve finest or our Christmas morning robes.

I love seeing these memories, some taken on the same sofa or in front of the same fireplace every year with only our changing hairstyles, ages and outfits to mark any difference. They show how our families have grown and changed over the years. That photograph of the squishy baby propped up against a giant gift is as endearing to me as the gawky teenage pictures of myself with 1990’s bangs, a tacky Christmas sweater and legwarmers.

But those photos really only tell part of the story. What about everything leading up to and following the Big Day? The kitchen covered in flour as Mom bakes cookies with three young children and the chaotic mass of wrapping paper on the floor Christmas morning are all part of what makes this time of year special. It's those times when we forget to take out the camera to capture "real life" because we are anticipating the beautiful moments when we will all look picture-perfect on one special day.
Most importantly, why should the photographs of ourselves trying to look perfect be the most treasured when we all know that we are not perfect. Not even close.

Have we forgotten to capture the beauty in the mayhem because we are too distracted to see it? Or see Him, for that matter.

This Christmas season Santa may be at every mall and in every catalog, but Jesus’ quiet entrance into our world so many years ago is the reason why we are even decking the halls with boughs of holly today. Santa may be asking your little ones what they want for Christmas this year. But the excitement on a child’s face when he gets to pick out a gift for his sibling and practice the art of giving is priceless.

Maybe everyone isn’t smiling in that sought-after formal Christmas photo, but treasure the time that you have with your loved ones instead of mourning the lack of a good photograph. Memories of times shared with your family and friends will outlive that Polaroid.

Jesus was born to love you. He wants you to follow Him on a daily basis. Most importantly, he yearns to celebrate his birthday with you, as a friend.

So this season, rejoice in the “real life” moments that typically would pass you by. Start traditions with your family and friends. Show your kids that giving can be just as exciting as receiving. Above all else, rejoice that Jesus was born to be your Savior and to love us unconditionally, today and always

“For unto you is born this day, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” ~Luke 2

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas together celebrating Jesus!

Coffee: My New Lifeline

What happens to most in college, medical or law school or after they have had their first child and realize that four hours of sleep a night just doesn't cut it day-in and day-out, only recently happened to me: coffee.  I have always enjoyed coffee on an occasional basis, don't get me wrong.  But, I always was more known as a tea drinker.  When I was looking for that soothing, hot drink to relax or warm me up, I always broke out the PG Tips or Twinings.  Until now. 

Well, let me defend my first love and say that sometimes I still just need to have a good cup of black tea.  Other times I have a craving for a chamomile or another form of herbal tea.  But lately, I have been migrating towards "the other caffeinated drink" and just can't explain what has happened.  It may have something to do with the plethora of yummy flavored creamers out on the market (ummm...have you tried the Caramel Macchiato one yet?) or the Keurig personal coffee brewer I got for Christmas last year or even something called Wawa convenience stores, which has, in my opinion, one of the best cups of coffee out there at convenience store prices.  Quite honestly, I don't know what the impetus for this new love of mine is, but I am coming clean and saying that it can no longer be ignored or denied:  I am a coffee drinker.

To get the facts straight, I am not yet what I would consider an addict.  I'm not shaking when I wake up in the morning, only to be calmed by the beep of my programmable Cuisinart coffee maker indicating that the brew is complete.  I don't have to start every day with a "cup 'o Joe" nor do I even have to have a cup of coffee at all throughout the day to function.  In fact, I typically don't have one every day and my habits are quite sporadic: some days I will have more than one cup and then I may go a few days without this "need" for coffee.  In fact, dare I say, that I may actually have tea some mornings instead (gasp!).  But, what has changed in me is that I do have that feeling of calm come over me now when I sit down and make a cup of coffee.  I also do have that yearning for nothing other than a big mug of coffee some afternoons when my kids nap.  I no longer forget to make coffee at a party I am throwing, even though I have remembered every other detail.  And I must admit that sometimes I'll reach for a K-cup when I am having a bout of tiredness and know that I do not want to be asleep by 8pm.  So add all of this up and I'll be the first to admit that I now consider myself a part of the Latte Club.

It's a joke in my family that in a year, I went from someone who had every appliance out there but was still using an old 10-cup Gevalia coffee brewer that I brought to college with me (and hardly ever used!), to someone who now has a Keurig, a K-cup carousel, a nice Cuisinart brewer, and a Cuisinart coffee grinder on my coutertop.  That's right, only the most frequently used appliances make it to "the big time" of being stored on the countertop instead of in the cabinets or pantry.  I am happy to report that my coffee accoutrements have "made it" and have joined my Kitchen Aid mixer, food processor and my toaster oven on my counter.  They were even purchased in black and stainless to match our decor.  To boot, there are also a handful of flavored creamers in my fridge at all times.  This is getting strange.  Nonetheless, in the short time that I have been a sleep-deprived, coffee drinking, mother of three, I have a few thoughts on coffee that I thought I'd share.  I already gave my disclaimer that I am not a coffee connoisseur but I do know what I have enjoyed in my experimentation, so if it's helpful to anyone out there, then I've done my part in building up the Latte Club.  Enjoy!

1. Myth:  I can't enjoy coffee because nobody else in my house drinks it and I don't like instant coffee.  I'm not going to make a pot for myself.

Well, your answer to this one is either a single-cup coffee brewer, a French press or a Keurig personal coffee maker.  I personally can recommend either a French press such as the one below, that will easily allow you to brew a small amount of coffee for yourself and it will be the freshest you can make, or the Keurig, which offers so much convenience and variety.  There are K-cups for the Keurig available in so many different styles, flavors and brands.  Amazon, Costco or Kohl's are great places to buy your K-cups for a good price (I use my Kohl's cash as a little gift for myself sometimes). My favorites are Timothy's Italian blend and Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee.  Hello?  Did that not just convince you or what?

2. I am looking for a good, reasonably-priced coffee maker.  Which features do you like the best?

The above is the maker I have and really like.  What's irking me is that I bought it last year for about $40 more than the list price now!  So this would be a great deal for you.  It brews a good cup of coffee and I just love the auto-off beep (since I never remember to turn it off) and the programmable feature.  We host our weekly Bible study and also other events so it's nice to set up the coffee and find it already brewing when I finish putting the kids to bed and head downstairs to wait for my guests.

3. I have never tried to grind my own coffee.  The coffee from the store is just as fresh.

This, again, is another item that I paid a lot more for last year when it was newly on the market so it would be a great deal for you.  I recently got into grinding my own coffee, especially when we have company over, and it is so yummy.  It's a lot fresher than the pre-ground and is so easy.  I think of it as a special treat when we have guests, especially, or even just for myself sometimes.  This grinder is sleek looking and has an option to automatically grind enough for a certain number of cups in the maker.  Very fast and reliable.

November MOPS Coordinator's Article

It’s that time of year when all of the holiday hustle and bustle starts. Your grocery purchases are accumulating points towards your free turkey and your mail is inundated with circulars telling you which toys are the ones your child truly wants for Christmas this year. The weather outside isn’t quite frightful yet...but it certainly is getting colder. That soon-to-be winter chill is in the air! Personally, I love fall and all that it entails. To me, the anticipation of what’s to come over the next two months makes up for feeling chilly most of the time and for the extra time it now takes to get everyone buttoned up and out the door in the morning (and then realizing you still need to scrape the ice off your windshield).


What I never anticipate fondly are the sniffles and sneezes that come with the season. The coughs. The fevers. The vomiting. You name it, it seems that at least someone at school, work, church or daycare has it from early fall through the winter. No matter how many vitamins I take, how bundled up we get when we go outside or how much antibacterial hand sanitizer we go through, it seems inevitable that at least something will infect someone at home. Which then leads to five infected people in no time at all. You’ve been there before, I’m sure you have.

Recently I had a day just like I described. Several incidents early-on turned a normal Wednesday into a “down in the dumps” day by mid-afternoon. And then my two youngest children both woke up sick from their naps, after only sleeping for 40 minutes. Just what I needed to make a bad day even worse! There were tears. There was whining. There were sniffles and sneezes. There were overpriced co-pays for the medicine we ended up having to get at the pharmacy. Wow, this day couldn’t get any worse! Or so it seemed as I sat around having a pity party for myself that night after finally getting two crying and overtired babies to sleep. Way to put a damper on my holiday spirit, God! Somehow going “over the river and through the woods” on the upcoming Thanksgiving day seemed like the last thing in the world that I would ever want to do, now that my good mood had been spoiled as a result of drippy noses and Pink Eye.


As I sat down at my computer to write some to-be-determined Coordinator’s Article (after stealing a much-deserved mini Heath bar from the kids’ Halloween stash!), the verse we had related to today’s MOPs meeting hit me square in the face. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Be joyful always. Not only when things seem to be going my way, when my kids are germ-free and my day has gone as I’ve anticipated.

Pray continually. Now there’s something that didn’t even cross my mind in the midst of all of my grumbling and worrying. Hmm, interesting how things start to seem not so bad when we let God into the equation and hand over our planners to Him.

Give thanks in all circumstances. That’s right, all circumstances: good or bad, sickness or health, richer or poorer. Pretty much God deserves our thanks at all times. It’s funny how long the list of things we have to be thankful for really is when we stop and take notice. Our “bad days” and misfortunes suddenly become the minority when we enumerate all of the bountiful blessings God has placed into our hearts and within our families.


For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Just as we parents desire our children to use good manners, to pray regularly and to be thankful to others, God has specially designed each of us to live a certain life and to handle different circumstances. We are not all alike. We are each uniquely designed by Christ to navigate our own life’s path, no matter what it may bring. And it would please Him and make Him glow with parental love to hear us use these manners that we teach to our own children in all circumstances.


So this Thanksgiving season, as you sit down to turkey and pumpkin pie, don’t focus on which family members aren’t present or how awful your travels were to get where you are. Instead, remember to thank God for all that he has given to you. We are not even worthy of the blessings he pours out on each of us, but as our Father, he gives them to us anyways out of love.

October MOPS Coordinator's Article

Fall is a time for change. The leaves change colors; the laid-back summertime routines change to accommodate school schedules; and the way you spend your Saturday mornings certainly change (soccer anyone?).  Above all, let’s not forget about that big change that likes to mess with our bedtime routines two times a year: daylight savings time.

Change can be frustrating! It takes what we have worked hard to establish and leaves us to figure out a new solution. And for mothers of preschoolers, we have to find this new solution while changing diapers, cleaning up highchairs and getting by on years of interrupted sleep. It’s no wonder that as a mom, it’s so easy to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, more often than not. Add to that the stress of the upcoming holiday season and it’s amazing that any of us even manage to get out of bed at all most mornings!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” God has pre-ordained each of our life’s happenings, both big and small. He knows the day on which He will return for judgment, just as much as he knows the exact timing and duration of seasonal changes in our own families. There is a time for everything and only God knows this timing. We have to trust that He will walk us through these periods of change and that we will get through, no matter how unmanageable life may feel at times. It is during those times when we feel most vulnerable, most out of control, and most overwhelmed that we really learn to rely on Him and put our trust and faith into His judgment and timing.

So as the leaves turn crisp and red; as you sit on the sidelines watching the umpteenth soccer game this season, thinking about all of the other things you should be doing; and as you listen to your child whine when bedtime is an hour earlier now that school has started, know that God has all of this in His master plans. Turning over your calendar and your black pen to Him so that He can do all of His glorious planning, submits your changing life to the only one who will carry you through these changes. With God in charge and doing what is in His will, these seemingly stressful life changes can be fully embraced and will soon become, dare I say it, comfortable. So go ahead and savor this wonderful season of change and any path on which it takes you, knowing that there is no path God would rather walk with you.

Happy fall!

September MOPS Coordinator's Article

I am the Coordinator for my church's MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program, so every month I have a Coordinator's article in our newsletter.  This is something that is relevant to the time of year or the topic that day in MOPS.  Knowing that many of you in my audience are mothers of young children and many of you may not attend our MOPS program, I thought you may enjoy reading my monthly MOPS musings.  I'll be posting this every month after our meeting, so as not to give a spoiler for the upcoming newsletter for those MOPS attendees who are followers of my blog.  Enjoy!

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As a new mom, you rock your small child late at night, wondering why she isn’t sleeping for three hours at a time as all of the books state. Your three and a half year old has no desire to use the potty like all of your friends’ children seem to do. What’s worse is that preschool starts in two weeks and well, we all know that preschool and changing diapers just don’t mesh. Your two year old bit his sister. Again. And those time-outs that are supposed to cure every form of naughtiness seem nothing but humorous to your pint-sized patient.

Parenting is hard work! It is a journey filled with trials, tribulations, happiness, tears and sacrifice. Everyday, we moms sacrifice a little bit of ourselves for the good of our family. Our time. Our patience. Our energy. And often, our sanity. You may feel alone in this world of mothering, a lost soul amidst a sea of dirty diapers, whining toddlers and defiant preschoolers. But you aren’t.

Psalm 139:10 tells us, “Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” God is every where present.  He can see us always, even when we cannot see Him. He is holding our hand, guiding us through all of life’s choices and giving us strength through the trying times. He will never desert us.

This 2010-2011 year at MOPS we will be studying Momology: the Art and Science of Mothering. Through this, we will together see how mothering is both art and science.  It combines all of who we are—our Inner self, our experiences, our circle of support and our skills –to shape healthy and resilient children. It requires the scientific part of our brain to systematically determine which principles will work in our own family. And just as much, it requires an artistry, which creatively intertwines the very person we are to help clarify our decisions. Through Momology, as Psalm 139:10 reminds us, we will be guided by a God who will never leave or forsake us. A Father who has his gentle hand upon our shoulder as we encounter our daily struggles and decisions.

I am looking forward to beginning my first year as MOPS Coordinator. Already, I have felt the presence of God within our ministry in the form of a phenomenal Steering Team he has hand-picked; in the familiar and the new faces I have corresponded with all summer; and in the love and support I have witnessed between you, my sisters in Christ.

So, as you sit here this morning, whether for the first time, the 100th time, or as a mentor mom, know that you are not alone. Every woman in this room has had days when she feels as if she just will not make it as a mom. But she does. Every one of us has had moments when we go outside the norm to do what really is best for our own families. And then second-guesses it. Every woman sitting here has sacrificed sleep, patience and energy for the sake of her child’s well-being. We all probably have a few more grey hairs than we would have had if we did not have children. But we are all in this together. Most importantly, we have a loving, omnipresent God who is offering us his hand. So, go ahead and reach for it, knowing that in this crazy course of Momology, our God wants nothing more than to hold our hand tightly, and to ease our mind and our burdens.

Blessings!

Slow Down and Enjoy!

Well, here we are in October.  October 1, to be exact.  Yesterday was still September.  Oh what a lifetime ago that seems already - Labor Day, the start of school, our church's annual peach festival.  September is always such an exciting month, so many happenings that really seem to just blend in with the rest of summer.  But now it is October.  And given the brisk mornings, cool evenings and the stack of warm-weather clothing in a pile at the bottom of the stairs at my house, waiting to go up to the attic, I think it's safe to say that summer is officially over. 

Every year, it seems as if we have one final stint of humid, summer weather before the cooler weather slowly seeps in.  And every year, I continue to wear my flip-flops and short sleeves, secretly wanting to hold on to those carefree summer days, as if they will magically return if I just ignore the fact that school has started and the garden has turned to a dried out remnant of what it was only several weeks earlier.


It is usually just around this time every year - early October - that I wistfully dream of being once again on the beach, having cookouts and picking garden-fresh vegetables.  And then suddenly I panic.  I'm not sure if this is the realization when I look at my calendar that it is actually October, only two months before Christmastime...only one month before Thanksgiving...only weeks before Halloween...and add to that one of our children's birthdays in only 24 days as well! (But who's counting?)  Oh my gosh, what I am sitting around reminiscing about summer for when there is so much more to get done in the fall!  How ever could I have let myself waste so much time already, dreaming of lemonades on the patio when, in fact, I should be planning holiday menus and going apple picking and going on hayrides with the children and saving up my Giant Bonuscard points to redeem for my free turkey!  What was I thinking??!!

And then I stop.  I take a deep breath to let go of this anxiety and busyness that is eating away at me and distorting my whole outlook on life.  I am being Martha.  No, not Martha Stewart ( But I do wonder if she uses Bonuscard points to redeem for a free turkey? That's for another post...).  Martha of Bethany from the Bible, the preoccupied woman who is so caught up in the preparations and tasks to prepare for Jesus' visit to her and her sister Mary's home, that she misses the true meaning of His visit.  She is so busy preparing for His visit that she actually misses His visit! 

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Don't be a Martha.  There are so many wonderful experiences for every season and I am blessed to live in an area of the country whose changing weather makes the difference in seasons even more tangible.  If you are too busy thinking about what needs to be done and what didn't get done, you will miss these sweet seasonal changes as they occur right around you.  The world will pass you by and next thing you know, you will be entering a new season without any memories of the season past to reminisce about. 

So slow down and enjoy!  As I sit here typing, watching the leaves on the trees outside blow; as I spot my patio furniture outside bungeed up for the season; as I reach for that extra sweater to put on because I'm a bit chilly; and as I pay my electric bill and rejoice that the air-conditioning charges were almost non-existent this past month, I will embrace this new change.  So scrapbook your summer memories, eat those last few ice pops in the freezer and pack away the summer clothing until next year.  Just sit back and enjoy the fall and all that it has to offer.  You will be glad that you did.