Wednesday, March 28, 2012

what watching is

this morning i was half-heartedly paying attention to Justus while i was trying to meal-plan and grocery list write...
he was pretending he was at school and he was coloring pictures for his "school" work. he kept saying "watch mommy" and i would say "ok" and glance at him now and then while flipping through my cookbooks. then he said it, and he said it innocently:
"mommy, i don't think you know what watching is."
ouch.
i stopped, looked him in the eye and asked "what do you mean?" and he said "watching is when you really look at someone."
i put my stuff down and i really watched him draw. and i thanked God for my blunt little boy who lovingly and naively called me out on something i needed to be called out on.
and through the rest of this day it is fresh on my mind...
what watching really is.... what listening really is....
and how much i want to be a mommy, a wife, a friend, who really watches.









Monday, March 5, 2012

A full heart

Late at night and I can't sleep....
My pregnant body acts very different than my normal body and it sometimes does things like fight sleep...
And so I've been reflecting on the day, and my heart feels full. Very very full.
Not a second wasted....
Wiped noses, wiped bottoms. Pouring cereal, counting pretzels, washing grapes and celery, cutting into age appropriate pieces. piles of laundry in and out of the washer, then the dryer. Piles of laundry still left to be folded. Catch with the 1 year old who could play catch all day. Countless games of Candy land and hide and seek with the 3 year old who is a lover and who just wants love back. A five year old is king of his class for the week, I see him walk out of school with his crown on and he is proud and I am prouder. A few sweet moments of sitting, interrupted by "mommy come see this" ... and I really don't want to get up, but even at the moment I know that I don't want to miss it. Onions chopped, dough kneaded, sauce simmered, cheese grated...chicago style pizza is worth it. Diapers changed, kisses, hugs, tickles..... All the while listening to andrew Peterson and pentatonix and Sara groves and Disney. A few moments stolen to sing and play the piano. A quick phone call with my dear friend - did her boy really lose his first tooth? Where has the time gone.... But I can't and won't be sad. My here and now is so precious and each of these little moments is so precious and with all of my heart I thank my God. My best friend comes home from work and i meet him on the porch and kiss him and tell him to sneak in, so together we can peek at our 3 boys playing a silly game together, the littlest brother may not know it, but he is "it". and together our hearts are full.
And now I will sleep. I hear someone talking to themselves in bed, and maybe I will need to tend to that, but tonight I really don't mind...