Steady Mom

in this moment

In this moment, I am:

- amazed that my early riser boy (Jonathan) is still in bed at 6:43 am

- listening to what sounds like a determined and enthusiastic cricket outside (Do crickets chirp in early morning?!)

- smelling a cucumber melon candle from Soy Delites (I've resolved to light candles more often!)

- looking out of our huge bedroom window on the hill in the backyard, still can't believe we live here

- wondering where we'll live in a year when we move

- trusting that God has something even better in store

- hearing the sound of Steve's car as he begins the drive to work

- thankful for the important work he devotes his days to

- thinking of all that I have to do today and this weekend: cleaning, time with friends, my Mom's visit (yay!), Father's Day plans, post writing, and so on

- knowing that you all can relate to that feeling in some way

- determined to relax, not get stressed, cross a few things off the list, and remain as peaceful as I feel

in this moment.

"Forever is composed of nows."
~ Emily Dickinson

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be patient...with yourself

Three weeks.

That's how long I've noticed it typically takes my children to fully return to themselves after a transition--like a move, or a vacation, or when Steve has taken each to England before one-on-one.

For the past week since returning from the UK, in challenging moments, when we look at each other with raised eyebrows (like "What is going on around here?!"), I smile and say, "Three weeks, remember?"

On Tuesday I was trying to write a post or two, important ones, and was wondering why did it feel so hard--why did I just want to shut the laptop down and take a nap. Then a thought came to mind:

"Why not give yourself three weeks as well?"

We often lower expectations for our kids, but raise them for ourselves. This does no one any favors!

Today, let's aim to be as patient with ourselves as we aim to be with our little people.

 
"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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lessons learned in italy

1. I've become a country person (not a city one).

I only realized this when each day as Steve and I decided what to do in Florence we would look on the map and say something like "Let's head to that green space there."

Nature speaks to me.

2. Fresh food is best.

Everyone marvels about Italian cuisine, but what struck me was that at its essence it is quite simple.

Fresh, whole ingredients served together isn't rocket science, and it just tastes better.

3. You can't be inspired when you're rushing around to "see" everything.

Italy overflows with inspiration, but it saddened me to see that throngs of people (including myself at times) could approach an artistic masterpiece, snap a photo and walk away again.

Better to look at one piece of art or architecture, and take a lesson away from it, than rush around to "document" everything.

4. Greatness takes time to develop.

This is an extremely important lesson for us mamas in the trenches. As I stood looking up at cathedrals that took hundreds of years to build, it reminded me that I shouldn't expect such instant results in my parenting efforts.

What's worth creating takes time to create--including the investment we're making in our kids' lives.

5. East, West, home is best.

It's remarkably comforting to travel the world with my best friend and enjoy it, but also to realize that I'm just as satisfied with our day-to-day life. We don't have to escape or "get away" on vacation because our everyday life has meaning.

We're living the life of our dreams already.

 

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home.

to breathe, and take it all in

to be imperfect...together

to marvel at the garden, the weeds, the woods in summer growth

to face down four overflowing suitcases, and choose to leave them there

to wake for the day at 2:30am, thanks to jetlag

to play with toys and tools newly discovered after a month away

to choose peace over productivity and efficiency

to prefer the offline to the online

to settle into routines and rhythms that bring comfort

this is what it means to be

home.

And I couldn't be more grateful.

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