Delight in the little Things...like skipping school :)

My pastor Pete Wilson is starting a new message called Freeway. When he starts a series I get so excited. I know it is going to be good but this one is just perfect! It is about slowing down, becoming more spiritual by being more aware. His message Sunday was about being busy vs. being "hurried". Basically busy is normal and expected in life but hurried is where you are missing things around you and missing God in the details in your life, because you are too hurried to notice. I encourage anyone who wants to get the full effect of this series to go to crosspoint.tv to watch the whole Freeway series.

Anyway! This blog post is not about that! It just set my week off to thinking about how much I personally enjoy details and WHY that small thing is responsible for most of my happiness. I feel like I am a very happy person. I'm not ready to divulge all I have and do deal with in my life from childhood to now but you will have to trust that no matter appearances I DO NOT have it all. I have been through a lot in my lifetime. Things maybe others would never imagine of me. I do acknowledge that currently I am extremely lucky and blessed. I will say though no matter how things look on the outside nothing is absolutely perfect for anyone. The one thing from age 5 that I have done is trusted and gone to the Lord when in need.

Back to details. I feel like people who rest in the peace and appreciation of today are happier than those who obsess on what happened to them in the past (even yesterday) or worry frantically about the future.

This led me to this verse:

This morning I got up and I have this "summer cold" or so called mystery respiratory virus going around and it won't go away. The worst time of day is when I wake up with it in the morning. I am no morning person anyway but a scratchy throat and gooked up sinuses doesn't enhance my already challenged morning mood.

I'm the first one up most school days. Even when my husband takes the kids to school some mornings usually once or twice a week (I live for those days!) he says I have to be the one to "get them going". I ask WHY? He says because you can get them going! I can't!

So this morning I know I cannot yell. My throat wouldn't even do it if I was tempted. First of all I would like to say this is something I am working on today (and all the days before). I was a child that threw temper tantrums. I was a fiery child, feisty. I try not to yell as a mom. But when it comes out it is mostly in the morning.....after requesting something multiple times......and running late!

So this morning I asked (quietly) my son to get up. Then asked a few minutes later rubbing his back. Then again putting on radio Disney. Then again (still nicely) when he was asleep with his shorts on and nothing else. I may have guilted a little by saying, "Mommy's throat hurts I don't want to have to yell...."

Eventually I trusted he was in the land of the living and awake and went down to cook breakfast. I was debating the fact that today was Monday and I volunteer Monday mornings. A self inflicted action to simply make sure I get out of my pjs at least on Monday! However this cold was really doing me in still this morning. I sent a quick email that I would volunteer this afternoon (hoping I'd feel better and buying me some time).

I got downstairs with plenty time to spare. So far so good-no yelling or sassing or raising my strained voice.


I made the kids a ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich and used my bread stamp. This is a totally nutritionally unnecessary thing. But this little detail brings me so much joy. The stamp. The fact that it is a novelty. The fact that I was shopping over a year ago with my girlfriend when I found it in Chattanooga. The fact that I can stamp my feelings for my kids on bread. The fact that this is how we are starting our Monday. I love it all.

On the way to school (we made it early in the car-JOY!) I and my daughter started quizzing W on his spelling words. This is our routine everyday until he takes his test on Friday. I do it all day, everyday-spell quite, spell quit, etc when by Wednesday I know all his words by heart. Usually there are a few words he misses and those are the ones we work on all week. Today.....none. He missed none. Not even metamorphosis (the bonus word) which we only worked on for about 10 minutes last night.

I knew that this little detail (him getting all his words correct on Monday) would equal a much easier week this week!

All morning I was on cloud nine thinking how easy this week would be for homework and studying.

As I dropped my kids off at school I felt giddy driving away. I have had this feeling before. Once in highschool after I got my license instead of turning left and following the Rebel footsteps to my school I just on a spontaneous whim kept driving. I kept driving out towards the country where my sister lived 20 minutes away. Yes, I was skipping school. The only time I remember doing it. I didn't plan it. I just did it. I remember clearly the way I felt as I drove past the road I usually turned on. Free! and giddy! And like I had a day of freedom.

This feeling would come again after I became a teacher. If I took a personal day or even a truly sick day after I dropped my kids off as I drove away this feeling would return. Like I was heading off in the open road! Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I'm free at last! Seriously. This is how my brain works.

SO back to today. As I am processing how I feel about this stay at home mom thing I realized as I dropped my son, then dropped my daughter at school as I drove away and approached the interstate this was the recurring feeling I have....every....single....day!

I have about 5 girlfriends who were full time teachers and now stay at home and when they call me in the middle of the day I have this giddy, sneaky feeling we are all skipping school together :) It makes me happy. I can't help it.

This is another verse I rely on to keep my priorities in check, my worries to a minimum, and my joy high. Each day is a gift. Who knows how many I have left here on Earth?

I think when it says wise it means knowing what truly matters in life. You know, not sweating the small stuff.

Heres another version.

So how do I make the most of my mist? I try to take unadulterated joy in the itty bitty easy tiny moments in my life.

Unadulterated-not mixed or DILUTED with any different or extra elements; complete and absolute. Meaning these little (inexpensive) moments not things are ENOUGH. Enough for me. And undiluted as in when you are embracing a joyful moment rebuke those guilty, fearful, shameful thoughts that try to steal your joy. Unadulturated-undiluted, complete, absolute.

Baking things and sharing them with my family :)

washing, drying, and combing out my dog to snuggle with. The phrase from Despicable Me suits my mood after I do this-He's so fluffy!!!!

Surprising my kids. Here are a few of my favorites so far this year.

The day I randomly picked them up after school packed with bathing suits, popsicles, and took them straight to the pool.


The day I picked them up with popcorn and a movie for the ride home.

Last Friday when I picked them up and it was a HOT 93 degrees so I showed up with ICEES and let them finish a movie they hadn't seen in years-Robots.

Sometimes moments just make me laugh inside like when Warner said in pick up line to me through my window, "Mom, I have to wait for you to pull up." And he was on the sidewalk exactly one step from my door...but a fervent rule follower :)

Now that fall is here I am giddy with anticipation because I know a solid red tree will blow my socks off when I see it! An orange leaf will bring me so much simple joy I will pick it up and hold on to it. The sight of pumpkins will make me heart beat faster!

Joy. Simple yet pure unadulterated Joy. Not from shopping, or buying expensive things, not from getting gifts. Just from noticing the details and doing small things each day.

Listen, I am not joyful all the time. I am moody, hormonally challenged, and grumpy. Luckily, my husband and children humor me and embrace my flaws, but I truly believe if I look for misery it is easy to find- However, so is joy. I'd rather look for joy. Don't miss a moment that you can delight in. Don't speed past it. Take a moment to acknowledge that feeling of spontaneously skipping school even if you're driving down the road on a day off. That's what makes me so happy. Nothing big. We struggle like everyone else. We have moved 5 times since we were married. We will move to a different house again after this one....then probably again. We are on a tight budget paying for medschool and school loans for us both among all the debt we collected living off a resident and teacher salary. I can't worry about tomorrow or stress or begrudge what we have to do to make our family ins and outs work. I can only learn to find joy in the here and now and do the best I can today.