Wednesday, August 3, 2011

On to the beach

I think that getting to stay home and be a mom is the best thing in the whole world. Sometimes my days get wrapped up in laundry and dishes and cleaning up another mess-trying to bring something like order to my surroundings. But the moments that really make me breathe deeply and inhale are all of the magical little moments that I would miss if I was more focused on the order and less on the joy in the chaos.

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My sis and I had not packed towels, or swimsuits, or anything really, to deal with 4 soaked,sand covered, and shivering children after a dip in the Pacific Ocean. Did I mention this was the first stop of a day in the car? I didn't think they would get in because it was cold-I was cold! But I should have known better. The allure of water, waves, and sand is too strong of a siren. (flashback to a sunny November day a few years ago in Colorado when I went out to the backyard to discover a 20 gallon trash can full of leaves, water, and two children in their underwear!)

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Aidan told me the other day that when people ask him on the playground why he tries such daring things, he tells them it is because he doesn't want to be safe, he wants to be alive, to experience life. (my paraphrase)

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I hope this day brings you moments when you can take a break and breathe in the joy in the midst of the mess.

1 comment:

  1. I love this! I read in a book recently where a stay-at-home-mom of 5 children ages 5 and under called the state of her house something like what you see "at the bottom of a toaster." I thought that was hilarious...and exactly what my apartment looks like. But we have so much more fun on the days I'm not stressed out trying to clean it all up! So it really IS a joyful mess!

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