sunsets and these moments of sweetness just make everything in life sooo worth it for me! they really do. favorite things on this planet, yes and yes!
and oh, those two babes of mine! they’re my reason to get up every morning. they keep me going! they make me laugh and smile even when i’m feeling bummed. they inspire me with their innocent spirits. they keep my priorities and my perspective straight. they see the beauty in a weed and laugh at jokes that aren’t dirty. [although, toot-toot jokes are a big hit right now, and i am not helping at all when i laugh, too!] they’re my motivation for things like clearing horrible rap songs off my computer that i downloaded in high school, as i finally absorb things my mom always said growing up like, “trash in trash out,” and something about feeding your good dog. and even when the days are so long, they’re still just better.
my little humans are by far who i want to spend each day with. they’re good company, i tell ya! [if only their daddy wasn’t off to work so much of the time!] but also, they are the future and my most important work, regardless of the respect or monetary income that being a “housewife” or “stay at home mom” might get. so, if you peek into my life and assess that i’m a big floppy failure [i feel like that often], just trust me. there’s nothing i’m falling short on that i don’t notice… but life is work and it forces you to prioritize.
so!! i have really just come to the realization that if you’re exhausted by the end of a long, regular day doing what you are passionate about, the bulk of which is snugly sandwiched between coffee and wine [praise hands for both]… you’re probably doing it right. life wasn’t meant to be easy… and i certainly don’t expect easy! but what i work and hope and pray for is a life that is fulfilling.
i have always worked really hard to be happy. it’s been important to me for years… i like being happy! but there’ve been so many times when i wasn’t happy, that i felt guilty, because i felt like people around me wanted and expected me to be happy. and then it occurred to me that happiness is so often a surface-level emotion. so, these days, i am no longer solely seeking happiness, but i am investing in joy! a fulfillment that runs much deeper, that comes not so much from doing what is fun but more from setting your sights on what is right and true and good… and with all my heart i believe that savoring, cherishing, and thanking God for the smallest, simplest things in your day is a huge part of that path.
“christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the holy spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of christ in the word and in the world.” -john piper
watching my little ones frolic and hug in the golden beams of a beautifully setting sun? yep. pretty much nails it for me. thank you, Jesus. 🙂
Amen to this – love this reminder!!
xoxoxo!!
awww yes!! love everything you wrote and wholeheartedly agree! these babies really do make life so rich – they are such a gift. what you wrote reminded me a lot of one of my fave quotes from cs lewis:
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
thank you sooo much for sharing that, beauty!! AMEN! i love cs. <3
100% love you both! amen amen.
love you, babe!!!!
You're so right mama! And how easy to find joy when you look into their darling faces!! I mean I know it isn't all easy and the toot toot jokes aside but it's lovely. Just the same.
they keep me going in every way and i am so grateful! i think back to when i didn't have them and i woke up alone every morning and i just did not do well with that. hashtag… DEPRESSING!
[alone because my husband was at work starting at dawn's crack… haha. in case that sounded weird]