Gratitude Sunday

We're off and running into May!  Hard to believe it starts in two days!  We have a fabulously insane few weeks ahead.  Lots of soccer and concerts, plays, Mother's Day, birthdays, and a visit from Brandon!!  Lots to be grateful for indeed!

For generous friends and family, kind words, LOVE.  For a 13 (almost 14!) year old boy who carries his 8 month old sister from Mass and blesses her with holy water on the way out (melted this mom's heart).  For helpers and hugs,  forgiveness, friendship, God's gentle hand.....

 

For independent toddlers and the siblings that love (tolerate) them, for solid priests who guide their flock with love and care, Mass with my family, a date with my husband (thanks Hannah!), sunshine and warm weather, only TWO more weeks of school!!

 

For "field trips" and soccer and the sound of children giggling.  For all these things and so much more I am GRATEFUL!

 

God's Perfect Plan

The sun bursts through highlighting how dirty the windows and floor are.  Instead I choose to see beauty.  These long days don't leave me much time to wash the floor or the windows.  Keeping up with the laundry, cooking, dishes, schooling, and activities is about enough to fill my 24 hours.  As I got ready for the day today I thought "wow - I'm 20 years in already and when this is *over* I will have been "on the job" for at least 38 years".  It's doubtful I'll get a gold watch and I have no retirement fund.  Some days bring drama on both ends and in the middle too.  Disagreements, hurt feelings, boo boos.  But the beauty of God's plan always overpowers the hurt.
 
There are countless nights when I lay awake wondering "what if". Does having this many children mean that it's more likely one of them will go back to the Father before me?  Does having this many children mean that something tragic will happen?  If God told me "yes, it does mean that" would I change it?  Before I miscarried the first time I thought since I'd had so many successful pregnancies that I would never miscarry.  What a dumb way for me to think!  Would I forfeit the last four children we have (on earth) and the one growing on the inside now to spare myself that pain?  I only had to think for less than a second on those questions.  The answer, without a doubt, was NO. 

When an angry teen or young adult comes at me with their desires, demands, suggestions it can be frustrating and occasionally hurtful.  Can't they see how much I love them and want what's best for them? (Kind of reminds me of some discussions I have with our Heavenly Father, actually).  Can't they see that I would walk to the other end of the earth for them if I had to?  Hurtful words, growing pains, would I change my life to avoid that pain?  No way.  This is the path God has chosen for me.  It's my way to grow in holiness.  I have no idea what tomorrow holds.  I don't know what to expect next month or next year.  I had to learn to let go of the control and let God take the reigns.  Like our children, the control was always in His hands anyway.  The more I fought the more miserable I was.  But then I started listening.  The path is more difficult in some ways but mostly it just feels right.  Often times people will ask me "did you want all of these children?".  I find that to be an interesting (and kind of rude) question.  I wanted to be a teacher.  I wanted to be *successful*, to take fun trips, to decorate my children's rooms in "themes".  I wanted to weigh 120lbs forever.  But I NEEDED these children, this family.  God knew that.  He always knew it. I needed them to show me THE WAY.  I can only hope that I give to them as much as they give to me.  Even through the hard days, the tears, the impatience, the misunderstandings, and the just plain chaos of it all.  God's timing is always perfect.  And I can't wait to see what He has in store for us tomorrow.
  

The Best Days

The BEST days include last minute trips to favorite places with (most) of my favorite people.

The BEST days are when a big sister outfits her little sisters so they can feel more "authentic" and play make believe in magical ways.

 

The BEST days bring smiles and rides and bring back memories from times that have long since passed.

 

The BEST days reunite us with old "friends" that we've missed over the winter (my kids know every animal  on this merry go round.....The BEST days involve siblings and laughter.....

 

 

 

The smell of the steam from the train brings back the BEST memories of family and friends. 
Bonnets that have been worn by all of our girls are still around and enjoyed and loved.

 

The BEST days remind us of God's handy work and the beauty of new life.

 

 

The BEST days involve friends.  Good friends who love us through all of our pain and who share in our joy (the doctor called while we were in line for a ride and gave me fabulous news about the pregnancy!  My friends rejoiced and praised God with me!!)

The BEST days are those when you wake up and think "what's your plan, God?" and He blesses you with sunshine, family, friends, and so much LOVE.  Those days are the BEST.  Thank you, God.  Thank you!

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7

Gratitude Sunday

For spring soccer games (even when it's 50 degrees and windy it's nice for the kids to be outside!!)

Mass, family rosaries, friendship, good will, prayers given, prayers received.....

For new tricks (Josie can sit up on her own now!!)

Fun "toys" and loving siblings.  For finishing books and starting new ones, sunshine, green grass, flowers blooming....New teeth (Josie got one!), and NEW LIFE (Ekblad 13 expected 12/31/2012)

For smiles, laughter, family games, food in abundance, learning new things and rediscovering things we already knew.....for LIFE being so very beautiful and God being so very good.  For all of this I am GRATEFUL!!! 

 

On Truly Being Blessed

Two big bags of clothes were left on our front porch last weekend.  I still don't know who they were from but if it was you thank you and God bless you!  With every last penny accounted for until payday I was hesitant to head to the store and get tomatoes.  Sure, tomatoes aren't pricey but the gas to get there and then maybe I would *need* other things...well, I decided to hold off on that and not two hours later a dear friend showed up with a bag FULL of tomatoes!  God provides.  He always provides.  When our family started growing rapidly I used to spend hours upon hours worrying about where the money would come from.  I didn't worry about immediate needs only, oh no, I had to worry about needs that may or may not come up two, three, even ten years down the road.  What if someone needed glasses?  Or braces?  Maybe we should *stop* at six children or eight.  We had long since past the idea of being able to help them out with college (I hear the gasps but, really, they'll be OK on their own).  I used to worry about school books for the following year.  Not in June like a normal person but I usually started worrying in October the year BEFORE the next school year.  I worried and worried and worried. ALOT.  Then, well, then, I stopped.  Worry did no good.  It made me lose sleep.  It made me crabby.  It made me unable to enjoy the moment, that day, the smiles, the laughter, the hugs, the sticky fingers.  Worry robbed me of my life.  The life that I worked so hard to make enjoyable for everyone else.  God has always provided for us in an abundant way.  Our pantry is overflowing and our fridge too.  Thanks to family and friends I'm quite positive we will never go hungry.  Whenever we have needed help it has literally shown up on our door step like those bags of clothes last weekend.  It's not only monetary help that I'm talking about either.  I'm also talking about prayers and kind words, encouraging notes, and hugs.  Sometimes when I find myself struggling through a day a stranger will make a kind comment to me that really lifts me up.  It's then that I know God speaks through so many people and so many actions.  When I decided to name my blog "Blessed by God" I had no idea how BLESSED I really was or how BLESSED I would be.  That's not to say that times aren't hard or that we don't go without but in the big scheme of things I know how blessed we are. 

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Mt 6:26

Josephine is 8 Months Old!

Time flies when you're having fun....

 

8 months old already.  Josie reminds us everyday that it doesn't matter if you are the 1st child or the 10th, EVERY baby is a BLESSING.  Some people think it gets harder the more children you have.  I think it gets easier.  The LOVE flows, the GRACES abound and you wonder what life was without this precious soul.

You stop sweating the small stuff, the crying, the messes, the diapers....and you
just enjoy the laughter, the smiles, the hugs, the kisses.....

"AWE Josie's smiling" I hear from Cecilia almost daily.  A baby in the house certainly lightens the mood.  I know one day my time with babies (at least my biological babies) will end.  I hope it's not any time soon.  I love having them around.  Every day is an adventure.  A beautifully exhausting, draining, joyful, "how can I do this one more day?" and "how can I not do this forever" kind of adventure.  Thank you, Jesus.  THANK YOU!

 

On Being A Team

"Is there anything I can do for you?" is something I hear frequently in my home.  We have tried to teach our children the value of working together as a team, of "working for the good of all members" as Blessed John Paul II teaches in Theology of the Body.  We have always felt that if we taught our children to work together even if it means one person, at certain times, might be doing more than another person, in the end everyone wins. 

My older children have delighted in being the "tooth fairy" to the younger children many times.  Some of us go to bed to early and are getting a little forgetful so we REALLY appreciate that kind of help.  Some kids hold the baby while I finish dinner or make the beds while I fold the laundry.  These children placed in our care are some of the most helpful people I've had the privilege of knowing.  God has surely blessed us with people that get the bigger picture more than just the "what's in it for me" or "that isn't MY job". 

Sometimes I feel guilty when Hannah changes a diaper or Owen sweeps the floor but then I remember that when they are able to truly give of themselves and do things that is not in the "job description" here, hopefully they will do the same in other groups they are in or teams that they are on in their lives. 

Of course these children are on loan to us from God so I credit Him for sending us such special people.  And their dad is the first one to pitch in on the weekends or after work to help lighten my load.   I'm pretty sure I'm surrounded by the best "team" on earth.  I still remember times when I would take kids to lessons and come back to Brandon having cleaned the entire kitchen or even the house.  It wasn't his "job" but he did it out of love.  It reminds me of Someone Else that did something out of love.  He died for OUR sins.  It wasn't his "job" but He did it.  So who are we to hold back from doing things just because it's not our responsibility?  A good thing for me to ponder on this Tuesday afternoon. 

For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Life Unedited

Today the 11 year old lost her math disk. Again. Today the 3 year old wet her pants at least 4 times. Today I spent about 5 hours in the kitchen. Today someone got pinched, another had their foot run over, and still another got a boo boo so big that it really did require a band aid. Today my prayers weren't what they could have been, I completed some tasks but left still more undone. Today I did my usual 5 loads of laundry plus diapers. The baby isn't wearing a shirt right now (the toddler got chocolate on the shirt the baby was wearing) and her pants are hanging over her seat but aren't yet on her body. There's dinner looming, a soccer game, daddy's working his second job tonight. There are girls crying about other girls who aren't "sharing" (you know, giving them what they want). Today the 11 year old had a "photo shoot" with two of her sisters and then edited the photos (one is seen above). Today I let people down, I'm sure, and didn't do things right. The important things is that I did it with the right heart - I did it with LOVE. I changed the 2 year old's swim suit (which is her new wardrobe) at least 5 times. But each time we got to sing songs and I earned a hug and a kiss. Today I am BLESSED to be here. I am not complaining. God gave me this life and he gives me the GRACE to live it out. I choose if I'm grouchy or not. I choose if I perform these tasks with love or with anger.   Today I choose LOVE.