Tomorrow's the day our family will be flying to San Francisco to gather with many relatives we haven't seen in decades, to celebrate the boys' only remaining great grandparents' dual 95th birthdays. We are so grateful for the opportunity to go, thanks to saved and gifted mileage points and the generosity of family and friends. Troy and I began our marriage just North of the Golden Gate Bridge, and are excited to return, this time, with six children.
But today, I've spent all day packing, cleaning, sorting laundry, caring for littles, and working to keep myself from succumbing to stress and unrealistic expectations. The day before a significant trip (on a week that has been full and demanding) is not the time to address all the areas of failure in housekeeping, organization, and parenting. And yet, that's exactly the kind of condemnation that pushes in when searching franticly for matching socks and pants without holes, while preparing one's home for a house sitter. Have you experienced this?
As I packed and prepared for a trip with eight people today, all I could think about over and over today was: SIX KIDS IS A LOT. My blood boiled when i entered the boys' closet and realized that, after having just cleaned it out recently themselves, they had allowed it to become a pigsty a chaotic mess again. That all the systems you try for, schedule, assign, give consequences for, encourage with incentives...don't change the fact that they are kids. That they just don't get it right all the time, and it's just flat out exhausting.
I sat in the middle of their closet floor, and just prayed for patience, and remembered...that it takes time. It comes with age.
A perfect world would be where my boys would get their room and closet clean once, realize what a blessing it is, and never-- I mean never-- leave anything out/wadded up/stuffed/disheveled/mismatched ever again. There would be no clean clothes that get thrown into the laundry basket simply because they didn't know if it was clean or were too lazy to check. There wouldn't be nasty gym clothes wedged into unknown crevices between storage bins. There would not be socks and underwear scattered about. They would see the blessing of keeping sock pairs together at all times, and there would never be a scramble to find where that missing shoe is when heading out the door. And certainly, all this would occur overnight--as if a neat and tidy lightbulb went off...finally.
But perfection is an illusion. As is immediate results and children who get it right each and every time.
Perfection does not exist in my own room, in my own expediency, and in my own heart and mind. God's not through with me yet.
And neither is he with my children.
There would be no glowing grandeur of leaves turning if trees were not first fluttering with young and tender foliage...it takes time to become.
It takes time
I'm thankful to squeeze in 5 minutes to post these words and paint this thought. Tomorrow concludes my 31 day series...thank you for sticking with me.
Drawing Close {31 Days of sketching and noting grace through drawing.}
Join me everyday this month for the Drawing Close series.
Day 1: Drawing Close Intro Day 2: A Portrait Day 3: Parts of A Whole Day 4: Be Strong and Courageous Day 5: A World Where There Are Octobers {My Birthday} Day 6: Keep Moving Forward Day 7: Bearing Fruit Day 8: Capturing Life In Motion Day 9: Real (Uncomfortable) Hospitality Day 10: In Process, In Progress Day 11: Beginnings Day 12: Underpinnings Day 13: Rest In Him Day 14: The Mercy of Layers Day 15: Tulips For Morocco Day 16: On His Side Day 17: Dear Soul Day 18: Flowery Beds Of Ease Day 19: Dogwoods Sketch Day 20: Weekend Watercoloring Day 21: Because Love Abounds And We Abide Day 22: The Water To My Color Day 23: Significance of Dogwoods Day 24: By Faith Day 25: The Old Toolbox Day 26: Thankful For Breath Day 27: Number 4 Day 28: Nothing More and Nothing Less Day 29: He Calls Us By Name Day 30: It Takes Time Day 31: