Carl Larsson One of my favorite artists
“Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing…. Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.”
Ann Voskamp 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
I look for art, books, stories, people who feed my soul, and whose life serves to feed my mind and heart long after I have left them. And so, I love how God has crafted Ann Voscamp into such an artist. Her words feed and deeply touch my soul. I am so grateful she leans her ear toward His voice and then faithfully paints word pictures that express my heart. If you haven’t bought her book, you must be sure to do so. Here is where you may order it.
This summer, I am teaching myself to linger. It is not natural for me, one who is and has been in a hurry for so long. But in the hurry, I have missed the miracles of moments.
Now, however, my every day with my children is a gift. They are vibrant, strong, idealistic, godly, loving, fun and wonderful. They still make messes and even sin once in a while, but oh, what life and beauty permeates my home with their presence. But when they give me a day, I am blessed. All will be gone except for Joy this fall, and so I am trying to groom myself to listen, to look, to love and to really see the miracle before me.
I learned this lesson many years ago on the occasion of a birthday.
On Joy’s fifth birthday, I planned a party that I thought I would please her. Too much effort to clean the house so that the moms of the kids I invited would see an orderly house, kept me from focussing on my precious birthday child. I was Martha-ing about putting out cake, balloons, favors, making finger sandwiches, planning what I thought she would like–all the while looking at the day from the grid my adult eyes.
The children came and in just two hours, they fought over the toys, spilled the red punch on another little girl’s favorite dress, one little boy threw a toy across the room and hit another little girl in the head and made her cry. It was a memory of messes, crying, friction, stress and Joy was unhappy the whole time, feeling that she was trying to please me by staying at the party.
When the all the guests finally left, I heard a “pound, pound, pound of feet running across our deck. I walked out of our kitchen door and glanced into the afternoon shadows playing tag with the fading sun over our mountain, and there was sweet Joy.
Dressed in her old, slightly stained and torn favorite ballet suit, she was running, giggling across the deck with a bubble wand at her head level with bubbles flying out behind her. I stopped and sat on our picnic bench and just gazed at her as the sun went down. For an hour she played and ran and delighted in the beauty of her bubble parade. I took it in, I cherished the picture in my mind, and chastised myself for missing the glory of her beauty and youth in the busyness of my tirades to fulfill my expectations of the party I thought would make her happy.
“Oh, Mommy!” she exclaimed, “This is my favorite time of my whole day! I am having sooooooooo much fun. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful present.”
She climbed into my lap with milk mustache sprinkled with cupcake crumbles, sticky bubble juice on her hair, and snuggled up with a happy sigh.
And so, I melted into her little body, breathing in the atmosphere of her pure-hearted, innocent love. I did then cherish the moment and took the time to take a soul photograph whose imprint will be there forever.
And so tomorrow, before Joel moves away on Thursday, I will live in every moment, celebrate all the sweet fellowship that is right in front of me, no matter how many dishes they use, or whatever noise they make. All of it will be precious and priceless and I redeem the moments for memories to visit next week when they are all gone.
But in the hurry, I have missed the miracles of moments.
That makes me want to cry because it is so true for me.
This is such a beautiful post- the image of your daughter in a tutu twirling just sends me. God gave us a true gift when he gave us children.
Dear Sally,
As I read your words this morning, I felt a lump in my throat… all older children are leaving in the fall. I am praying for beautiful days with each of your children~ the kind that are sealed forever to all of your hearts. Thank you for writing these words to us daily. They are the words from a deep well in your heart and spirit that bubble up from Him who is your Source. When we mamas read your letters, we drink deep from the fountain of life and truth~ Jesus.
Here is a little quote in honor of you today (below). You are the great teacher because you inspire us as mamas to love and nuture our children of all ages. Oh how we thank Him for you, Sally, Love, Ashley
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
William Arthur Ward
Sally, thank you. This post really spoke to my heart. I plan to linger, too. Soak in the beauty of every moment. Contemplating this for months now – this post serves to remind me how precious life is.
Thank you.
Gulp, this was so touching. Thanks for the reminder to cherish these days – I can’t imagine how hard it must be to move into the next season of letting them go. For now, I will try to stay in the moment – thank you!
Courtney
Agreeing with Courtney. How difficult to see your son move away. I am going to cherish these moments! Thank you!!
As I mama with four young children, I SO needed to hear this. It spoke to my heart and blessed this (sometimes distracted) soul. Thank you!
It’s take me till now (52ish) and six children later to start seeing/understanding/ and being in this moment, without rushing to the next. I”m enjoying each moment so much more…
One of my favorite quotes from her book too. It has so feed my soul. Still reading it. I am not rushing through her book …trying to savor it
)
And I just read Ministry of Motherhood a few months ago and your story in it about Joy’s party so effected me too. It comes to mind often when I am shooing my kids to get something done or when they are so engaged in simple play…..I tend to leave them now if I can and just enjoy them there…..or even join them.
So grateful for Ann’s book and your’s too! Grateful that women who so long and love Jesus write out truth for the rest of us.
Thanks for the fresh reminder this morning to enjoy each og my peeps today.
This brought tears to my eyes. I am guilty of Martha-ing through most days, just trying to stay “on top of things.” Thank you for the reminder to slow down and look for the miracles in the moments with my family.
Do you know where we could find a copy of this particular Carl Larsson print?
Ann makes me smile. As I wrote on her Facebook page recently, she is Canada’s Wendall Berry. She is tied with someone else as a favorite author… gosh, I wonder who that could be? Oh, yes… YOU.
Christopher moves out for good in a little over a week. I have embraced the time with him at home… even the cranky days. He told me last night that one of his good friends remarked how fortunate he was to have a mother who loves to spend time with him and see X-Men movies and watch Top Gear on BBCA America with him.
I thought I’m the fortunate one who has a twenty-one year old son who likes spending time with Mom. He moves into an apartment the first week of August and then gets married in May.
I ordered Stephanie a copy of the revised Educating the Whole Hearted Child today with my Amazon credit. Once it arrives, she will no longer be coveting. I think she plans to send the kids to her mother-in-law’s house and read all day.
I don’t know one young-ish mother who doesn’t need this reminder – thank you. In the mess and noise and chaos of the early parenting years it is SO HARD to actually live out this truth – partly because it sure seems like it will last forever sometimes! Every day I wake up to God’s reminders that I get another chance to live and love well today.
Oh! I got a lump in my throat when I read that all the older ones will be gone this fall–my oldest is turning 10 in a few weeks, a milestone for us, and I’m already teary and sighing at the thought of someday when he’s out on his own. I love reading your words, knowing there really are moms who truly enjoy their kids and don’t want to just rush them out of the house–a remnant of moms that’s thinning, I think. Thank you for the reminder to cherish every moment. I am so glad I found you when my oldest was just a little toddler, because your words of wisdom in having gone before me has saved me from so many regrets later on!!
Blessings to you tomorrow Sally; I’ll be thinking about and praying for you.
Sarah
I am a Martha…I just did this on my 5 year olds birthday in November. I was so wretched my friend told me “Military Sherri” showed up (Sherri’s my first name). Although it was funny, it was also sad to realize I had not only not savored the moment, but ruined her party. I needed this as a reminder to stop and “smell the roses” as it is so easy to slip back into Martha mode.
Thank you Sally, for constantly encouraging me to change and grow.
You and I had the same thoughts today. Thank you for helping me to stay focused on loving my three littles three and under. I’m learning, and today I just sat and soaked in watching their play time and letting them put flowers they found in my hair… it was beautiful. A soul picture indeed
It is too easy in the nitty gritty of life, the training, the sin issues, the sibling frustrations and ALL that we face in life to get caught, stuck missing out on the beauty of the moments isn’t it? What blessings we experience when we pull back and enjoy the voice, the giggle, the little lives that we get to invest in and usher into the presence of God. It’s humbling and wonderful. It’s a willful choice every day isn’t it Sally? We have to make that choice daily. Even overlooking the minor irritations and see them in light of eternity. Hummm. I constantly need the reminders to soak in these days. What a gift these little people are! Thank you for the reminder.
LOVE this post! And Carl Larsson is one of my new favs as of late too!
thank you Sally for this beautiful post! My children are 8 and 12 and they are growing up so fast! Thanks for the reminder to linger at every season…I just love your blog it is VERY encouraging!
I simply must have a copy of that painting!!!
Any idea where to find one?
Thank you for this post, also. My oldest is 10, and I can’t figure out where in the world the time has gone. Each week flies by, and the months and years even faster. Thanks for the reminder to slow down.