Monday, February 9, 2015

Day 153: Appreciation

It's finally happened!  That moment we have heard about and all been waiting for to happen.  That glorious moment when your adult child comes home from college and says "I miss living in a house that is so clean.  This kitchen is so clean.!"  Ok, well that might not be exactly the words you've been longing to hear, but the greater instance here is the fact that YES, your children will, someday, appreciate their parents!!

It tickled me to hear it.  Especially since our son was often pointing out areas where our house could use some sprucing up a bit.  He's been away at college just a little over a full semester and he was pleased to come home for a visit this weekend......to a clean house.  Much, much cleaner than his current living conditions- an apartment, loaded with 3 guys.  Messy guys.  Busy and messy guys.  He even went as far as to mention appreciation for his sisters and the "sharing" of the cleaning load that he used to have with them.  He put smiles on all of our faces with that comment!

So to all the parents out there.......who are currently feeling strapped and overwhelmed with the cleaning chores of running a happy home--fear not.  Your child WILL ONE DAY appreciate the cleanliness and efforts on your part to keep the house clean!

I always heard people say that one day your kids will grow up and appreciate what you did for them.  It's very nice to witness that moment and hear them express those feelings of gratitude in person.  

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Day 152: I remembered!

Ok. Well , my last post didn't end well.  At least, it didn't end with an actual POINT.  That is when I left my brain for a second and recollected my thoughts and then BAM, WHAM, it hit me.  Like I knew it would.  See that's the thing with an aging brain.....it comes and it goes.....you have these great ideas.....and eh eh eh....they are here one day.....boom, you turn around and they're gone the next.  Sometimes it's not even gone before the day's end but yo get the idea.  

But this idea was spawned from a dear lady I follow on social media who calls herself Momastery.  She is an author and speaker and such.  She is spiritual and inspiration and REAL.  Mostly REAL.  That's her appeal, I think.    Anyway--her post was this:

Hell hath no furry like a child catching you throwing out ANYTHING, EVER!  I smuggle out broken crayons, like a Mexican Drug Lord!


Well that just triggered a bunch of flashbacks!  I suddenly saw myself being the young aunt who went around the apartment.....snatching my nieces play things as my sister (their mom) was running around on a rampage, pillaging their prized possessions in the name of CLEANING UP!  Oh so funny.  Not to my nieces, but now as I look back.  I'm sure I've had my share of those same mom moments, but at the time, I was so tender hear-ted that it saddened me to see my sister tossing items just because they weren't neatly put away.  Items that the children truly treasured and were sad to see "go".  I felt victorious in my quest to save those items from "THE PILE" or the trash.  Now, I'm sure I was similar in my manic mom moments.  Similar rants occurred over frivolous messes.  If only we had the wisdom early on in our parenting adventure.....that this too shall pass.  This mess, which is currently encompassing our home....will soon be a vacant memory of a fun, toy--mess-filled childhood that we long to see and hear again!  Oh, oh, oh if only.  I would certainly go back and CHILL OUT over the messes that stressed me out in days gone by.  I would certainly NOT have stressed so much.  But what in the world did I think was so important and VALUABLE about having super-uber clean rooms anyway??   Eh!  Now, when I knew better, I do better.  I am still kind of a clean freak- ok.  but I am certainly not as obsessive, control-live, or disorderly as I used to be.  Thank GOD!  Thank God I've learned and Thank God, I've grown.  WISDOM my friends, it's purely God given WISDOM that I have to thank for my gaining the grip on obsessive compulsive cleaning rampages of my younger years. 

Day 152: Wow is this really my first post of 2015?

I'll just let the title of this post stand for itself!  WoW!  Is this really my first new post of 2015???  So, I managed to make it through the holidays without posting??  I'm sure I thought about it.  I'm sure I even had plans to do it.......but the Christmas break is just so short....and let me just add that our sweet son was home from college for a whole month so it was wonderful!!!  I 
 really had so many ideas for posts over the Christmas season but alas,,,,,,,,I did not get to them.  Oh well, here we are in January.  All new and fresh with the new year and ready to post on!
I had so many inspirations too!  Just the sweetness of my son who is now a working man, and he took it upon himself to purchase gifts for his family this year!  I was so touched by this sweet gesture and felt that he has definitely inherited our love for Christmas spirit in a way that we would have desired--doing for others and giving of others over desire for self!  Perfect.  Just perfect. I could not ask for a better son.  He is everything I ever wanted in a son.  Loving, caring, smart, hard working, funny.....oh so funny!!  And on and on.  But this year he really impressed us with his passion for the spirit of the season and his gift giving style.  He was dead on with each gift!  Giving just what that person would have wanted but never thought to pen down on a list.  That's the magic of Santa and the spirit of the season.  
So onward to our wonderful holiday celebration.  It was long and slow and fast and smooth at times, but it always held us closer and tighter together, which is what I absolutely LOVE about the breaks.  They give us time together as a family, to refresh and reconnect.  They give us bonding time like no other time of the year.  Oh holidays---how special you are!
And then we come to the return of school and return to the grind of daily routines.  Ugh.  Just ugh.  Not that we don't all love our lives and daily routines......it's just that those precious times "off" together are so dearly treasured!!!!  
But we've managed to get back in the swing of things alright.  

I did want to post on a few points that I'd had recently hit me in the face!  They were inspired from some recent posts I follow and they truly made me stop and reflect (which, in my spinning brain--is a welcomed thing!).  And brings me to my next portion......I FORGOT!  Yes--I truly had a couple (at least) of posting ideas spawned by inspiration from my spiritual "friends" and yet.....I've already forgotten what they were!!!  Oh my.  The joys of an aging brain (at least that's what I'm going with here.).  So, if you keep up with this.....  I'm sure the thoughts will return and I'll be back posting some enlightening thoughts.  Until then.  Happy New Year!!!