Professional Juggler?

By -
I've been thinking recently about how much my job as a mom (of three young kids spaced evenly 19 months apart) resembles that of a juggler.

Now, I don't know much about juggling but I know it takes concentration, practice, and it's all about timing.  In my stage of life that's how I feel.

It takes a lot of concentration - that is mental and physical energy.  A mom is always "on".  Even in the wee hours of the night.  :)

It also takes practice.  Thankfully, we can get better with practice.  We figure out what works best for us and our family.  We get to know each kid, their personality, their interests better each day.

And it's all about timing.  This is a big one for me these days.  Once one ball is set in motion (a kid is fed, put down for a nap, etc) you've got to set another in motion.  And you have to make adjustments if one ball comes down too quickly or stays up too long. And you can't really take your eyes off of any of the balls in a given moment or they might all come crashing to the ground.  Some jugglers are skillful at juggling different kinds of balls at the same time.  These may have various weights and sizes.  So it is with a handful of kids who are different ages and with different skill levels and needs.

So, I'm learning to juggle nap schedules, feeding times, family activities, chores, meals, etc as I strive to live each day in thankfulness for this wonderful job of motherhood that God has blessed me with.  I'm thankful He doesn't leave me alone and without resources or encouragement to figure out how to improve my juggling skills.

David, 3 1/2 yrs.



Emily, 22 months


Lucy, almost 3 months (guess I don't have a recent picture with her)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Debriefing and Renewal

By -
Image
Luke and I had the opportunity to attend a DAR (Debriefing and Renewal) seminar the last week of July.  It was held at Mission Training International in Palmer Lake, Colorado.  This program was for any missionaries who had spent time on the mission field and were coming back to the US for a time. Topics included: stress, burn-out, soul care, healthy goodbyes and hellos, etc. We took this week as a wonderful gift from God.  We were very thankful that an anonymous donation came in to pay for more than half the cost of the conference!  And an added blessing was that our kids could spend the week with their Grammie and GrandDad, leaving us with kid-free meal times and evenings - a great chance to hang out with others or process what we'd been learning each day.   Though the program is pricey, we found it very helpful and would highly recommend it to any missionary who has spent any amount of time on the mission field.  It is so well worth it.  He...
Read more

The best things in life

By -
Image
In preparation for taking communion last Sunday, one of the elders of our church posed this question: "Are the best things in life earned or received ?" Immediately I thought of the best things in my life: my husband, my kids, God's overwhelming love, and Christ's salvation. And then I thought: There is no way I earned (or deserve) my husband's love.  He loves me for who I am, flaws and all.  He loves me no matter what kind of day I've had, the way I have treated him, or if I have failed in some area. And then my kids.  They are pure gifts!  Yes, they are definitely received....received with much gratitude, awe, and trepidation at the weight of the responsibility to raise them. And finally, God's amazing love and grace displayed through His gift of His Son.  Not earned, but received.  Because a gift, a true gift, is received, not earned.   I've lived much of my life trying to attain some degree of perfection or acceptance from o...
Read more

A Small Detail

By -
Image
One of the tiniest things I brought with me when we moved back to Nicaragua in June was this little nut.   If you have done any kind of move overseas (and especially with kids!) you know that little things like this rarely get packed.  Especially as you wade through all of your "decision-requiring stuff": clothes, shoes, books, DVD's, papers, kitchen stuff, that random broken thing, that paper clip or magnet, that thing you forgot you had and maybe you would use it now that you found it, and on and on. It takes months of sorting, selling, giving away, packing, etc to finally be prepared with those bags that are only supposed to be 40 lbs.  Granted, this nut weighs nothing but how did it make the cut?  Better yet, how did I not lose track of it in an international move?        I'm not exactly sure how to answer the above questions but this I do know: though little in size, this nut reminds ...
Read more