It has been a relentless season year two years of change, challenge, and growth for our family. You may have suspected as much by my lack of presence here. Rather than writing fourteen posts about all that has happened (assuming your heart’s desire is not to hear every detail of my life), I’m taking my friend Sandy‘s advice and sharing 10 things I’ve learned.
1. Working moms are amazing!
I don’t say this because I’ve been all-so-amazing at it, but because I pretty much flopped. I could not find the balance. My family suffered because of my lack of ability to “show up” for them. So if you see a working mom who is making it work, give her a hug (or better yet, a ready-to-serve meal and a bottle of wine).
By the end of this week, I will no longer be at my job. I loved the work and my co-workers, but it needed more of me than a mother of five should be giving. There were more blessings than I can count, but I’m looking forward to the blessings of meeting my family’s needs once again.
2. God loves our obedience.
This doesn’t always happen, but often enough that I’ve begun to see a pattern… God speaks, I listen (sometimes more quickly than others), and He rewards me for obeying. Within a couple weeks of giving notice on my job I was blessed with a different job that will work for our family much better and two speaking engagements – one local and one out-of-province speaking.
3. I can contribute financially without sacrificing a clean house, balanced meals, and well-loved children and husband.
My new part-time position is at our church, assisting our Women’s Pastor. It’s ten hours per week, many of which can be done from home, and I’m welcome to bring my kids there anytime it’s necessary. My two upcoming speaking engagements have provided me with more than generous honoraria. And besides the speaking time, all the work for those is done right here in front of my computer.
4. Kids are stinkin’ expensive!
After nearly two years of no activities, we’ve taken the plunge and registered the kids. Then we purchased the necessary equipment for their lessons. Then we started buying more food because they’re all starving…
5. Free healthcare isn’t always all that free.
Dental surgery times two kids. Counselling bi-weekly for whoknowshowlong for another. Two hearing aids and an FM system for yet another. Somehow, none of these much-needed services fall under the “free” category.
6. Never tell God never.
If you tell Him you’ll never do something, He may just see that as a challenge to change your heart. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that God is a taskmaster who makes us do things we hate as a way of serving Him. But I do think He loves us too much to allow us to remain stubborn and set in our ways.
I may have uttered the words, “I am SO not a homeschooling mom!” one more occasions than I can count. But I have now been schooling one child at home for two whole weeks!
7. Kids can be cruel.
The reason we decided it was time to remove Abbey (11) from her current school environment.
8. True friends love you even when you abandon them for two years.
Thank you to my friends for welcoming me back into the fold after I’ve been unavailable for the longest time. Thank you for forgiving me (without me even asking) for stinking at being there for you, bringing you meals, laughing and chatting at girls’ night, and all the other joys and pains I’ve missed out on. Which really brings me back to #1…
9. My husband is my best friend.
It’s hard to find a man who will take up the vacuuming when you go to work, who will tell you (so kindly) when he thinks it’s time for you to stop working, and who will still do the vacuuming after.
10. God is always there.
The past year has been rather spiritually dry for me. I haven’t connected with God in my usual way (early morning prayer and Bible study) hardly at all. Yet every time I’ve reached out to him with my “Twitter prayers” (you know, 140 characters or less), He has been faithful to respond. He’s shown me how His hand has been over me during this difficult season of attempting to be a working mom; He’s shown so many blessings that have come from that season. When I’ve been discouraged He’s sent encouragement. When I’ve messed up He’s made repairs.
And now, He’s bringing new life. Resurrection. I once again have a sense of hope and excitement for what the future holds. I’m finding joy in the making of a home (all it takes is a couple years of not being able to do this to remind a girl what a gift it truly is). I’ve returned to writing blog posts in my head all day long, eager for the time to sit down and clack on the keys.
So tell me, what have you been up to lately? 
