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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Mission of "Power of a Family"

My life as a mom doesn't neatly coordinate with the ideal world painted in my mind.  Do you ever feel that way?

Our rare vacations aren't exotic.  My pie crusts are crumbly.  Our pilates ball is mostly used for rolling up and down the stairs.  Our walls have multiple chips in the paint.

And I don't always have great lighting or beautiful backdrops to help document my totally ordinary daily routines.

I ask my sons to gather the trash from the upstairs bedrooms, and they decide to hang the garbage bag on my ceiling fan and see what happens if they swing from it.  (Can you relate?)

I'm not giving up on (or putting down) this ideal life I imagine, and I'm sure someday I'll have a cute kitchen and maybe a trip to Europe.

But what I need after a long day of messes, meals, interruptions, and squabbles is to feel relief.

I need to know that my efforts are worth it.  And I need to know that all my work is enough.

Mostly, I need guidance, confidence, and tools to spend my time on what is most important.

Because so much of what I yearn for--the images that please the eye and leave me feeling utterly and devastatingly inadequate-- is completely unnecessary.

What is necessary are people, relationships, and family.

Far too often, however, I get distracted by superficiality, the inundation of emails, and the siren song of social media.   I miss out on the true happiness that is ALREADY EXISTING right around me. 

I want to live better.

I want to kneel down by the couch and fold dish towels while my ten-year-old cartwheels all over the living room.  And I want to hold her tight when she wants to talk about her friend at school whose mom passed away from cancer this year.

I want to ride our little tandem bike home from the kindergarten pick-up and let the wind blow in my face while my son and I race down the hill--cherishing his voice while he yells, "Faster, Mom!  Faster!"

I want to chop sweet peppers and celery with my nine-year-old and let him excitedly tell me all about the characters in the book he's read four times this month.  

And sit cross-legged on my teenager's bed while we brainstorm ideas for her science project . . . and then sit quietly and really listen when she changes the subject and lets all her concerns and insecurities spill out.

I want to savor this messy, noisy, unpredictable life.

You do, too.  Am I right?

So let's share our imperfections, discuss our best ideas, and help each other to keep our focus.

Big things are expected of us, and there is a Power beyond our own who will guide us toward solutions--in a way that will never overwhelm or discourage us. 

Building a powerful family, with God as our Guide, makes life beautiful and leads to true happiness.

This is my goal, and I'm dedicated to achieving it. If you want to join me, it will be so much more fun to do this together.









4 comments:

  1. Sweet post April! Crumbly pie crusts? I dont' even try.. I buy my crusts made or the pie, for that matter! Hahaha, but I do feel ya - I felt a little butt hurt when nobody ate my Costco purchased red velvet cake and pumpkin pie until all the homemade stuff was done. Oh well, life's too short to worry about such things! I'm sure there are things you're awesome at that isn't always boasted through the world of social media. Sometimes I laugh at the things people post on Instagram and I keep my friends down to about 50 (wish I could delete more but then I'm afraid someone will care), and I avoid facebook (go on about once every two weeks and limit it to about 10 minutes) and I only use Pinterest when I need it (which is not umm everyday.. really, who has time for that?!) Anyway, I feel ya and I've got no solution but I love your suggestion and I believe in it!

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  2. You have such a great perspective, and I think I need to pull back from the online world a little more often. It's been challenging for me since I run a website, and so much of my time is spent working with other sites (where I see all the things I wish I could do!). You are wonderful, Daisy, and we would have totally eaten your red velvet cake first. :)

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  3. well count me in!
    my imperfections: I waste too much time on the computer, I yell at my kids, I am way too hard on my oldest child, I do more then I should around the home because it is just easier if I do it then fight the kids, etc. Many , many more, but I will stop there.
    I can't think of any best idea's. Things that I feel work great for me and my family have come from other's idea's, sometimes tweaked to fit our family.
    And thank you for post's like this that help me keep my focus. :)

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  4. Thanks for sharing! I smiled when I read that you "do more than you should around the home." My husband has been telling me that a lot lately. And he's totally right. We're working on it, right?

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