Bigger Picture Moment: Joy in the Repetitive

The familiar notes of a jazz flute float thru the speakers…as the next track on the CD begins to play. I look in the rearview mirror to see Joycie’s tiny face split into a grin that I swear spans ear to ear.

As the beat picks up, she begins to clap her hands and kick her feet into the air. I have come to learn this is how she dances – or at least how she dances while strapped into her car seat.

I chuckle softly at the excitement that she shows. We have listened to this track five times this morning, and each time she acts so surprised to hear it, and then reacts with such joy.

While she dances, and the singer sings of God’s glories……I wonder why I can not find such joy in the repetitive things of my life. Lately, life has been a cycle of work, working out, worship, and not much else. I find myself growing discontent, restless, – dare I say bored by the routine.

“Lord, I would love to find joy again.” I think as I drive.

“Then choose to embrace it.”

As God’s child, I can never lose my joy – as all of my hope rests in Christ. However, I can choose whether or not to live out my joy. So as I dropped Joycie at daycare, and pulled into my usually parking spot at the office, I made a choice to embrace the joy.

It was another day at work…..but I joyfully danced my way thru.

Wordless Wednesday: Playing in Mama’s Makeup

Daily Gratitude: Vacation

Last week I turned 29, and blogged about how I was going to update daily with something that I was grateful for…..um, yeah….that didn't happen.

 

It's not that I do not have a myriad of things to be grateful for but rather I have little time to capture the moments in this medium. I file the memories away in the corners of my mind and my heart with every intention of sharing them each evening. But there is dinner to make, aerobics class to teach,  a little girl who wants me to spin her around the living room while we listen to praise music, and a handsome husband's whose strong arms beckon me to cuddle just a few more moments…..and so I don't turn on my computer, download the picture, and release the torrent of words that I wish to share.

In the past, I would have felt guilty, offered my profuse apologies and vowed to get back on track. However, I am learning that I often make grand plans and promises that I can not keep.  Instead, of re-pledging to post daily, I am simply going to tell you that over the next year I will be sharing my moments of gratitude.

 

Let's start now. I am grateful for my upcoming vacation. Spring and summer are very busy seasons for our family. Since we own a blueberry farm, we spent March, April, and May carefully tending the blueberry fields – watering, fertilizing, pruning, weeding, and protecting those tender buds from late spring frost.  As the May flowers begin to wilt under the June heat, the blueberry bushes bring forth their fruit and "picking season" go into full swing.

 

For you non-farmer types, picking season is the 6 to 8 weeks where the crop is ripening and we spend every spare second we have working to bring that crop to market.  Picking season is hectic on full-time farmers, but for us full-time farmers with full-time real jobs it is utter chaos. A normal week during picking season, has the men of the family on tractors from 5:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. or later.  My sister-in-law, mother-in-law and I like to joke that we are "widows" during picking seasons, as we only see our husbands long enough to say good morning, scarf down a bite of supper, and good night.

 

Picking season can leave me feeling disjointed and disconnected from M. And so, each year we plan a week long escape at the end of the season. It is a time to reconnect and regroup both as individuals, as a couple, and now as a family.

 

This year, M and I are taking Joycie to Chattanooga. We have rented a cabin just 45 minutes south of the city.  It's a quaint two room cabin situated on a shimmering lake.  We have plans to take Joycie to the Tennessee Aquarium and the Chattanooga Zoo. But those are the only plans we have made. We intend on spending the rest of the time just hanging out – lounging in our pajamas while enjoying a pancake breakfast, taking long walks around the lake, and maybe dancing around the living room.

 

 

17 Months

 

Dear Joycie,

You are now 17 months old….and becoming quite the active little girl. As always, we will begin your letter with your stats:

• You are 40 inches long and weigh 22 pounds.
• You are wearing size 18 month bottoms, size 12 month bottoms, and size 4 shoes.
• You have 10 teeth.
• You are still in size 3 diapers….and I am thinking you are going to be in those sizes for quite some time.

Your vocabulary continues to grow. This month you’ve learned to say ‘No, no, no’, stop, shoes, oustide, ahts –at (what’s that).

You can point out various body parts including your hair, head, teeth, tongue, hands, arms, feet, and tummy. When asked you can make the sounds of dogs, cats, cows, and ducks.

If we had to choose your favorite toy, the Dora the Explorer guitar and microphone would win. You love to play with them, dancing and singing along to the music. However, you love being outside more than anything.

Daddy is in the process of building you a swingset so that you can enjoy the hot pink swing that Nana and Papa bought for you.  When you aren’t swinging, you like to explore the yard – picking up sticks, rocks, and dirt.

At school, your teachers say you are very loving. Each afternoon when Mama picks you up, you give your teachers hugs, blow kisses to your classmates, and tell everyone we pass bye-bye.

You are a constant source of joy for us.  The silly faces you make, the funny noises, and your infectious laughter warm our hearts so much.

Love,

Mama & Daddy

30 Before 30

 

At 5:59 a.m., I turned 29 years old and officially entered the last year of my twenties. Up until a few days ago the thought of entering this “last year” had not crossed my mind. Then suddenly I was hit with an overwhelming urge to create, do, be and experience more – as though the life I have right now is somehow not enough or that once I turn 30 I would be unable to achieve any measurable goals. 

Since I am 100% blessed to have the life I am living – a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, a job I love, a nice home, car, and my health – I pushed aside the idea of creating the list…..and moved on.

However, in the quiet moments of the day, I felt myself once again needing to write this list. A conversation with a dear friend helped me to see, that creating a “30 Before 30” list does not mean I am unhappy with who I am now. Rather, the list gives me direction and focus in what can often be a busy, hectic and demanding life. 

Therefore, I am submitting to the blogging world my “30 Before 30” list.

1. Dance in the rain with Joycelen.
2. Take a week day off from work, have M do the same, and spend the entire day at home with Joycie. (Bonus points if we spend the whole day in our p.j.s)
3. Run a 5K race with Mikey.
4. Run a 5K race with my running group in each of the 4 seasons.
5. Run a 10K .
6. Complete a half marathon.
7. Run a 5K race with my running group in each of the 4 seasons.
8. Attend a Nascar Race
9. Attend a professional football game.
10. Take dance lessons.
11. Try at least 1 new recipe each month.
12. Taking a cooking class with M.
13. Visit at least 2 states that I have never been to before.
14. Take a mission trip to another country. However, if this can not happen a mission trip to another state will be fantastic.
15. Start a children’s choir at my church.
16. Take an unplanned, uncharted, unknown roadtrip with M & Joycie.  Just load up in the car and go.
17. Chase lighting bugs with my nieces and nephews.
18. Spend an afternoon listening to my grandmother tell family stories. Record these on video.
19. Treat my Mama to a spa day.
20. Spend a day fishing with my Daddy.
21. Treat my sister to a girl’s day out - mani’s, pedi’s, a little shopping, and a nice lunch.
22. Complete a bike race.
23. Ride in a “poker run” with M.
24. Find something to be grateful for every day for the next year. Post a picture of the item on my blog.
25. Practice random acts of kindness. The goal is at least one each month for the next year.
26. Have something that I have written be published in a newspaper,  magazine or online.
27. Research, begin, and if possible earn my personal training certification.
28. Take a digital photography course.
29. Spend the day playing tourist in my tri-county area. Visit the attractions that bring out of town folks to the area.
30. Read at least 1 new book each month.  A new book can be defined as either a newly published work or an old work that I have never read.

Letters to Joycie - How to Handle an Exhausting week

Dear Joycie,

 

As you grow older, you will experience days and possibly weeks where it appears that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Those are the weeks that will test your patience, your strength, and your faith.  Daddy and I, and I suppose you as well, are in the midst of one of those weeks right now.  So I thought it wise to document this time in our life - and how we are handling things. Perhaps, someday far into the future, you can read this letter and it will encourage you thru your own difficult time.

 

Last Friday, you woke up with a flushed cheeks, a warm torso, and an insistent cry for juice.  My Mama instincts went into overdrive and I immediately checked you for a fever.  The thermometer read 99.1 – a low grade fever but enough to keep you home from daycare. Without any vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, or copious amounts of snot, your Daddy and I deduced that you were likely teething.  A quick check of your mouth revealed two new teeth trying to break thru your gums.  Feeling secure in our diagnosis, we gave you some medicine and sent you to your Nana's for the day.

 

By Friday night, the fever has disappeared, and you were once again our happy, playful girl.  I was certain that the worst was behind us. I couldn't have been more wrong.  Saturday afternoon saw your fever increase to 102. Nana Becki, who happens to be a nurse, made a house call and told us to start alternating Tylenol and Motrin every two hours to control the fever.  As the afternoon gave way to evening, your fever kept climbing, and by 1:00 a.m. the thermometer was reading 104.  Daddy and I were bathing you with cool cloths, giving lots of fluids, and praying over you.  At 3:30, exhaustion overtook you and Daddy, and I sat up watching the two of you sleep. I continued to pray over you – as my heart was fearful and I felt utterly helpless. 

 

With the first streaks of sunlight pouring thru the window, I felt your cheek and was so relieved to feel it cool.  It appeared the fever had broken.  You woke up smiling, ate a great breakfast, and played all day long.  But as Sunday evening came, the fever returned. It was another night full of alternating meds, cool baths, and prayers. 

 

Daddy stayed home with you Monday. And you remained nearly fever free. Tuesday came and Nana Becki took you to the doctor, where you were diagnosed with a sinus infection.  The doctor gave you some medicine and said you should be on the mend soon. Yesterday, we sent you to school, and you were so excited to see your teachers and friends. When I came to pick you up, you didn't want to leave.  I was relieved to see that you were feeling better.  However, I noticed that you had the beginnings of a rash on your neck. I began to check you out and quickly realized that the rash was covering you from head to toe.  On top of everything else, Joycie, you've now developed an allergy to penicillin.  We are waiting on a new antibiotic and hopefully we can put a close to this long, exhausting week.

 

Daddy and I are tired.  This week has been full of trials. However, we have managed to make it thru them relatively unscathed.  So what did we do?  

 

1. We prayed - I can not stress enough that pray needs to be a vital part of your life.  This week we've prayed for your healing, strenghth of us, peace, and admittedly - that we could get more sleep.

 

2.  We played - On Monday, Daddy stayed home with you. He spent his time encouraging you to play with your toys. And he says that it helped you to feel better.

 

3.  We sought stress relievers - For Mama, that meant having a good cry in the shower on Sunday morning. For Daddy that meant a long nap with you. And for all of us, a nice long walk on Monday afternoon.  

 

Joycie - I would love nothing more than to spare you all pain, heartache, and the storms of life. However, just as I was unable to lower your fever, I can not keep trouble from your life. Instead, Daddy and I will work to teach you how to handle the difficult times.  And above all else, please know that we are always here if you need us.

 

Love,

 

Mama and Daddy

16 Months

 

Dear Joycie,

Another month, another letter – one more attempt for Daddy and I to capture all the memories that we want to cherish for years to come.

Let’s start out with your monthly stats:

• You are wearing 18 months tops and 12 month bottoms. The 12 month bottoms are still big in the waist, but it is mostly because you are so long.
• You are holding steady in size 3 diapers.
• You now have 10 teeth – cutting 6 in the last month and ALL at the same time.

Your vocabulary continues to expand. In the last month, you have learned to say “No, no, no”, “Shh”, “Amy”, cup, and juice.  You are also learning the various sounds that the animals make.

You absolutely love music. At VBS last week, you climbed on stage every night to dance with Mama as we led the worship music. In the car, you point at the radio and insist that I turn it on….and then happily clap your hands and kick you feet in time with the music.

You are quite the little ham…..you love to make silly expressions and funny noises so that you can be the center of attention.  You are also growing more and more inquisitive – exploring the world around you.  You especially love to be outdoors – where you can play with rocks, sticks, and anything else you find in the yard.

As bittersweet as it  may be, Joycie, we have to say that you are growing into an amazing little girl!

Love,

Mama and Daddy