Life

This life with its brokenness and joy, beauty and pain, struggle and strife...

This life with all of the vehicles breaking down around our ears. The lawn mowers and weed-eaters, washing machine, vacuum, dishwasher, computers and refrigerators all waiting for the repair man.

This house with its peeling paint (inside and out) and the huge brick chimney that barley hangs on.  Some days I can almost hear the groaning as it slowly tips back away from the house, pulling up the floor boards as it goes. This house literally bursting at the seams.

These four children of mine; one man-child preparing to fly, one young lady training for womanhood, one girl blossoming to adolescence, one boy, the baby, finding his own voice.

These kitchen floor tiles eating away at my supply of dishes; oh the heaps of broken dishes. This weeks tally: 1 coffee mug, 6 plastic cups, 7 drinking glasses, 1 cereal bowl, 1 saucer.

These silly children that grow too fast to suit me and ask too many questions (in their best British/Australian/Scottish/French accents, of course)  that I cannot answer.

These silly, crazy days so full of fret and worry; days filled to overflowing. Days wherein, I forget to love, be patient, hold my tongue, have mercy or be graceful; awful days where I don't lean on my Father who loves me.

This one room school house with its toppling towers of books and strong willed children. This mama worn and weary trying hard to do the right thing, anxious and excited over all the possibilities.

This faith full family doing Kingdom work.

These chickens that don't lay eggs and two silly pigs with a food budget bigger than our family of six. A farm dog with a thyroid problem and far too many fluffy kittens to suit the Mister. One lonely rabbit whose sole purpose is to produce fertilizer for the garden.

This husband and wife struggling with the daily grind and frustration.

This little hill of clay that I coax to grow more than just blackberry and poison oak. This sad little oasis, where once I dreamed of  glorious gardens I would grow and tend. I see those wild blackberry vines creeping and those shiny leaflets of three and wonder if that dream will ever come to fruition.

This house turned upside down in effort to purge and make space. Space for the school books and space for kids who just need their own corner of this house. A bit of space for the Mr. and space for this girl to make beautiful things again. Such a deep need to be creative again.

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These are the things of life right here and now.