Ten Good Things
Today was a terrible, terrible day. Some days are like that, I know. But I can't end the day with that taste in my mouth. I always feel like I've wasted one of the precious few days I've been given in this season, long though they may be. I used to have a saying hanging above my kitchen sink that read, "Every day is not good, but there is good in every day." I love the simple reminder it brings. So, in an attempt to turn a rotten, frustrating day upside down, I'm going to make a list. My goal is to find ten good things. Just now it feels a little like a lofty goal, but...
1. Cora looked impossibly cute in her pigtails today, and I can't believe how long they're getting!
2. Rather than kick and scream, Henry asked to stay in the guest room (where he'd been sent to sleep on his own as punishment for getting out of bed too many times).
3. The sunshine was beautiful.
4. When I accidentally hit the panic button on the car after preschool as I dragged my three fit-throwing, into-traffic-stepping, belligerent kids to the car, my first thought was to laugh, not scream. Like we needed to draw any more attention to ourselves...
5. I managed to scan and categorize the massive pile of paperwork that was taking over our counter top, which must mean that naptime was long enough today.
6. Thomas and I snuggled on the couch reading books while Henry was at preschool.
7. My floor got vacuumed and the dishes were washed, and my kids helped without too much fussing.
8. I got to talk on the phone with my mom for a few minutes, even if Cora was doing figure-eights around my legs for the duration.
9. The house is quiet and I have an hour to myself while Micah's in a meeting--an hour to do whatever I want to do. Pinterest, here I come!
10.There were a few cupcakes left over from our small group get-together last night, so I get to enjoy one with a cup of decaf as I sit in silence.
There's a strange sort of comfort in knowing that days like this are making me holier. Not holier-than-thou, but in realizing how far short I fall of the mark. Hearing the ugliness in my own voice as I respond to the kids, I'm made aware of how little I can do on my own. A fitting experience in the season of Lent. And challenges always, always shape us in one way or another. I only hope today served to refine and change me. Because I certainly feel worked over...
1. Cora looked impossibly cute in her pigtails today, and I can't believe how long they're getting!
2. Rather than kick and scream, Henry asked to stay in the guest room (where he'd been sent to sleep on his own as punishment for getting out of bed too many times).
3. The sunshine was beautiful.
4. When I accidentally hit the panic button on the car after preschool as I dragged my three fit-throwing, into-traffic-stepping, belligerent kids to the car, my first thought was to laugh, not scream. Like we needed to draw any more attention to ourselves...
5. I managed to scan and categorize the massive pile of paperwork that was taking over our counter top, which must mean that naptime was long enough today.
6. Thomas and I snuggled on the couch reading books while Henry was at preschool.
7. My floor got vacuumed and the dishes were washed, and my kids helped without too much fussing.
8. I got to talk on the phone with my mom for a few minutes, even if Cora was doing figure-eights around my legs for the duration.
9. The house is quiet and I have an hour to myself while Micah's in a meeting--an hour to do whatever I want to do. Pinterest, here I come!
10.There were a few cupcakes left over from our small group get-together last night, so I get to enjoy one with a cup of decaf as I sit in silence.
There's a strange sort of comfort in knowing that days like this are making me holier. Not holier-than-thou, but in realizing how far short I fall of the mark. Hearing the ugliness in my own voice as I respond to the kids, I'm made aware of how little I can do on my own. A fitting experience in the season of Lent. And challenges always, always shape us in one way or another. I only hope today served to refine and change me. Because I certainly feel worked over...
