The Beauty of Sisterhood

Sisterhood .... I've always wanted a sister. Although I'll never have a biological sister, I celebrate the sisters I have in my friends. On Monday this week I had the blessing of experiencing sisterhood to its fullest. My dear friend was having a baby. She had given me the privilege to join her in here journey to bring her sweet baby into this world. I joyfully excepted knowing fully that this would not necessarily be an easy task remembering I have 5 little (and not so little) blessings of my own. Monday morning comes and I answer a phone call .... My friend, baby is coming today! Yeah, so exciting. Now the logistics. A few phone calls later ... Everything arranged and I'm heading to the hospital with my dear friend to meet her baby! I may not have blood sisters but to be a part of a beautiful sisterhood of friends was amazing ... 2 sisters to watch my kids, 1 sister to go with me to care for Levi so I could still nurse him, 1 sister bringing dinner to my family, 1 sister to encourage and support me as a labor support, a room full of sisters to help bring sweet baby into the world and one amazing sister who was the center of this beautiful sisterhood. It was a joy, an honor and a wonderful reminder of how truly beautiful God created us as women.

Big or Small, He is There

I am in awe this morning how God cares for His people .... Last night Levi had fallen asleep in the living room.  I was getting in the bath but last minute decided to feed him before I did.  While I was nursing him, the lamp right next to him started smoking, I called for Chris and he ran the lamp outside before it caught fire.  The other day I had told a friend I would pick up her kids from school today but with Levi sick, I really didn't want to take him out. She messaged me that her hubby is going to be home in time to get their kids.  Today my mom was taking Tess to Disneyland, Chris just happen to stop by her house before they left and noticed her tire was completely coming apart and would have blown out ... my Tess would have been in that car.  And just now I was getting ready to make dessert for our small group tonight.  A small thing but something I enjoy doing.  I realized I forgot one ingredient.  Again, Levi is sick, really don't want to take him out.  I got a message from one of our small group friends asking if she could bring dessert tonight.  God is in all this, big or small, He cares for His people.  Are you looking for God in your daily life?  He is there ... preparing our way and caring for the details.

Sometimes It's Just Not About Me

Still learning this lesson .... The other night we had some friends over. We'd put all the kids in bed so we could just be available for our guests. About 15 minutes into our time .... Levi starts crying. I'm thinking to myself "seriously God, I really need the kids to sleep so I can focus on our guests." Levi continued to cry so I excused myself and took care of Levi. A few days later our guest shared with me how helpful it was for her to see that I struggled with my kids not always doing what I wanted them to do and that I calmly just took care of my baby's needs instead of complaining about it (apparently I hid my irritation well)
Then the other day I had a friend stop by unexpectedly ... My house was messy, I desperately needed a shower and the kids were still in jammies. For a moment it crossed my mind to "not be available" but we welcomed our friends in. That friend shared that she was so relieved to see I had days that looked like hers.
God sometimes needs for us to not "look so perfect" to help others feel normal. None of us have it all together. None of us our doing this thing we call mothering perfectly. So, I encourage You to let others see your imperfection, to be honest in your humanness (is that a word) and to live barefoot .... It's actually quite liberating and it might just make someone else feel a little more normal.