Last night in the car, on the way to take James to storytime at the library (which was very appropriately about silly turkeys), I was telling Stephen about our game of chase and made the comment that "James just loves it when I laugh." I know that's not a profound statement but the pure joy that I see in his face when he is making his Mama laugh is such a huge reminder for this serious-by-nature, prone-to-worry-about-circumstances Mama that I just need to laugh, have fun, and enjoy my child regardless of circumstances and where we are at in the journey. So after our conversation last night, I was pleasantly surprised to see a very appropriate post by Sally Clarkson (who I admire so much) at the top of my blog list this afternoon about the importance of being a "happy" Mom. I particularly loved this:
“Happy” is not a feeling depending on circumstances, but a choice I make and practice. In my years as a mother, I was often alone, lacked help, resources, had dark areas within the circumstances of my life most years, but I knew that in Christ I could be an overcomer. I determined not to be a victim, but to cultivate in the garden of my soul what I wanted to be, by his grace.
Joy and mercy and happiness and giving this to others is a commitment of faith saying, “I believe, God, that you are good, and so I will practice the kind of attitudes I am always telling my children that they can choose to have.
But, really, truly, a happy mother makes everyone feel like they are on top of the world. Children long for a happy mom and parents who love each other in front of them, and a house full of mirth and laughter and grace. It makes them feel secure, hopeful, glad to be a part of the group, and just plain happy.
That is some really encouraging food for thought! You can read the whole post here.
And speaking of food and being a happy Mom, for those of you that have been following all of James' updates since the beginning: James ate one whole chicken nugget last night which was by far the largest amount of meat that he has ever eaten in 21 months (probably at once or combined)! We were so thrilled and it is a huge step in the right direction for him! We were almost afraid to talk or even breathe when he picked it up and started acting like he had just always been eating chicken nuggets! We did decide that we would just call them "nuggets" and not "chicken nuggets" just incase it made a difference, being the little animal lover that he is - haha! :)
Hope all you Mama friends (and non-Mama friends too!) have a wonderful day with your children and find joy in whatever circumstances today brings!
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