Tick Tock Tick Tock

Day 22: Time of the People of the Resurrection

I admit it, in a lot of ways I am a slacker mom. At least by today's standards my kids are under-involved, under-active, and under-scheduled. Some of this is because their mom is a bit "over" in some of these areas. But mostly it is because I relish in seeing them build forts out of rubbish behind my dad's old shed. I savor the dirty hands, faces, and feet they track into the house after playing outside all day. I pray over the relationships they are forming with their siblings, these life-long friendships that will be part of a legacy we as parents leave to them.

No, Colby probably won't have a shot at pro-ball since I didn't start him early in T-ball. Paige may never break the child-actress scene since I won't drive her to long-distance auditions (or even short distance ones for that matter). Asa . . . shucks for all of Asa's creative genius, he won't master the stroke of a paintbrush till he's in his 20's at least. But . . . I think they'll be fine. I think they'll have these fond memories of 6-acres in the clay soil with dogs, wild rabbits, and the valley wind chasing them. I can see their memories playing out into the future with sleds in dirty white snow and bikes jostling on the gravel driveway. They're memories will latch onto their childhood like the burdock's that catch in their warm winter coat and Zeke's once velvet tail.

Don't get me wrong, families who make other decisions about their time are also going to have great memories of trips to games and family bonding over these activities. Please take no offense if your schedule is pleasantly busy. But if it's a bit more crowded than you'd like, if the carpool van and the soccer mom that drives it are beat down tired; if your weekend feels like a full-time job and your kids can't remember what the purpose of that flat piece of wood on four legs in the dining room; then it might be time to simplify. Living simply doesn't have to mean dirty kids either (this just happens to be the case for me)! 

Find the things that you want your family to remember most, chances are they will cost no money to encourage and will require traveling no further than your own backyard. Put away the keys, turn of the tech, and focus in on the blessing of this family and this moment.