Bloody noses

We are in the midst of getting ready to move.  We are leaving the tundra of Minneapolis and headed somewhat south to Indianapolis.  We just found out Saturday that it's all a go and we'll be leaving in a month.  That being said, we have a lot to do.  I have a lot to do.  Stuff my husband won't ever care or know about...cleaning out closets, sorting through 400 papers my daughter has kept for almost ten years, deciding which pants I might wear again etc.  So this morning when I woke up  I was dreading the incoming contractors (we have a thirty year old house with at least a dozen pending projects...) and all the piles of stuff I started yesterday.  But I know we're on a tight schedule from here on out.  We've got to get the house listed ASAP.  It's tough to sell a house here and I'm feeling a bit of pressure.  Instead of hitting the ground running on all these chores, I started the day with my toddler and his umpeenth bloody nose.  He has been bleeding a LOT for about a week.  I feel so bad for the guy.  At first I wasn't sure what my reaction would be...Would it be frustration?...now I have to clean three spots on the carpet, clean his clothes, soak my clothes, and wash his bedding for the fourth time this week.  There's so much to do already!  And there's a flooring guy coming in less than two hours.  What's my point?  Sometimes it is very natural for us to comfort and love our kids.  Other times they are another thing on our to-do list and that frustrates us.  More often than not I have to plead with God to make me slow down and just love the kiddos, whatever that means for them.  Today, my little boy just needed calming down.  He needed reassurance and for mom to just physically be there.  I was pleased that my reaction was compassion, not frustration.  But I'm confessing to you that this hasn't always  happened in the past.  It's been a long haul and a result of a lot of prayer.  

Back to the bloody nose.  Now he's happily playing in the tub, it's like it all never happened.  He's got Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird lined up on the edge of the tub.  He's given them all "popcorn and juice boxes."  It thrills me to see him completely over his bloody nose and happy again.  There's nothing that makes me grin like watching and hearing him play make believe.  So yes, I still have a ton of cleaning to do.  But I have a happy boy and that makes it all worth while.   

No matter what you have on your list today...do you have room in your heart for a bloody nose?A gabillion times now my kids have taken precedence over  my chores.  Is my house perfect like my mother's always was?  Not even close.  But my kids know I love them.  I ask my kids a dozen times a week, "Who loves you?"  I'm relieved to know that Mommy, Daddy, and God are always on the list.  So I feel like I'm doing at least one thing "right."  Even though Mommy doesn't always react (initially) well to additional daily stresses, they've heard me ask God to do better.  And I can say (honestly) that nine times out of ten now I concern myself with them and what they need and not how it affects me.  Maybe that's easy for you but it hasn't always been for me.  Ask God for what you need.  Believe me, he wants you to have time and love for your kids bloody noses.  He wants us to be perfect and complete.  Holy cow, is that daunting or what?  That's why we're given love and grace.  I challenge you to give your kids some too!  

Off to clean up carpets...

Sue

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another...