Gray hair...oh no you didn't!

Yep and there it is. The moment my Momma always told me would come. I didn't believe her. I was a doubter. I pushed it off as one of those, "It'll never happen to me", coined events. But then it hit me, like a ton of bricks. Never saw it coming. 

As I stood in the mirror, I saw it. My first Gray hair. Immediately, a wave of fear and sadness came over. My heart sunk into my stomach. My Momma was right. It would happen one day, and that day is today. How did this happen? I took the proper precautions. I watched my diet. I exercised. I refrained from any extra curricular habits that might hinder my youth. But it found me anyway. That single Gray hair. 

Now what am I to do? I can't very well pluck it out! I have always heard that if you pull it out, three more would grow in its place. Whether or not that is true, I am not taking the chance. That's not happening. If I leave it, everyone will see it and make fun of me. I just know it. I can see it now, fingers pointing, people snickering as they walk by me, others trying not to look directly at it as they talk to me. Yep, my world has officially come to an end right before my very eyes.

Of course, I know what that Gray hair is thinking too. It has come to ruin everything I've got going. It's on a mission. It's sole purpose is to take over my head with it's little anti-pigment army. It will divide and conquer. So of course, I had to examine it closer. Wouldn't you know, it was staring right back at me, taunting me. Whispering words of contempt at me. And why? What have I ever done to it? Why does it feel the need to harass me? There are thousands of other qualified heads to dominate. I am a simple girl. Non confrontational. But nope, it picked me.

I know what you are thinking. It's just a gray hair. To your relief, I will tell you that shortly after my brief moment of over exaggerating that horrid event, (which really isn't even a life altering event) I sat myself down and said to myself, "Self, why are you getting all worked up over this? What is the big deal? Why are you so worried about getting a gray hair?"

Well to be honest. I had no reason to be upset. It's the natural course of life. Most people have or will have gray hair at some point in their lifetime. I think that I as a woman just want to feel pretty and youthful. Which is of course mostly a media driven longing, but it is also just a woman thing. We want to look pretty for our husbands. For ourselves. That in itself is not a bad thing. It's when we get all upset and turn to the dark side of rationality that it becomes a problem. As I stood in front of that mirror and saw that gray hair, instead of feeling fear and anxiety at that inevitable course of life that has just taken place on my head, I should have been thankful. Thankful that God has given me enough years to see gray hairs on my head. Lord willing, I will have enough years left ahead of me to see my head completely covered with gray-toned hues. 

So from now on, I will be thankful when I reach milestones. It is a gift from God. I pray that you will too. And also Gray hair is totally in right now, so that's cool.

Wait a minute...that wasn't in the plan!

I plan my day. I am sure most of you do too. So if you are like me, when you wake up in the morning you have hopes and plans for the day. And also if you are like me, those hopes and plans very seldom play out as you had expected. Something goes awry somewhere along the way. Most of the time for me, that moment comes when I step out of bed.

In a perfect world, my day would begin with a cup of coffee and a fabulous workout. Follow that up with a super tasty breakfast and delightful greetings between the family before the kids joyously head off to school. I continue my day with some slight cleaning, as my house would already be pretty clean from everyone doing their chores the night before, you know, without complaints. I transition into my afternoon with having a few meals prepped for the upcoming days, errands completed, a book read, all while teaching and spending time with my littles at home. Then dinner would be almost done as my kids and husband come home and we would share laughs over homework and dinner. Finally, I would finish off the day with everyone tucked gently into bed, happy and ready for sweet dreams.

I know, right? Totally unrealistic. And through that paragraph, I know you were shaking your head, or giggling a little bit because you know in your heart of hearts, that specific scenario is simply just not how it works 99 percent of the time. Or ever. You are bound to have a hiccup along the way, somewhere.

Having given you an example of what I plan in my head my day to look like, I'll give you an example of the type of day that I can expect to have. I can just about bet that a wrench will get thrown into my plan at any given time. I sit on the edge of my seat just waiting because I know it's coming. Chaos will be knocking on my door at any moment. Getting ready to pile on one thing right on top of another. These are the type of days when all you can do is just tilt your head to side and say to yourself, really? Is this really happening?

So, I start off the day with waking up late. I immediately begin running around getting everyone and everything in order and sure enough, someone misses the bus. No doubt, either their shoes were missing, breakfast wasn't finished, or they simply couldn't find their library book. Whatever the reason, I now have to drive the kids to school. So I load up the car. To continue all of this already day-going-not-as-planned madness, I add in a flat tire, sprinkle on a dash of carsickness, and stir in a pinch of on comes the gas light. Now, since I have a nice heaping pot of frustration and anxiety going on already, here is the main course. I am sitting at the gas station, with a child covered in vomit and crying in the back when I realize -  I. Forgot. My. Purse. Meaning, no check card, no money.  And it's only 9 am.

So what should I do in a case like this? How should I react to my plan completely veering off course headed for a cliff right at the crack of dawn?  Well, if you are like me, you want to fall to the floor kicking and screaming then curling up in a ball and go to sleep since you still have the rest of the day to deal with. But alas, I suppose it's probably not the most practical nor mature reaction. In reality, I think I need to step back a minute and just think about my situation.

If I really dig down deep and ponder all of these events that just keep coming at me, I need to ask myself one question..In the light of eternity, in the grand scheme of things will these set backs really matter? Will it really matter if my plan didn't work out? To that I answer No. These things, and my silly plan,will NOT be a big deal in 5, 10, 20 years even. However, how I react to these set backs IS a big deal. My attitude does matter. My reaction as a person and most of all a Mom, is very important. My children watch everything I do, AND my reaction to everything. They sit and wait to see what example they are to follow when things don't always go as planned. So while I want to throw the biggest temper tantrum you have ever seen this side of the Mississippi- it most certainly is the biggest mistake I could make. My children are sure to follow suite and mimic my every move. Therefor I have to find the rational way to respond. That rational way is to be calm, thankful and grateful in every circumstance. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  Simply put, I need to put my big girl shoes on and keep truckin' forward. God's got my back. And while it will still be tough, particularly in the scenario I shared above, my children will be equipped to deal with their own issues the proper way if I lead by a good example.

I will still plan my days. They will still look fabulous in my mind. You can bet your bottom dollar that they will still get messed up somehow. But I also know God's plans are higher than mine, so bring it chaos. I will still continue to thank God for my many blessings and keep on, keepin' on!

If I hear the name Mommy one more time....

So I actually find it quite impressive how many times in a day I can hear the name Mommy. From the every first pitter patter of little feet in the morning, until the last head lays down on the pillow at night I hear that name. Even then, I am sure to hear one of call me for some miscellaneous reason. If I hear the name mommy one more time...It's just like on Sesame street where they have a special word of the day, except the special word is always Mommy at my house. I feel like I should get up and dance every time because someone said the magic word.

And it is funny because those kids have got me pegged. I'm a sucker for the name Mommy. They know that they can just say it and I will come running to see what the present need be. I even answer when other peoples children call the name Mommy. Sometimes at a park, school or even other peoples houses. You get it, you've done it too. Right Moms? It's the God-given sixth sense right before the seventh sense of chocolate proximity. It's Habit. Instinct. I'm a repeat offender. Just like clockwork. They call, I come running. Sure enough, they've got me right where they want me.

I have to laugh because I really don't want to even get into if I don't happen to answer them right away. Then the "Moms"  start flowing from their little mouth like a raging river bound and determined to make its way to the sea. It's gets louder and more frequent with every passing second that I don't answer, because you know, they won't come find me, they will just sit and wait calling my name until I show up in whatever room they may be in. I know you know what I'm talking about. Every mom has seen this scenario in action. If you haven't, you can test this little scientific fact and put in the history books. You'll find I'm right.

But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A child knows they can call out to their mom and she will assist them with whatever need they have. She will be there in an instant to chat, care for, laugh with and love them in whatever situation. Even if her name is called 1000 times in a day, Moms are there. And in reality, I love hearing my name being called, it's a sign that I know I am needed, and even better, important in their life. A sign of trust when they look to you for guidance. The same is true for God. He sits there just waiting for us to call his name. He waits for the moment when we say we need him to calm our fears, hear our needs or simply for us to say I love you. Just as a child would expect from their Mom. If I learn anything from how many times in a day I hear anyone whether it be my kids or not, yell out the name Mom, it should be a reminder that I also should be doing the same to God. 

Why lip gloss..why?!

Oh boy. There it goes. As I stand in front of my washer, listening to the clanking, I realize my favorite tube of  lip gloss is tumbling around and around in sea of dirty water and dirty cloths. A sight I am all too familiar with since it seems I always find something hitch hiking in there on a monthly basis at least. Ugh,To save it, or not to save it, that is the question? Do I dare let it dry and use it after the laundry is done? Do I really want to press it up against my lips knowing that it's been swimming and bathing in dirty water, along with  soap and who knows what else while the washer does it's thing?  Yeah, I think not.                              

While I stand here I can think of a huge list of reasons that played a factor in how and why I forgot to check my pockets and grab that ever so luxurious tube of lip-awesomeness. Instead, I am choosing to focus on what can I learn from this all too common scene that I am sure takes place in just about     every home at some time or another. So many times I find items at the bottom of the washer that are dirty and need a good clean wash or rinse before I put them back in their respective places. Some things however, just can't even be washed and used again, such as my lip gloss. You can never get all the funk off of it. It may look all fabulous and put together on the outside, but you know on the inside it is crawling with filth and dirt that can never be taken away.

The same can be said for us. When we fill our minds with thoughts and images that are unclean, and hurtful we can never undo that. We litter our minds constantly with violent images, dirty words and envious thoughts towards others. So just as the lip gloss, on the outside we look all inviting and great, but on the inside, in our thoughts, we are dirty and covered in funk. Do we really want our minds filled with grime or do we want our minds filled with joyous thoughts?

The Lord commands us in Philippians 4:8New International Version (NIV)

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

While it is a bummer that I have forever lost my favorite tube of lip gloss, it has also been a blessing in helping me realize that not only do I have to change my laundry habits,(such as checking my pockets from now on) but that I also have to change my way of thinking. Be more like God and less like the lip gloss.
It is an awesome thought to know that God cares for us and wants the best for us. And may you ever be reminded of Philippians 4:8 when you are collecting items from the bottom of your washer..