Mess after mess after mess after mess...

yup, it was one of THOSE days...you know the kind: you feel like all you do is clean up mess after mess after mess! UGH!
Owen has RE-discovered his love of water; playing in it, spilling & splashing it, experimenting with it. He has also started leaving little bowls of water all over the house for his kitty, doggie, or whatever the imaginary pet-of-the-day might be. Of course these little bowls spill, get kicked, etc. But it is just water right? To add to the excitement of the day he decided it was cool to watch the glass bowl full of mac-n-cheese spin around on the counter. Fascinating! But of course all good things must come to an end & it ended up spinning right off onto the floor & shattering EVERYWHERE! There was glass & noodles from one end of the kitchen to the other! And it was my favorite glass Pampered Chef batter bowl-the one with the handle. Used it all the time. Bummer! I surprised myself & just calmly put him in his room till I had the mess all cleaned up. Never mind that Adee was supposed to be at preschool 2 minutes ago & Reese is screaming for me to come get her out of bed. Oh the joys of motherhood, right? When I got all the glass cleaned up & it was safe for Owen to come out we had a good talk about not touching things on the counter. I was pretty calm & collected (sadly-not always the norm) I kept in mind what my BF Rachel once said "What is more important-the bowl or the child?" I love you Rachel & your constant example...
Well, the messes continued. There are always the messes to clean up after each meal and such. But the girls have really been into painting lately-which is great. I am all for letting their creativity flourish. However, paint comes with it's share of messes as well. Speaking of paint-I have been trying to get the girls room painted since Friday! What a mess! (Pictures of that project coming soon) So, to top it off-I am walking out of the girls room after applying the last (I hope) coat of paint when I notice the door to the garage is open. I investigate & what do my wondering eyes behold? A 3 year old boy showering the garage floor with his arching stream of pee! SERIOUSLY!? I yell "What are you DOING?"...he turns in surprise. Of course he can't stop mid-stream (what is that all about anyway?). I yell again "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!" He still seems surprised & bewildered. I start to realize that this was a case of mistaken room identity, & to his defense the bathroom & the door to the garage are close together & he didn't turn on the light. Danny thinks it is hilarious-but then again HE is the one who showed Owen how COOL it is to pee outside. UGH. Anyway-I get that mess cleaned up & we move on to the rest of our night without anymore major catastrophes. Dinner, showers, homework, piano, FHE, & Good Night-Thank goodness!
Despite the messes of the day, recent events have caused me to look at my day & life a little differently. I am actually struck by a sense of gratitude. I am thankful that I even have the blessing of children to clean up after. I get to be their mom & they have & will continue to teach me so much (especially patience). I am thankful that I am still here on this earth to be their mother. To not only clean up after them but to teach them, discover the world with them, nourish & nurture them, hold & love them, read to them, play with them, sing to them, tuck them in at night, comfort their fears, & show them how to do a cartwheel (that is a whole other story). I am also SO thankful Danny is still here on this earth to do it all with me. To help me be better & want to do better. To laugh with me & cry with me. To be my everything...what would we do without our families?
Recent event have also caused me to ponder my life & ask myself some questions. Do you ever feel so blessed & so lucky that it makes you feel a little guilty? I mean seriously...my life is so blessed & easy it is a little ridiculous sometimes. It may sound cliche but I truly mean it. Why do I have it so good while so many others are struggling so badly? Is it because I am weak & the Lord knows I can't handle much else? Are my trials coming later? Will I be able to handle them or will they be so hard that they break me? Will I handle them as well as the people suffering around me have? Am I doing everything that the Lord would have me do? What can I do better? How can I be better? Who can I help and serve? Am I sufficiently preparing myself & my family for what lies ahead? What does the future hold for me, my friends, my family?
It is interesting to me how the death of someone else (even someone we don't know that well) can make us take stock of our lives. To see things with more of an eternal perspective. The recent deaths around me have made me a better person & made me want to be a better person, mother, friend, sister, daughter, a better child of our Heavenly Father. So, to Ryan MacPherson, Sara Baker, & Kathy Graf-thank you for your examples & the opportunity to remember what matters most & to never take it for granted. You will be missed...