Today, I’m catching up on housework and preparing for our next school week. I have found now that I’m working every day, my time at home seems more precious. The Saturday mornings in p.j.’s are invaluable, and coming downstairs to a clean kitchen sets the tone for my whole day. Surprisingly, after a late evening at the school yesterday, the kitchen was clean this morning…and it has been a good day.
Earlier, I had a few minutes to sit out on the porch and watch my girls play on the trampoline. Watching them did what it usually does…it drew me back to when I was a girl. Their age difference is about the same as the years between my cousin Shannon and me, and since she was more like my sister, I found myself on memory lane, once again, next to her at the creek behind her house. I remember so well the place where we used to build dams in the creek and string clotheslines from trees. It was lovingly named “The Rock”. We named it that. We were creative that way. It was named after a big…umm…rock that was there along the creek. (Cut us some slack! We were little.) We worked to build the best dams, made brooms out of tree limbs to sweep our “house”, had church services, funerals, and the occasional baptism (against orders). We rowed downstream to help neighbors who were sick. All pretend, of course. The Psalmist said, “we spend our years as a tale that is told”, and boy, do our years have some tales to tell!
When I came in to read a little, I found myself in Psalm 90 reading that very same passage. The verse that seemed to strike a chord with me most was verse 14, “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Early in life, God showed Himself to me. I certainly hope my life is one that rejoices in the mercy He has shown! Then, just two verses down, he says, “Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.” Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me there is little glory being passed down to children these days. Could it be that their parents haven’t been looking for opportunities to serve? Could it be that in our rush from one activity to the next…one store to the next…one game to the next…we’ve stopped being servants? I think Shannon and I spent our playtime “working” because it was all we had ever known. We had seen our parents serve in and outside the church, giving their time and energy for all that really mattered…for people and for the God they loved. Their example was mirrored in our pretense and the glory of their work has shown in our lives. Please don’t misinterpret this as bragging. It is only the grace of a loving heavenly Father, and I marvel nearly every day that He would lavish me with a past and present life so blessed.
A few days ago, I found myself pretty exhausted and wondering if it would all really pay off. When I read my cousin Matthew’s facebook post, I was reminded that it isn’t about the payoff at all. Mother Theresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” As generic and overused as it sounds, it is all about love. My heart’s desire is to leave an example of service for my children, a willingness to work, but most of all a legacy of love. And, this may be a little off subject, but I pray their memories are also filled with river rock, bare feet, and tree branch brooms.
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