What to blog about?

And now an hour later I can’t decide what to write about. I could write about that great meditation I heard on the intersection of charity and justice, or that quirky realization I had recently about my marriage, or that moment of pure grace God gave me last week when the manager of Chick-fil-a and I dragged three crying Franklets out to my van.

I am not lost. I’ve just been thrown off for a little while now with this move and with my struggle to walk rightly and discern wisely in all of the situations surrounding our move. I’ve struggled at times to be present to my kids, my husband, and my friends these past couple of months.

You know, I have friends (like, ahem, Kate and the other Kate🙂 who have done this Moving Thing several times before. People move all the time, change jobs all the time—and if God is a part of their life–watch, awestruck, as God works everything out for their families. 


There are still some rogue waves Michael and I are dealing with regarding our move to Baton Rouge. I know that God will work everything out. He is so worthy of our trust! I know it must break his heart when we are overdramatic and anxious about some of the small storms of our lives. He has already done His utmost to prove Himself worthy of all our trust. My little storms are nothing compared to so many.

My dear friend Katie recently lost her daddy. Please pray for her and her family in this time of tremendous loss. Her post on the Catholic Wife after his death was simple, but powerful.

I can’t wait anymore for the sea to become calm. In this little season of my life, I can’t wait until I’ve got a perfect new house in Baton Rouge, or until Michael is settled into his new job, or until I get more than four uninterrupted hours of sleep, or until I can stop dreading going anywhere alone with the kids because they’re such sweet little handfuls right now.

I’ve got to learn how to sail in whatever winds the Lord permits in my life, and to keep my eyes on Christ in practical ways. Katie had some good advice on this that I want to share:

I think the idea of “keeping our eyes on Christ,” is quite obviously a good one, but does anyone understand what it means practically speaking? Just off the top, I suppose that keeping my gaze on Christ means daily prayer and tending my vocation. Andrew has been abundantly generous in allowing me time to get away from the house and kids, so when I’m on my way home, I pick up coffee to let him know I’m thinking of him. I clean up the living room with him, sit down with him if he’s reading, and listen to him if he’s exhausted. The boys require little more than a present mama – paging through torn up books, encouragement, and smiles for everyone who needs them. If I pray and serve my family in the simplest of ways, then confidence and peace will reign no matter how high the tide; and I’m hoping that, by God’s grace, the waves won’t seem so furious anymore.

Just to add my own thoughts…

I don’t think that peace in the home comes from the perfect job, routine, or organization style. Having those things helps, of course, but I think that peace must mainly come from the hearts of the parents, especially, from my heart, as the heart of my home. Our hearts must be firmly rooted in faith, to help us seek and find God’s will for us, and our hearts must firmly trust in God.

I also think that peace in our homes has a lot to do with the art of being present to our family. One way that I try to do this with the kids is to make them laugh any time I remember to do it. In the car, in the living room, at the dinner table, or tucking them in bed. I will make a funny face, or sing “Immaculate Mary” (their current favorite), or plant a big kiss on their forehead and tell them how much I love them.

In being present to our spouses, I think that we must simply be purposeful in very small ways. It’s amazing how my husband melts when I pick out a dress shirt without him having to ask me (he’s colorblind), or when I come home from the grocery store with more microwave popcorn (one of his favorite snacks). Maybe I remember that he wanted to make a drink that night and I set out the Jack Daniels and some Coke beside his favorite mug. Or I give him a meaningful hug, kiss, and “thank you” when he leaves for work.

I guess I’ve ended up blogging about something after all tonight–make that some things. I am doing so, so well over here. Really and truly. God is merciful, he is generous, and he’s got so many good things up his sleeve for me and my family. I am grateful for this time of a little extra busyness and stress in my life so that I have been thinking of (and actually praying for) dear family and friends going through struggles right now. One of my greatest blessings from the Lord is the number of amazing souls I get to walk with in my life. I am so thankful for their inspiration and good company.:)