A Lovely Image to Hold

It has been a full week-- guests, trips, family, presents, treats. Filled with things I have enjoyed way down to the core of my spirit. We have sat late into the night with kindred spirits and beloved friends, shared yummy foods at our table, joined hands in prayer. Things that to me, grown up Adele, are absolutely the deepest joys of life. Things that make my cup overflow.

But, apparently, all these are things that throw off our family rhythm in a serious sort of way. Spontaneous rescheduling, a flow of people through our front door, different events each night of the week, don't mix very well with a sweet little toddler soul in our home-- perhaps with most toddler souls out there. Enough is enough, and I think we've maxed out around here. There has been tension, frustration, crying. You know when you sometimes just throw up your hands and just say, "Okay, God, I'm realizing that I can't do this alone." Well, it has been one of those experiences.

This morning when the baby was napping, my beloved toddler and I set up a tea party-- and for the first time ever, we used real water. It was amazing to watch how this captured her imagination. We spent half an hour together on our new picnic blanket, in near total silence (except her occasional utterance of something like, "Oh, mommy needs more tea.") It was beautiful, sweet. Sometimes I think that we parents are the greatest visionaries of all. Because in moments when things are going crazy, when we question our choices, our children, we learn to hold on to these lovely little moments. Moments of peace, hope, vision. We hold them with us when we pray, when we dream of our child's future. And it is this imnage-- my two year old carefully, oh so carefully pouring "tea"-- that I am going to sleep with tonight.