Joy in the Little Things

Find joy in the little things. I know I say that a lot. That's because I need to remind myself.

You may think that because I'm a homeschooling-baking-from-scratch-mother-of-five, I am the June-Cleaver type, content to be just cleaning, cooking, ironing, and bearing children. In reality, I long to hop on a plane and visit Europe or Asia again. I miss my days of being in the lime light. I wish I had a magic wand that could clean and organize my house for me. And I envy those who could drop everything and go out for a night on the town.

Being a mom is weary work. Doing what I do everyday takes much effort and discipline, and sometimes it goes against my natural tendencies (like sleeping in). I used to go around without a watch on, and inside this disciplined homebody mom is a jet-set and spontaneous throw-the-clock-out-the-window person trying to break out. There are days when I want to scream because I've been cooped up with the kids for days! There are days when I want to be by myself somewhere, I don't care where, anywhere but in the house! I want to actually cross out everything on my to-do list. I want to clean one room and see it clean five minutes later. I want to go out for dinner, or see a movie in the theater, or a play on a stage. I want to have moments of great excitement and adventure! (and I don't mean trips to the hospital or going grocery shopping with a cranky child.)

But I'm getting carried away. I'm not writing this so you can feel sorry for me. I'm writing this for those of you who are nodding your heads vigorously and thinking, "I know exactly what you mean!" You feel like you are just not cut out for this sort of thing. Then you have two choices. It's either 1) give up, go back to work, and put the kids in school and/or daycare or hire a nanny or a maid OR 2) continue on the course God had put you on.

So, how do we get through these days, that have become months, that have become years? We can trudge along, discontent, tired, just waiting for the day (or days) to be over OR we can play the Glad Game!

For anyone who does not know the Glad Game, it comes from Eleanor H. Porter's 1913 novel Pollyanna, in which an orphan teaches everyone around her to find blessings in every situation. "When you look for something to be glad about, you forget what you're missing," Pollyanna says. Which means that...

I'm glad that my two-year-old is using the potty... most of the time. I'm glad that my husband's work pays enough, just enough for me to stay home. I'm glad that the sun is shining, that the rain is falling, that the wind is blowing... with the game, I never run out of things to be glad about! And it gives me perspective, that this is for a moment, a season of my life, that I will never have again when my children are grown. My days of freedom will return someday, and who knows? I'll probably spend them twiddling my thumbs while pining for my children. 

So let me say it one more time, for my own sake: find joy in the little things. Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again, rejoice!