Winter REST

​     Winter in New England is long. The snow meets November with excitement, and March with dread. This February provided a much needed thaw day where temperatures soared to 77 degrees and I was at the beach with my kids by 9:45! Of course, it was still mildly freezing but that didn’t hinder a wonderful time. 

     We picked up shells, dug in the sand, and threw rocks into the ocean. After about 20 minutes, I felt like we'd had enough of the beach and told the kids it was time to go. To no surprise, I was met with a cohesive "Whyyyyyyyy?" from three little voices. 
     
     Well, the truth was, there was no reason why we had to leave right then. It would probably be a few more months until we could enjoy this site again, so why was I in such a hurry? 

     I sat down in the sand and let the uninterrupted playing continue all around me. Two were building sandcastles, and one was demolishing them. The laughter was contagiously freeing. The beach had little cell phone service, so I sat alone with my thoughts. A luxury few moms are able to experience. 

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     I pondered why I was always in such a hurry. Sure, there was housework to do, and a book launch days away, but I was rushing through the enjoyments of life. Once upon a time, my dream was to have children and homeschool them. I'm living the dream with my boots in the sand, but in too much of a hurry to enjoy it!

     Maybe, as moms, we become so pre-conditioned with parenting adrenaline running through our veins that rushing becomes a way of life. I rush through the grocery store with a screaming toddler, or hurry home from the library to avoid a dreaded car nap. I rush from activity to activity, rush through the house cleaning, rush through meals, and rush to get my tired head to a pillow.

​     And I had stopped searching for moments to rest in. 

     As life would have it, this beach adventure was my last dose vitamin D for a while. My Aunt passed away shortly after, Birth in Blantyre was released, and Esther's House Publishing took flight. My days swirl around me, but not without searching for moments to rest in.

     Sometimes, my rest comes before sleep when I study the Bible. Some days, it comes through family worship time (we put on music and dance and sing). But everyday, I'm striving to rest for one minute per year that I am (which is nice way of saying I'm not sharing my age). When my kids need a timeout, they sit one minute for every year that they are- and this mama needs her timeout just as much! 

     I hope you're having a restful week, take a deep breath busy mom!