Thursday, March 27, 2014

A week of toliets and stamps

Within forty-eight hours of writing the last post I was a grumbling, complaining, mess.  Compared with the week before, my to do list was small.  Very small.  Two things written in all caps.
1.  GET IAN TO POOP IN THE POTTY
2.  SEND OUT THE LAST MAILING FOR FUNDRAISING

 Easy, I thought.  I set aside a full day for the potty issue and another three days for fundraising.


Twenty-four hours into the first item I knew I was in trouble.  I felt my grateful heart getting replaced with a nagging question of why God would give me such a strong willed child with an irrational fear of the toilet.   I will spare you the full details.  But, I will let you know that potty training, suppositories, and bounce houses do not go together...ever.  By day three of the longest days of Ian and I's life, something clicked.  Within hours all was well in the Stables household again.  Ian is fully potty trained and is already giggling about how he use to be afraid of the potty.  I am not giggling yet, but grateful for friends and a sister who reminded me that no parent can escape the humbling lesson of what we can and can't control.

Number two on the list started out a lot better.  Neat piles of letters and envelopes were stacked ready to be written in, addressed and stamped.  I sat down with Ian beside me writing his own letters.  Even the most right brained person can be left sided for a day, right?  Trying to accomplish anything left brained seemed impossible with Ian asking me to read every word he wrote.  Words that consists of 8 consonants and one vowel. By the fifteenth word, I began making up the words. He would stop me mid word saying, but there was no L in that word.  The movie Frozen once again got turned on as I licked envelopes.  The mailing is almost done.  Two days later than I wanted and with less efficiency.  Oh to be a Young Life wife who is gifted in administrative details.  


And so the week of eating humble pie and completing only two tasks is coming to a close.  And I know the lessons that get wrapped up in the hard weeks are as important as the weeks that are joyful and productive.  The days that go by slowly with wheels grinding are the ones where I am focused on me and what I can or can't do.  The days that sing a thankful melody are ones focused on God and others.  They are the same days that I notice what is overflowing instead of what is lacking.  The truth is even on the most productive day I will always be found lacking.  And so I end a grumbling week with a deeper knowledge that His grace will  be overflowing.











1 comment:

  1. Ian is completely potty trained, that's SO HUGE!!! SO proud of you BOTH :) You are doing amazing guys, Becca I love every word of your honest posts that help bring us all more towards Jesus, love you!

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