Herding Cats

I've been told that watching me with my children is a little like herding cats....

Probably true.

They can sometimes be crazy, climb on things they shouldn't, take an incredibly long time to get out to the door to go somewhere, go from one "project" or "activity" to the next in a matter of minutes, and make large messes in incredibly short amounts of time.

But you know, its a good life.

I forget that once in a while.

I read a story last night (way too late at night) that really changed my perspective on life.  It was sent out to many wives and mothers out there with a lot on their plate and seem so busy all the time.

The story is found here if you'd like to read it.
http://www.livingonadime.com/when-queens-ride-by/

My late night realizations are rather a tangent off of this story, but I also completely agree with the moral of the story that is told.

The story helped me to better understand things.  It made a lot of other things make sense.

I better understood Lehi's dream about the tree of life.  There were those who partook of the fruit but still found themselves paranoid and mocked by people in the buildings and they didn't find joy in their fruit because of others.  Sometimes I don't think it is PEOPLE that mock us.  Sometimes it is THINGS, "to do lists" that taunt us and tell us "We NEED to be done.  We are the IMPORTANT things to get done." when perhaps it is only worldly needs, which may be important, but perhaps there is something more important.  Something that maybe we didn't even THINK was important and perhaps the only one who knew it was important was God because he knows all.  And if we follow the words of God then we can find the real joy and things will work out, perhaps even when following seems to make no sense at all.

I better understood the story of Mary and Martha.  Martha was simply caught up in "to do" lists as well.  There were things to be done.  Things that were important.  But perhaps there was something more important at that moment.  Sometimes slowing down, taking time for ourselves, and listening are the important things of life.  Sometimes we need to care for ourselves so we can become happier, then we can better spread that happiness to others.  Slowing down offers clarity, a time to think, a time for God to tell us what is important.  We need to listen to what Christ wants us to know and to do and if we are too busy doing things that we THINK are the important things, than perhaps we miss the TRULY important things.

These are simply thoughts I had late last night.  No judgments if you find my studies "wrong" or perhaps don't even make any sense.  You are free to think and feel and study and be however you wish.  But this helped me and I believe that all stories, especially scripture stories, have multiple meanings that perhaps become apparently when you need them to.

Today I woke up with a smile, made myself look nice, put a smile on my face, and tried to listen and be attentive to the needs of those around me.  Don't overly PUSH the kids in school.  Don't FORCE them to do things but let them do things on their own.  Do small acts of SERVICE for Tyson to show that his hard work these last few weeks has not gone unnoticed and that the least I can do is make one part of his life filled with some joy.  I did quite a bit of CLEANING so the house would be manageable.  I even decided to let the older kids stay up extra late to paint simply because they wanted to, it was their last night float night, and they were asking to do a project I had created for school so I took it as a time for late-night learning.

Chances are high that this feeling of clarity and happiness through the chaos will only last so long, but I'll enjoy it while it's here.