Monday, January 7, 2008

finding grace

Saturday I woke up feeling sorry for myself. I looked at the calendar and started counting, “one, two, three...ten days until my husband gets home.” I should confess that I have been blessed (cursed?) with the personality of most writers I know. We’re a melancholy lot who thinks entirely too much. At least I do.

Prone to self-pity, it’s a matter of discipline to not dwell on the dark side.

And God is good, folks. He has showered me with grace during this past week, and I am trusting that His grace will be enough this week, too.

Because it always is.

Even when things are difficult, or maybe especially then, God’s grace abounds.

Yesterday it was 57 degrees. Above zero. Have I mentioned that I live in the greater Chicago area? That’s nothing short of a miracle, people. Watching the noisy boys ride their bikes yesterday afternoon and horse around with the neighborhood kids? Grace.

Friday night three girlfriends came over after all of my kids were in bed to just hang out and laugh, try to watch a movie, and eat cardboard weight watcher popcorn. Nobody mentioned the huge mess and crunchy floor. Grace.

On Saturday morning my sister-in-law came over and picked up all three of my children and brought them back after lunch, ready for a rest. Grace.

My in-laws plan to pick up the noisy boys every day this week and take them to school for me, so baby b. can have an uninterrupted, long nap. Grace.

Our calendar this week is full of playdates and invitations to share dinner with friends. Grace.

“I forgive you, Mom,” offered Twin A. when I apologized after losing my patience trying to tie three sets of shoes and get out the door in time for church. Grace.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT)

12 comments:

Don Mills Diva said...

What a beautiful post and a great reminder to count your blessings. Thanks.

MamaToo said...

your posts on grace are some of my favorite. Thanks for another sweet installment.

By the way, I thought of you when encountering the "twin" question again! Thanks for your many ideas and example of dealing with odd stranger comments. It really is fun to mix things up once in a while.

blessings during the countdown.
-MamaToo

Christy said...

Very thoughtful and inspiring. I need to do a better job looking for the grace in my life. Thanks for reminding me!

Anonymous said...

I love that you share tangible examples. Grace is easy to say, but oh-so-hard to understand sometimes. This is really meaningful with my current thoughts on faith. Thanks!

Llama Momma said...

don mills diva -- thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I love comments. :-)

mamatoo -- my life has been marked and changed by grace more than any other thing. Thankfully we get less of the "twin" question these days, though I still get the "boy, you've got your hands full" one a lot. And I suppose from the outside, it looks awful. But as you know, it isn't awful at all. It is truly good.

christy -- during some seasons, we need to search harder for grace; it's not always obvious.

nancy -- thanks for stopping by. :-)

SP -- I don't understand grace, but I try to notice it. And, so often, it's in the little things.

Unknown said...

What a lovely post, thank you so much. I found you from a comment on someone else's blog - the one about the Naked show. I checked you out b/c I am also a twin mama with a saggy belly and big boobs. :) I also have a younger one, like you, as well as an older one. Are you Catholic? I am! {{{HUGS}}}

Llama Momma said...

Analisa -- thanks for stopping by. I'm not catholic, but my neighbor is. Does that count? ;-)

Unknown said...

Definitely. :) You totally sound like a Catholic! ;) I will enjoy reading future entries.

Anonymous said...

Ah, grace. Such great reminders of everyday grace. I enjoyed your post very much...perhaps you could modify it and sell to a devotional?

Get paid for a blog and share your honesty and insight with others? *Grace.*

Thanks for your comment at my blog. I couldn't resist popping over.

Llama Momma said...

analisa -- I look forward to getting to know you better!

Ann -- See? Look at me leaving a comment back to you, not knowing if you'll come back and check or not. But it will be here waiting for you if you do! I've reworked a few blog posts for publication. At the moment, I'm trying to find myself and figure out what it is I want to say and what kind of writer I want to be when I grow up. :-)

ChosenRebel said...

Why do you have to grow up?

Unless you become like little children ...

Llama Momma said...

chosenrebel -- True. But I do want to find focus -- God's purpose, really -- for my writing. Thanks for stopping by.