November 02, 2011

Toys, Mess, Clutter, Joy

Image by Vanessa van Rensburg from Fotolia.com


My son Matthew, who will be 5 this December, is currently enrolled in a nearby preschool.  He attends 2 days a week at a fun church/school where they reinforce all the things he has been learning over the years, where he continues to learn about Christ and makes new and fun friends.  (Our decision to send him did not come easy since our plan is to homeschool, but I will write about why we chose preschool this year a little later.) But when I drop him off on these days, the house is much MUCH quieter despite this little 13 month old I tote around.  :)  She is sweet and loving but not that noisy yet. You would think that I might enjoy the quieter environment, but the truth is, I miss him.  I miss the rambunctious personality he has, the excitement of every detail in his day, the sound effects made during a toy car race or trains derailing.  He is fun and I have become accustomed to his “noise”, so has my daughter who giggles at him all day and thinks he is the best person she has ever met.   

Yes, there are days when I just wish that the nonstop talking would halt momentarily, or if I could just hear myself think for a second… But when he is away from home, I miss all of it.  I look at the playroom that I am usually frustrated with because the chaos and mess of it all, and I am suddenly grateful that my children are still young and still enjoy toys and pretend.  I realize that one day, I will look around, and there won’t be any toys on the floor, no little boy playing pirates in his pirate hat, sword, and super hero undies.  I realize that the mess that I find so frustrating some days, will one day, be terribly missed.  How precious are these years, days, that I have right here, right now.  How I so need to remember this when I lose my patience and feel out of breath at the thought of how much needs to be picked up and cleaned.  I am learning to enjoy these days, and trying so hard not to miss any moments that I could be fully engaged and absorbing the joy of it all.  I know playing cars and trains and pirates doesn’t always feel joyful or even productive, but I believe those are the moments that are actually quite productive in the lives of our children, especially, since they are the moments that they will remember, the memories that we have created. 

Today, I am thankful for the joy that these precious babes bring, and grateful that God has given me the wisdom to see it.  God bless you and yours.

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