Doing the Next Thing

My brother and I have had a momentary lapse of sanity and registered for the Warrior Dash . Actually, it looks like a lot of fun and we're not taking it too seriously. But ... since my money has been paid, the frugal side of myself is insisting the lazy side of myself get busy training! So today I went to my favorite local park for a "long run." (That's in quotes, because since it's been over 2 weeks since my last run of any kind, 'long' is a relative thing.) I did three miles. I know that's not a very impressive long run for someone who 15 months ago completed a half marathon. But that was 15 months ago, and a lot of life has happened in between and I'm a little de-conditioned . So three miles was good for me today. And it was three hard-working miles. I did the big 1.38mi outer loop first, for a good, slow warm-up. Walked much of it, ran the last bit. Then I hit the "soft surface" loop in the middle. This one is just over a mile long a

Three days. I would love three days. In my house. Alone . Day 1 - decompression. literally just sitting still and staring off in to space and letting my brain and body rest. it is not an exaggeration for me to say that i'm experiencing a level of weariness deeper than any i've felt in nearly 17 years of being a mom. don't judge. ;) i'm being vulnerable here, and hoping that perhaps my honesty will encourage someone that they're not alone in their struggles. Day 2 - work like a mad dog getting some unfinished projects done - like purging toys, sewing pillows, organizing school papers, and putting photos in albums. **wait. who am i kidding? i'm so behind on home-managing at this point that it would take me an entire day just to get caught up on the ordinary cleaning and meal-planning.** Day 3 - do something i *enjoy* doing, like read a book, take a long run, meet a friend for lunch, or go shopping when i'm not in a hurry, with 5 kids in tow. BUT ..... "n

Ya'll know I'm not perfect, right? I'm deeply flawed. I'm the chief of sinners. I'm NOTHING save for the grace of God and the fact that my life is hidden with Christ in God. Just checkin. I'm not sure why I blog - I'm wrestling with that question right now, and considering closing DTNT. It's certainly not because I think the world is missing something if not graced by my foolish words and pictures. It's definitely not to make money. I think perhaps in part it's because I hope that someone else struggling with the same things I do will take comfort in knowing they're not the only one. And if there is any spiritual light I feel led to share, it's only because I need to hear the very same lesson myself. Feet of clay.

I was blessed by reading this post , and inspired to continue in my efforts to raise my daughters to be artful in their homes, to the glory of God. ***I do feel the need to note that our home doesn't always look this neat. In fact, rarely does it even come close! We live in it, after all. All seven of us. Some days, when life is at it's busiest, I feel like our house is just a shell - a place where we make messes in all our comings and goings, only stopping to eat and make another mess. Perfection in home-keeping is not my goal. Ever. But blessing the inhabitants of this home and doing my best to make it a haven for them is. Not that it's a goal I've attained, but one to keep striving for.

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~John Ruskin