Momma sees us all rushing from one thing to the other.We all seem so tired of the over scheduled lifestyle and stressed from its demands. What is the answer to finding some peace and balance?
Momma Explains : In order to meet our expectations of super parenting,we have tried to be excessively supportive for so many of our children' s interests and activities. So much so that every element, every sport, every lesson, and every activity has become a priority. It is a misplaced concept because everything secondary has become a priority. Family functions now take a back seat to sporting events. Church attendance must be squeezed in if possible with our activity schedules. As for service work, well, can't someone else volunteer for that. The funny part is that we have done this to ourselves. So for a vacation, we then actively seek an escape that is a retreat of sorts, a non active, vacation. Yet, we are escaping the hectic life we created. We should not need a retreat from life but a treat from life.
What happened to those slow days of summer when you could join a neighbor for a chat while the kids played, take a drive just to see the changing leaves of fall, or just sit down in our own yard and enjoy the peace that surround us. When did life become so busy we forgot to see the beauty around us and the gifts given to us but instead pushed ourselves to keep an agenda that simply wears us all out. To me the most perfect example of the beauty and inquisitive nature of man is when a young baby first recognizes his or her hand. They marvel at this treat they have found. They hold their precious little hand directly in front of their eyes and slowly pivot the palm first one way then the other. This infant continues to repeat this same awesome task over and over again. The child recognizes with awe the wonder he has been given, and I am sure begins to think about the possibilities this discovery now affords. There is no need for an agenda for the infant, he just enjoys the moment of discovery.
When is the last time you took the time to look at the wonder of your own hand? It is a tool designed by a master craftsman. A tool that allows us the freedom to dress, eat, play, create, love and discover. It is a gift we sorely miss if it is injured and yet when have you said a quiet thank you to the master craftsman for His gift and all the good you do with that hand. So, momma wishes us all to find one day this week to take a look at our hands and all the wonders around us, slow down, just this one day, do something good and fun with your hands. Take the same joy that the infant experiences when he first discovers his hand and share your hand. Maybe you could even hold someone's hand as you take the time to see the wonder around you, bake a cake, go for a walk or examine a flower. Time is swift, our days are bound by time, so take the time to pivot your hand in wonder and smile and think about the possibilities and treats.
Momma Thanks : A very gifted photographer, Meghan Callen, who shared some of her "discovery" shots with momma. To see more of her fabulous work please check out meghancallenphotography.com
It's odd how rarely we notice things.
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot of my time at the computer typing, and so, I tend to look at the screen more than my hands.
And yet...every now and then I'll forget what I was meaning to say, and so stare at my hands on the keyboard...and I'll notice my hands.
It always amazes me when I do that. I'll notice some scar that I then have to sit and remember where I got it, even if I've done it a million times before. I'll notice the mole that my twin sons always poke at curiously after a tickle session. I'll turn my hand this way and that, counting what most see as flaws, but I see as reminders of my youth, when playing with a feral cat was an adventure to be found, not a danger to be avoided. I notice callouses formed while helping my father dig holes for fence posts on the farm growing up, or the spot where I burnt myself with acid during college and now hair refuses to grow there.
It's amazing, the kinds of things you see if you just sit and look for a while.
-Tufak