Thatcher is as unique as his name. He is his own little person. He tells it like it is....
Sunday after church he was explaining an event that took place in his class that morning. He told us the teacher poured water in a glass, filled it with kitty litter, then stirred it with a pen. I asked him what the teacher was talking about and he said "DEATH!" Then I asked what the kitty litter had to do with death and he quickly replied "I don't know I wasn't listening."

He had a field trip Monday with his Kindergarten class. His best friend up until Monday has been Peter. Two peas in a pod! Monday I picked him up from school and was asking him about the trip. He told me a little about it and then said that Bradley was his new best friend. He said they had fun on the field trip and were together the whole time. I said "What happened to Peter." He said "He wasn't talking to me or being with me very much." I said "What was he doing?" He said "Well, he was listening." I said "So....you WEREN'T listening?" He simply replied "I was listening, but I was also talking very quietly the whole time."

One of the many things I'm learning about being a mom is MY need for my children. Why did God give me these particular children? There are aspects and qualities in each of them that cause me to want to be a better person and a better mom. Thatcher keeps me laughing and I know I need him so I won't take life so seriously. I've never been a totally serious person anyway, but sometimes it gets harder finding the humor in the tiring responsibilites of life. I need my kids as much as they need me, and I like that.

Like Sands Through The Hour Glass.......

so are the Days of Our Lives. Yes, I admit I was once a fan of that show and watched it faithfully. I was always amazed at how fast the children on that show grew up. They were born in the winter and by fall they were running off with someone else's boyfriend. Even though the show was a little outlandish at times, one theme remained true throughout each season and that is.....time flies!

I'm still in my reflective state these days. I was looking through some old photos the other day of me in high school down to when I was a baby. Then I found pictures from the kids that I taught in my teaching days. I was flooded with memories. Not just memories of what was happening in the photos, but of my state of mind at the time. I can remember how my mind was geared and I remember for so long being in the "if only" shift. "If only" I was older, out of school, married, had kids, had more money, skinny, blah, blah, blah....how many years were wasted in that state??

I can honestly say that at this present time in my life I am yearning for nothing. I am truly content. I don't wish for anything more because what I have at this moment is everything. I also know that nothing ever stays the same, there are more roads to be travelled, and more lessons to be learned. So, I cherish what I have right now!

I was sad looking back thinking about how dumb I was. Truly selfish. Even looking at photos of our wedding. I had NO CLUE what I was doing. No Clue what to expect of my husband or myself. I thought "happily ever afters" were reality and I constantly failed trying to live up to that, and so did everyone around me.

I was also thankful that I'm NOT where I was. It's so nice to be on the other side. I still have so far to go, but I've come a long way. I will say it again....HOW in the world do people function without the Lord?? I would not be where I am without Him. I owe EVERYTHING to God. I couldn't be content without HIm. I may not always be happy, but I have an inner peace and joy that ONLY comes from Jesus! TImes change, life changes, people change, but THANKFULLY JESUS NEVER CHANGES! He is the SAME yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It makes me giddy just typing that.

I don't care to know exactly how much sand is left in my hourglass....or apple shaped container. I just want to be the woman, wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend that God intended for me to be right now.

Reflections...

Ten years in the big scheme of things is really not that long of a time span, but looking back to the beginning of this decade gone by totally amazes me. I started out "believing" the following:
that we would never be able to have children, I would never be able to lose weight, always be teaching school, live in Shreveport my entire life, that Chris would always be a Shreveport Police Officer and he would NEVER let me down! I'm sure I thought more than that, but those are the "for sures" that I remember!
So, in those ten years we have had 3 children, I WAS able to lose weight (though I've gained back quite a few), I'm not teaching school anymore, or living in Shreveport. Chris is no longer an SPD Officer, and yes, he DID let me down.
Reflecting can be good. Notice who I put the limits on....GOD! I expected perfection from a human and put my God in a box. I learned so much in this decade. I laughed, I cried, I wailed, I pounded the floors, I wasn't perfect either, I prayed, I was humbled, and I am blessed. So, I begin a new decade with nothing but wonder and anticipation at what my God can and will do with me, and I'll never say "never" again.