I have a draft of a post about not coddling our kids I thought I’d share today but I just feel like I want to share a few other things instead. Like how I adore this girl and want to coddle her all the time. Ha!
(That was during Fall break, still need to share those pictures some time), but for now I just say that I’ve learned from experience that these days with kids at home are so dang fleeting. Young mothers, wrap those babies of yours up and snuggle them tight, tantrums and all, go watch them while they are sleeping and drink them in. Hug those teenagers even when they roll their eyes. Put your phone away and look into those rolling eyes and let them know how much they matter. Because because they will be grown-ups before you know it! (and don’t get me wrong, grown-ups are amazing and even more fun as they grown into peers in so many ways, but you’ll never get this time back)
There was one rare night a couple weeks ago where Claire and I were all alone at home (Dave and Lu were in Wisconsin and she didn’t have endless volleyball). The two of us relished that time. She helped me make Japanese Curry to finish off her YW Personal Progress stuff, our friend’s dog died (so sad) so we went and got them some love to leave on their doorstep, the two of us took Bo on a scooter ride, and then snuggled up in my bed to watch This Is Us. That show is so good (although we’re only on the second episode this season) and made us both tear up (blindness, kids growing up, a little close to home) and love that Claire reached over to squeeze my hand and gave me a big hug. We were laughing that we were trying so hard to fit in as much as we could before Dave and Lu got home. A few minutes before the end of the show they walked in, Lucy in the best mood giving two of the biggest bear-hugs and telling us all about her trip, all of us snuggled on our bed.
These are days and moments to hold onto. And sometimes that’s so easy to forget in our fast-paced world.
Also, this book.
When it first arrived in the mail and I saw on that front cover that it is to “overcome compulsive/addictive behavior” I wondered if I might have gotten the order information mixed up. It was for a class on “finding grace” that I was signed up for…not overcoming addictive behaviors. But do you know what? I think every single person in the whole wide world could benefit from the good things in this book. Yes, it does incorporate the Book of Mormon, but it’s all just universal truths based on the Alcoholics Anonymous program and I think I’ve mentioned before, that is an incredibly inspired program, the more I’ve learned about it. This class has gone through so many levels of my heart and mind and I am learning the most beautiful things about Grace and trust in God.
I keep thinking I am going to sit down and write a whole novel on all I have learned, but for today I’ll just say this week we learned about having a “conscious connection with God” every day, all the time, and those thoughts have been sitting with me and washing over me and there is something so whole and good about making that connection more of a priority. We are all wading through such different and varied circumstances, as all these women in my class so beautifully make me aware of, and there is a way through. A way through anything, no matter how deep or how dark. And that is a beautiful thing.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
I started tearing up reading the part of your post that said to “snuggle them tight and drink them in.” That’s so my heart these days. Praying to keep the phone off and the distractions at bay, to let my children know how much I value time with them. Thank you for the reminder!
Shawni, how serendipitous that I saw this post and the next day listened to this podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-190-joe-amy-pierson-active-lds-joes-porn-addiction/id1347971725?i=1000455050812
It’s a heartbreaking, raw, and an incredible interview with an LDS couple who have struggled through a husband’s addiction to pornography. They talk about the 12-step process and encourage everyone to read it and apply to their families. There are SO MANY gems in this episode. These people understand how very real the atonement is and I’m so grateful to have heard it. It’s tough stuff, but I think you will enjoy it – as well as your readers. Happy ‘Sunday. xoxo