it's all about flexibility

Today I feel like I feel like the scales have tipped and I have a lot more to complain about than be thankful for. Everything seems to come with a bottom line. Yes, I am thankful I have a wonderful and loving husband, who is on yet another trip after five whole days at home, and will have been gone 24 of the last 30 days, yeah. Yes, I am thankful we live in a great house in a great neighborhood, only 3,000 miles away from my closest family and friends. Yes, I am grateful I have two bright and beautiful children, who haven't napped all week - well, to be fair I have to say haven't napped in their own beds. But come on people, they are one and two years old, napping is not an option, especially when Josh is away and that is the only chance I get to eat, sleep or spit. So, they got some car naps in last week due to the Christmas errand shuffle, but now that it's cold out, the car naps always present a problem once we actually get home. Yes, you could try carrying them in ever so delicately, holding your breath as you attempt to transfer each to their bed. Of course it is always precisely at that time when the phone rings, or the horse of a dog barks next door (which, if you've actually ever seen the 5' x 7' 'side yards' here, you'd understand why this is a problem. The first time I thought the dog was actually in our house, I kid you not I was on my way to scoop up the kids.) So, car naps are not my favorite, although I guess I could just go sit in the car with them, after I grabbed the computer of course - because even though I could have fallen asleep standing up all day, the minute they close their little eyes, mine open a little wider, and I start thinking a little clearer. Hmm, car naps may be a good thing for the blog come to think of it. Well, I've resorted to putting them in the stroller. Yes, it's cold, but maybe that's part of the reason it works (don't worry, I throw a blanket or two over them, and I even usually make them wear their winter coat ;) Best of all, I can wheel the stroller in the house once they're out! You know, so I can not do dishes, laundry, mop, all those things I say I would be doing if they napped. Don't get me wrong, I haven't completely given up on the whole sleeping in their own beds thing, but after an hour and a half of singing, counting, reading, rocking, and finally just laying on the floor in hopes that a snoring model might send the message, we're all ready to give up. So, it was back to the stroller today. As I was observing the frost on the ground I wondered if this time it was maybe a bit too cold, but I was on a mission, and they were already looking limp. Amongst the frostbitten greenery, there was a few of those little plants that have those red balls on. Maybe they were berries, who knows. I actually didn't even notice the plants at first because they were all sprawled out flat on the ground, until I saw this one perfectly shaped circle popping up, like a little wreath. I actually first thought it was a Christmas decoration. Then I realized this was one of the only ones left standing probably because it did allow itself to bend, into a quite perfectly beautiful full circle, complete with little red ball decorations and all. Isn't that so true of life? We always need to be willing to bend, in order to avoid breaking. This helped me to see that I need to bend as a mother, in order not to break, or have a breakdown, however you want to say it. So, in life it's not so bad to bend, because the end result just might be that you're the only one left standing. Maybe by bending we're allowing God to shape us as he sees fit, even though we might not understand the reasoning at the time. I could only imagine what the little plant was thinking as it started resembling the loop on a roller coaster, while all it's buddies starting laying down, playing dead. Although if you're reading this Lord, please know I'm not as flexible as I used to be...