What a great week I have had. Joy has been home for one week from school and so I decided it was to be our week of celebrating life together. Putting aside the duties of details of life, I worked on the eternally valuable work of being best friends. What a great decision this was. After tea times every day, a couple of great movies, sleeping in, walking in our favorite places where spring was budding all over and going out to breakfast twice, I now have a whole heart full of new memories made.
Duties are always there. Remember, Jesus said, "Martha, you are worried about so many things." And take time to enjoy this day, this family, this place in the season of life--and laugh at one of my own embarrassing days a couple of years ago.
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Once after a marathon of a winter with sick children, lots of snow, ministry conferences and 3 teenagers and one elementary child in the house, a sweet angel friend bought me a massage. It just took one time to make me a fan. Now, I save my treasured extra dollars in a secret drawer and when I have enough saved, I treat myself to a massage, as I am quite sure it must be good for my health.
I was looking back at some pictures from a year ago, and ran into this anecdote from a last year, as Joy and I were squishing together on the couch at home tonight, looking at old pictures, stalking instagram, and we giggled all over again!
So enjoy my true story that still makes me laugh!
A couple of weeks ago, I went in for a massage and it was wonderful.
When it was over, I dressed in the dim lights and could hardly see anything.
I then went to three stores, when at the last store, a lady gently came forward and said, "I don't know if I will offend you, but did you know your shirt is on wrong side out and all the tags are showing and the buttons are backwards? Just thought you might want to know."
To think I went through 3 stores that way----life is generally humbling.
But, it actually made me giggle, over and over throughout the day!
Joy told me of a quote that she was thinking about, and it made her giggle.
"A Puritan is someone who is deathly afraid that someone,
somewhere, is having fun."
H. L. Mencken
Though I have nothing against Puritans, this probably expresses what my children sometimes thought of me!
All of life a serious issue and no room for humor!
Perhaps there are times we just need to lighten up and have fun and enjoy the fun that life has given to us.
Too much instruction, too much seriousness or correction is heavy for a child's spirit and becomes just way--"too much."
So next time you wear your shirt wrong-side out, just giggle and get a good laugh-don't take yourself too seriously.
Don't be afraid to smile or to let your children be silly or just act their age. (And I think Jesus wants us to be as children, too.)
Don't be afraid to laugh at your 4 year old boy's silly joke. ( Joel said, "What happened when the snail crossed the road? He got squished!" hahahahaha--this was a 4 year old joke in our home! Smile and giggle--you will live longer."
(And please no one write to me about the person who wrote this quote--a satirist, who was a journalist and did not especially like Christians. I know! But his quip did reflect a bit of truth--that I have seen at times in myself and in others.)
Maybe, as believers, and as moms,
it would just be good for us to celebrate laughter and life a little bit more than always being too serious.
Research shows that a person who smiles 10 times a day, is happier and raises his happy hormone levels immensely. So sometimes in the car while driving, I will smile 10 times--because scripture is actually true--a joyful heart is good medicine, and it drives my kids crazy and then to laughter.
There were times when my children told me to "lighten up," and I actually found it to be good advice--less stressful on the body!
Hope your day has at least a couple of good laughs in it. :)