The Blue Sippy Cup

Some friends from Indiana visited this week. It was really good to see them. It makes me miss home in a lot of ways I wasn't expecting.

Actually, no. It makes me miss a time in my life when my responsibilities were extremely low: when I was in the middle of the fun, instead of on the sidelines; when I felt part of the group, instead of in the background; when I could pick up and go wherever I wanted, instead of waiting for naps to be over and meals to be finished. Basically, there are days when I miss being an I, instead of an us.

I have a very vivid memory of my brother and I standing in the kitchen at dinner time arguing about who would get the blue sippy cup at dinner that night. I was probably about seven years old at the time. My mom handed me some sacrifice beads and told me to offer it up.

I have no idea why this little moment has stuck with me; those three words were not new to me. Growing up in a large family, there was always something we could offer up. But, here I am almost twenty years later, still learning lessons from that moment.

I'm in a very different place in life than almost all of my friends. Even though I'm happy and excited about where we're at in our lives most of the time, there are other times when it requires a lot of sacrifice. A lot of patience. A lot of love.

This week was one of those weeks.

But, you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. Those two little kids are my life. Because of them, I have learned to appreciate those small, quiet moments. Like the mornings when Chloe and I get up early and snuggle on the couch downstairs. Or, when she pulls on my leg saying "Mama, hold you." Or, when I pick up Logan and he smiles at me like I'm the love of his life. Or, when he gets mad at his toys because they hit him in the head and he starts yelling at them.

It's the hours we spend playing on the floor trying to teach Logan to crawl.
It's our walks to the park.
It's seeing those two play (nicely) together.
It's all of those things and so much more.

It's knowing that I'm exactly where God wants me to be right now, doing exactly what He wants me to do. 

I'm a mother and a wife. And, I'm happy with that.