Today there was quiet. After what feels like a distance runner's steady pace since last March, I feel like I can take a deep breath for a couple days.
My day began early. I got my Mom to the airport at 4am, took a nap until getting the kids to school, got chores done to celebrate Mom's efforts, played and read with Jake, had a fun phone chat with Ryan to catch up on family business, and then after lunch settled in with a good book to take a much needed nap. Just as I was drifting off, Jake needed a diaper change in the worst way and the phone rang.
I'm enrolling in a German class.
Five years here and now it's time. I'm anxious. I sure hope our new contract will help us eventually stay another five more. The contractor world is a roller coaster for sure. But we're personally invested in staying at this point so we shall see what God has in store for us.
We took the kids and Mom to Israel over President's day weekend for five days. We kept up quite the pace to fit as much in as we could. I had to pinch myself many times as I now saw my children and mom walking all over the Holy Land with Ryan and I as their guides! Ryan is my hero and throughout the trip I felt great peace about what we are doing in our family.
It's been 17 years since I was a BYU Jerusalem student! Time flies! Everyone did remarkably well but we did bring a stomach bug home with us. That pretty much zapped us of entertaining Mom properly but she and I were pretty content to chat and work on odds and ends. I was often reminded how fortunate I am to have Mom as my mother!!!
One downside of traveling on Ryan's holidays vs. the kids' international school/German holiday schedule is the catchup homework for the boys. One of them got so overwhelmed it made him ill one day and then he refused to go to school another morning this week. It was rather traumatic for the two of us to navigate but we pulled through and all is right again with the world. I'm so grateful for these kids that are daily teaching me, stretching me to become a better person. As I was praying all day for this son to have a successful day, my mind kept running through these four statements.
I am a child of God.
He has a plan for me.
I can do hard things
with Him.
Be still, and know.
If I do nothing else as a mother than instill this in my children, I will be at peace. And so when the day did turn out well, I took him aside and we talked and then prayed together to thank Heavenly Father for answering a mother's prayers for her son that day. I want him to know I believe in him and God and me.
