At the End of the Day
Traveling with three little boys has proven to be more than exhausting. Vacations certainly don't feel refreshing! What feels refreshing is being back in my own home...where everything is child-proof, nap/bedtime friendly, and where routine and discipline tend to come a little more naturally. Having small children is just a lot easier when you are in your own home. Unfortunately, getting home meant a three day journey for us. Three days of busy airports, long drives, tears, temper tantrums, and sick kids. At the airport, the two youngest (ages 2 and 1) were put in their double stroller. For at least one hour straight BOTH boys screamed as loud as they could, thrusting their bodies trying to get out. In a large echoing airport. I cannot express in words how awful this was. AWFUL. After about 1 hour, I was crying along with them. And trust me...I would have loved to get them out - but traveling through an international airport with about 10 bags doesn't lend itself to letting two toddlers run around. And this was just day one! We were truly in survival mode and each day seemed to be worse than the last - which seemed impossible! I am not usually stressed out by the craziness of it all, but even this trip put me over the edge. As we made it into the final hour of our journey home, we watched as the sun set behind the last set of hills to Tulear. The light shone through the clouds and the view was breath taking. Suddenly, all of the tears and frustrations of the past few weeks passed away. We had made it to our beautiful home!
A few days after arriving home, Grant left on an extended bush trip to lead a rural orientation for new missionaries on the island. I stayed at home in order to get our boys back into a routine, one that involved getting back into school, healthy eating habits, and better attitudes! Unfortunately, it took about 24 hours for my high hopes to be deflated by reality. In fact - it only took ten minutes. Ten minutes after Grant walked out the door the electricity and water cut...and it has scarcely been seen since then. On top of that, the kids were not on board with all of my grand plans. Homeschooling was met with tears. The kids went on strike from eating healthy food. And they have been determined to break me at every opportunity. Try cleaning up a toddler's diaper art without water! On one particularly bad day, I really thought that I was going to have to tell Grant to come home and save me from them. At the end of the day, I decided to check on Titus and Jude before crashing myself. I walked in the room to find that Titus had crawled into the crib with Jude and fallen asleep with him. Suddenly, all of the frustration, anger, disappointment and exhausted disappeared and I was filled with so much love and compassion. What a blessing these precious boys are and they are all mine! So, I fell asleep excited to do it all over again in the morning.
I wonder if thats what it will feel like when we reach the end of our earthly lives? I wonder if the beauty and rest that God gives us glimpses of at the end of those tough days is just a small taste of what it will be like to finally behold the glorious eternal life He has for us! All of the hardships and exhaustion will just fade away and we will be filled with a peace and joy that overcomes even the deepest of sufferings. What a beautiful day it will be!
A few days after arriving home, Grant left on an extended bush trip to lead a rural orientation for new missionaries on the island. I stayed at home in order to get our boys back into a routine, one that involved getting back into school, healthy eating habits, and better attitudes! Unfortunately, it took about 24 hours for my high hopes to be deflated by reality. In fact - it only took ten minutes. Ten minutes after Grant walked out the door the electricity and water cut...and it has scarcely been seen since then. On top of that, the kids were not on board with all of my grand plans. Homeschooling was met with tears. The kids went on strike from eating healthy food. And they have been determined to break me at every opportunity. Try cleaning up a toddler's diaper art without water! On one particularly bad day, I really thought that I was going to have to tell Grant to come home and save me from them. At the end of the day, I decided to check on Titus and Jude before crashing myself. I walked in the room to find that Titus had crawled into the crib with Jude and fallen asleep with him. Suddenly, all of the frustration, anger, disappointment and exhausted disappeared and I was filled with so much love and compassion. What a blessing these precious boys are and they are all mine! So, I fell asleep excited to do it all over again in the morning.
I wonder if thats what it will feel like when we reach the end of our earthly lives? I wonder if the beauty and rest that God gives us glimpses of at the end of those tough days is just a small taste of what it will be like to finally behold the glorious eternal life He has for us! All of the hardships and exhaustion will just fade away and we will be filled with a peace and joy that overcomes even the deepest of sufferings. What a beautiful day it will be!
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