Fond recollections from the Big Blue Chair

It is evening. Some are crying, some are drinking their last sips of water before bed, some are trying to talk Dad into letting them sleep in their "fort" on the couch, and some are refusing to get into their jammies. And I am pretending to be invisible on the blue chair where I can watch everyone and enjoy my melancholy, which may be a result of a lack of butterscotch topping in my recent diet...... This has been a week. Some of you know, some of you don't want to know, and some of you know me and so you have an idea how this week might have transpired! Joel laughs at me because the minute dinner is over, I pull him to sit on the couch with me where I can just lay my head on his shoulder and hide from the world for awhile. There are weeks when I long to just sit all day and talk with him and share my burdens with him and hear him check them off one by one and fix my "unfixables." Without sounding sappy, we all know that our husbands should be a picture of Christ and his love for us as Christ loves the church. I am convinced that no one talks about that much because they either a) Don't think it is possible, or b) Refuse to try to make their marriage that way. Mine is. Everyone's can be. Pray for yours. I say the previoius because today when I was giving my burdens to my husband I was again thinking of the verse in 1 Peter 5:7- "Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you." Not only do I cast my care upon the Lord and trust Him to take care of me because He DOES care for me, but I also cast my cares on my husband, who loves and cares for me as the Lord himself. Love, care, gives comfort and support and I get those from my Heavenly Father and my Earthly Hubby.

Lately I am looking at my little house and the contents of it in a more meaningful light. Tonight during family devotions I just cherished the feeling of me being right next to Joel, so close he almost couldn't turn the page in his bible....loved my 3 and 4 year olds on my other side sharing a blanket with me, loved holding their hands to keep them warm, loved it all. Loved Isaac and Abbs following along in the blue chair (I sometimes relinquish it yes) in their bibles, loved Anna on Joel's lap every once in a while looking at me and gibbering and having to tell her for the um-teenth time to "SHHH." Loved my wonderful family. I am where God wants me, and nothing compares to that. Not even butterscotch. I hope that tonight, reading this over your cup of hot beverage of choice, (I am plugging Sleepytime with honey here....) you can smile, scroll down and feel the same way.

Take time tonight to reflect on God's goodness to you. Tonight I am thankful for my family. Thankful for another little mouth to feed sometime in August. That means one more "I love you Neena," in this house. That means one more little one to let eat Oreo's for breakfast once or twice. 6 kiddos to pile on you when you are pretending to sleep on the couch and 6 kiddos to teach more than anything to love God with all their heart and to be thankful to everyone for everything.

Goodnight friends. God bless you wherever you are. Thank you to the sweet person who said to me today, "I love talking to you and Joel. You guys make me happy to be alive." Praise the Lord, we ARE happy to be alive serving the Lord!