It occurs to me that in the midst of living, life is lived.
And if we're not careful, we'll miss it or overlook it.
It's lived even on Mondays when you roll out of bed at the crack of dawn to let your dog out to potty. When you don't have your contacts in and the early morning sun looks pearly orange and fuzzy as it filters through trees and blades of grass. And the grass is wet from the sprinkler system.
It's lived as you sort piles of laundry into dark blues, light blues, whites and towels.
As you wipe up a pee puddle that is entirely your fault because you got too focused on those piles of laundry.
It's lived as you vacuum and hum and pray. As you make oatmeal and toast and smoothies with vitamin powder for your kids. As you sort out disputes and teach your puppy not to eat the cord of the vacuum cleaner as you're using it.
It's lived as you watch bits of the Olympics and laugh at your 16 month old using the coffee table as his balance beam. As your 4 year old son and daughter squeal and pretend to be gymnasts or swimmers or whatever event has inspired them.
It's lived as you find food in your pantry to prepare a meal for your family and you praise God for that food. That blessed provision.
It's lived as you wait for a text for your sister-in-law who's waiting for her first baby to make its way into the world. And since you're her doula, you're waiting just as eagerly...
It's lived as you paint and draw and try futilely yet persistently to copy the delicate, amazing beauty that is God's creation.
It's lived in the cups of coffee and mugs of tea and sliced apples. In the bittersweet chocolate drops with almonds.
It's lived in the diapers you change and the hugs you give and the faces you wipe jam from.
It's lived in the tears you shed for your friends who hurt.
In the laughter of moments of hilarity that so frequently come with raising children.
In the celebration of 95th birthdays.
It's lived when you lose your temper and shout at your kids for pretending (much too loudly) to be Maurice Sendak's Wild Things in your living room.
It's lived when you wonder where in the world you're gonna get the money to pay your electric and water bill.
It's lived when you groan in defeat as you watch the thermostat creep stubbornly up to 107 and you think...there's just no way to survive this!
It's lived in the prayers and more prayers and surrender of your fears to God.
It's lived in the moments of being a mom and a wife that you aren't your best and hope to be better tomorrow or maybe in an hour.
It's lived as you smile at a neighbor and visit a friend. As your children do crafts and make a mess of your house. As you vacuum and know that dust will make its way again to your floors, but that is the living of such a life.
A full life. A blessed life. A good life.
