Content

Its a chilly eve in the South and I'm sitting here at the computer just thinking back over the past almost 2 months since our move and ALL that has transpired, the work that has been done and the laughs we've had. The kids are in bed, Troll is still at work and I'm pondering :)

What am I pondering? Duno really if there is any one certain thing that is making me smile softly like I am right now other than knowing I'm at peace. Happy. Thankful. Blessed. I guess to wrap it all up simply...I'm content! Part of what makes me that way is knowing that right now I'm in the center of God's will and to be there can assure nothing BUT peace. The other part that makes me smile softly is that I have some wonderful kids. I have two specific instances that I want to share to just give you an idea of why I'm saying how wonderful they are. They are not instances that make me want to shout out how proud I am of them or to gloat with that "bumper sticker type mentality"....these are just instances that have made me smile softly, whisper in my heart a thank-you to God for how He's helped me raise them, and yes, to follow the soft smile....a tear or so :)

First instance happened the night before my parents were going home after being here remodeling. I will not mention this child's name or say he/she so as not to cause embarrassment but it was one of my older kids. Dad had been here at the house late; Mom and my lil sis had gone to their apt. to start packing up for their trip North. He was cleaning up all his tools, packing the back of the van with them and making sure all was to his liking. I was in the kitchen putting away some dishes...the kids were all bedded down on the living room floor and couches. Dad opened the door into the kitchen and said, "I found this in my nail pouch!" and he handed me $2.00. I said, Oh! And then, after thinking for a moment said, I believe that is ____'s money...it must have fallen in there. So I turned and asked that kid if it were in fact theirs. That kid looked at me kinda awkwardly and affirmed that it was theirs. I laid it on the piano, said goodnite to my dad and that was that.

As I was going back into the kitchen a thought dawned on me. I paused a moment and then turned to that kid and said, ________ did you put that money in Gramps' nail pouch on purpose? The kid said that they had. (All the while looking disappointed/disturbed) I said, O...do you want me to run it out to Gramps? They said, sure! So I picked up the money and walked out the front door but Dad had already started the drive back to their apt. So I walked back in the house and laid it on the piano again and told that kid, I will give it to him in the a.m. They nodded their head and shut their eyes - I walked back into the kitchen. I had only been in there a few minutes when once again the disappointed look of that kid went thru my mind. And that's when it hit me! I put down my dish rag and walked over to them where they were bedded down for the night and said, Did you put that money in Gramps' nail pouch for all the work he did this past week to make you kids bedrooms? The kid looked at me with seeming gratitude for finally getting it (smile) and said, Yea I guess kinda yea. I hugged them, told them I was so proud of them for wanting to give Gramps something for all the work he had done and that I loved them SO very much. As I stood back up and walked back into the kitchen I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or both. I do know that I felt such an overwhelming joy in my heart at the tenderness in the heart of that kid and how willing they were to give. See....all that kid had was $2.00 to their name and to know that they wanted to give it to someone to let them know all the work they had done had not gone unnoticed...THAT was priceless to me.

Needless to say, I shot a text to my mom immediately to let my dad know exactly what had transpired and how that grandkid had really appreciated what Gramps had done to make their room special. Of course all the other ones were appreciative as well but this one ~ made me smile softly.

The next instance just happened tonight. As I eluded to earlier in this post...the kids have been sleeping on the living room floor. My parents had come down before Thanksgiving to turn a garage into 2 "brand new" bedrooms. Dad, with the help of Troll on occasion and our neighbor, did a great job of doing exactly that. However, they had to go back North on Black Friday and so I offered to put the texture on the ceilings and walls, fill in cracks with caulking and do the painting. I'm not a professional by ANY means but I do love to do that kind of thing. So with me doing that, juggling house work, school, and all that stuff...it took me longer than I'd hoped. Through this whole time the kids never once complained about having to all be in the living room on the floor and couches. They never complained about all the extra housework they had to do and Jet even did laundry pretty much every other day all by herself. Well yesterday I finally finished with all I had to do in those bedrooms. Sure they don't look super but I was happy. The carpet guys came today and a very happy family gazed on the two new rooms with big ol' smiles after lunch!

Troll and I set up the bunkbeds and other bed for the boys and got them all made up. Then Troll had to go to work. I had the two older kids go get the boy's toy chest out of storage and carry it over. When things had all settled down E and B realized that one of the toy boxes were in the room and were overjoyed to finally see the toys they hadn't seen since we moved in August! Let me tell ya...I'm thinking that we won't need Christmas cause they are so thankful to finally have their stuff back.

Ok, so on to the instance. The three boys walked into their room tonight after brushing their teeth and as they climbed into their beds they sighed great big sighs, smiled real big and said, Aw...its good to be in bed...great job, Mom. Now maybe to you it doesn't mean much...or maybe doesn't even rate as an instance. But to me it does! They don't have pictures on their walls, their dressers are still in other buildings, they don't have all their little treasures cause they are still in boxes and have been since August....all they have is their beds and a toy box......but that was enough :) So yes, it rates as an instance for me. Because I'm thankful they didn't walk in and say, Where are our clothes? or Where is the rest of our stuff? No, they were thankful to just be off the floor and in a bedroom. And that to me warranted a soft smile.

I am content. :) *Sigh*