Five Minute Friday: SPRING

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday series. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is: SPRING.

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I cannot fathom that it is already the end of March... It seems as if we JUST stayed up late celebrating the New Year!  A full quarter of the year 2022, already passed.  I still have a hard time writing 2022 on papers. I actually wrote 2014 the other day.  Maybe my brain needed a moment to think back on life with only one child.

Every year about this time, I have this same conversation in my head.  Wondering where the time went... My dad used to say that time goes by quicker the older you get, and I am beginning to realize how right he was.  The days seem to stretch on, but the years are so short. Even my weeks fly by.  When asked how I was doing the other day, I said "so busy".  Have we always been this busy and it just feels amplified because we stopped long enough to reset during the pandemic?

Whether we are ready or not, Spring has sprung.  There are gardens to be planted, grass to mow, houses to clean, evenings to be spent outside, Flonase to be sprayed, and life to be lived before it's already next Spring. 

STOP.

First Spring Picnic of the Year!

Five Minute Friday: EASY

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday series. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is: EASY.

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I didn't know I was doing it, but I was watching.  I watched her as she stood there holding her baby.  It looked so natural.  She swayed as she talked to another mom, while she watched her daughter on the balance beam.  It looks so easy, I thought.  Just one.  

One is so easily contained.  You can chase after one.  You can hold one.  You can have your undivided attention on one.  It seems so much more manageable. 

If the baby cries, you can console her. Bounce him.  Sway until she quiets down.  If that doesn't work, you can put him down, let him run around and walk behind him, making sure he doesn't fall down the stairs, or drink from a strangers cup.

A few months ago, I took one baby to the doctor and felt like I was invincible.  It's what I assumed it was like to have baby #3.  

It's funny how our perspective changes.  5 years ago, I was this mom, so I can attest and I KNOW that it isn't easy.  Every day is a struggle.  I will go to my grave saying that we are all at max capacity, no matter how many kids you currently have.  But now, one baby in your arms, and in your care, seems so foreign.  

But the Lord knew I needed more. So we went from 2 to 4, and I'll never look back.

Momma and the #suttonsibs

Five Minute Friday: HEAVY

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday series. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is: HEAVY.

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Since I was behind and just wrote last weeks about 5 minutes ago, I'm going to continue my train of thought.  To catch up, read my FMF CARRY.  

It was Haiti in July, in the direct sunlight, in what felt like a million degrees.  It was a difficult hike, loaded down with supplies. We had to hike down to get to the house.  Then we had until about 2 hours before sundown to build said house in the blazing sun.  When we were as exhausted as could be, and racing against dusk, we had to hike back up the mountain to get to our van.

With that one blue jug of water for all 12 of us, the internal struggle raged. All day, it was a constant: Am I really thirsty?  Can I wait another 10 minutes?  Am I drinking too much?  Are they drinking enough?  They look really overheated, should we use some of the water to pour over their head? We needed to make sure we had enough to the very end of the day.  We had to have a good chunk of the water for the way back up the mountain.

I'm here to testify that we completed the mission.  Everyone had just what they needed.  In fact, we were all able to completely fill up our Nalgene bottles for the van ride back to the missions center, but not a drop more.

I'll never forget how the men on our team shared the burden of everyone's water. Carrying a blue 5 gallon Culligan that is rope tied onto a backpack is no small feat when you're walking down the road, let alone down, and back up, a mountain.  I fell multiple times and I was just carrying a bag of tools.  I prayed so hard that they wouldn't fall and crack open the bottle.

If nothing else, it was a lesson for us all to carry each other's burdens.  So I am grateful, for the few who stepped up to carry us along.  Thank you for being a model of what Christ does for us each and ever day. 

Stop.

Five Minute Friday: CARRY

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday series. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is: CARRY.

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In another life, I used to travel back and forth to Haiti ever couple of months with my non-profit Hope for the Hungry.  For a while, I had a bag of my 'Haiti stuff' ready to throw into a suitcase when needed. When we started having kids, they just hopped on board with us and we went about our way.  Then COVID.  No more traveling for a while. 

However, on one of our trips, we went down to help put a roof on a new home that was being built after the 2010 earthquake.  This particular house was far away from any road, and could only be accessed by foot.  We knew right away it was going to be an adventure and had to come up with a game plan. Not only did we have to get there, but we had to get all of our supplies there too.  I think there were 12 of us total, 8 Americans and 4 Haitians. 

If it didn't come with us on the way there, we didn't have it.  We are talking tools, sheet metal, lumber, snacks, and water.  We would be there all week, and each task had specific supplies so we had to be strategic.  We were able to stop about half way to eat lunch in a church we passed.  Thankfully we were able to use the church as a drop spot so we didn't have to bring everything back and forth each day.

A small portion of the tools we brought with us.

It was over a decade ago, so I don't remember all of the details.  But one thing I will never forget is the 5 gallon blue water container strapped into someone's backpack.  It was our lifeline.  That was all of our water.  All of it.  There was no other option.  We each brought our own full bottles, but as soon as we burned through those, we were limited.

This was just one blip of an afternoon for me, but a constant reality for the 1.1 billion people who have no access to water around the world.

Lord, help me to always use my abundance to provide for those who are empty.