Blessed?

I read a blog post a few weeks ago titled  "Christians: Stop Saying You're Blessed." I really liked what this author had to say and it got me thinking,

I looked up the word "blessed" in the dictionary and this is what I found:

adjective

1.

consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified:

the Blessed Sacrament.

2.

worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship:

the Blessed Trinity.

3.

divinely or supremely favored; fortunate:

to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.

4.

blissfully happy or contented.

When we use the term in the sense I'm talking about, I think we usually mean it in regards to being divinely or supremely favored. I think it would be safe to say that many of us only say we're blessed when things are going well. We got that promotion. We got a new house. We got that new job. A friend or family member has been healed from illness. A prayer has been answered. A bill has been paid. Your husband remembered your birthday or brought you flowers and chocolate for no reason. Sure those are all blessings. But what about when things aren't going so well for us? What about when we get passed up for that promotion or the contract on the house fall through? When we don't get that new job, that friend or family member is not healed, our prayer goes unanswered, or your husband forgot your birthday or never brings you gifts just because? Are we still blessed? Well yes we are, but I will be bold and say that many of us don't tend to recognize it as readily in times of hardship.

This article also made me think about the times when good things happen and we share our "blessings," with others (which is super easy nowadays thanks to social media). How must that make others feel who might not be having such good times right now? When they scroll through their Facebook feed to see about a dozen #blessed statuses I bet it makes those hardships sting that much more. When times are hard do we look at the blessings of others and think we might not be blessed because things just aren't working out? Or maybe we're not as favored as others? I would venture to say we do, and that's a lie straight from the enemy.When I think of being blessed in terms of being "divinely or supremely favored; fortunate" I realize that I'm blessed in all circumstances no matter how good or bad. Why? Because Jesus Christ was born and then died to rescue me from my sins so that I may have eternal life in Him. I'm not sure how much more "divinely or supremely favored" one can get than that right there!

I'm not suggesting we should quit using this term altogether, but that maybe we should be considerate of how often we use it and under what circumstances. The hubs and I had a conversation about this and we decided we would purpose to only use the word "blessed" in times of hardship and that we would try to use words like "thankful" and "grateful" or even "undeserving" when referring to the "blessings" God has given us: His provision in our lives, the prayers He answers, the circumstances from which He delivers us, etc. We want to always remember that even when we are walking through a trial, we still have God's blessings in our lives. And whether we are in the valley or on the mountaintop, we are undeserving of all His gifts and we are always "divinely or supremely favored." And for that we are thankful and stand amazed at the goodness of our God.

Is God Good?

Is God good? I think that's probably a question that anyone facing adversity asks themselves. I know the answer to this. It's a resounding yes. How do I know? Because I've seen the evidence of God's goodness in my life more times than I can count. I've seen His goodness in the lives of others around me and I have read about His goodness in the Bible. But even though my heart knows the answer is yes I sometimes find myself still struggling with this when life gets hard or I'm praying for something an the answer is "no" or "wait" instead of the immediate "yes" I was looking for. I think (at least for me) the problem lies in comparison. When I begin to compare my life or my circumstances to the life and circumstances of those around me. I wonder why life seems to be so easy for some. Why things just seem to "work out" for others and not for me. And then I begin to ask those dangerous questions: What did I do wrong and why is God punishing me? Why doesn't He give me all the desires of my heart? It's when I find myself going in this direction that I have to get a little perspective so I stop and list the things in my life that are evidence of God's goodness. Things like my husband, our beautiful baby, a roof over our heads, a full refrigerator, a loving family, some pretty awesome friends, the godly legacy of my parents and grandparents, good health, my salvation, and the list goes on.

Even in the small trials God's goodness is evident. An example (and an update for those who want to know): Back in September we went to Memorial for Cason to have his modified Barium Swallow test. Thankfully it was not nearly as scary or traumatizing as I thought it would be and the feeding team at Memorial is made up of some wonderful ladies who are very knowledgeable, great with kids, and put us at ease right away. They had Cason sit in a little booster chair and I fed him a variety of things that had the Barium on it. While he ate and swallowed they took x-rays. He took everything like a champ and all things considered, did really well. The x-rays showed no abnormalities and no issues with swallowing. While he was eating, the therapists saw that he wasn't really chewing properly or enough and that he was unable to properly move the food to the back of his throat to swallow it. They said this lack of chewing skills in addition to his gag reflex and aversions to textures is causing the problem.  His diagnosis is "oral phase dysphagia." (Don't Google it, it's scary!)

The recommendation was food therapy to help him learn how to tolerate textures and handle solids. He had his first therapy session in October and it was pretty interesting. She gave us some things to try at home to slowly increase the texture and thickness of his food. She also gave us a little chewy tube he's supposed to chew on. He did really well with the foods we gave him, but we got too confident and he had an episode at the end of his session and threw everything up. While that always gives me anxiety, I am thankful it happened in front of the therapist so she could see what happens.

We just went back for his second session the week of Thanksgiving and she was very impressed with his progress. She said his chewing skills improved and that his lateral tongue movement is better which gives him better control over his food as he moves it around his mouth. He ate some things that two months ago would have cause him to gag and throw up. (Praise!) We have some new "homework" for this month and will see her again in a few weeks.

I think that recognizing God's goodness, even in the hard times and even in the little things (or maybe "especially" would be the better word), breeds thankfulness. And we sure do have a lot to be thankful for! While the progress is going to be slow we are thankful to have such a knowledgeable and patient therapist to work with us. While dealing with this can be stressful sometimes and often causes worry, we are thankful because we have a healthy, happy baby and in time, we know he will overcome this hurdle. In fact, just the other day he grabbed a (small) hunk off my Swiss Cake Roll (don't judge me!) and ate it with no problem! See the remnants below.....

We appreciate all the concern for Cason and everyone who checks in on how's he doing. Most of all we appreciate prayers for his improvement, our patience, and our continued faith that the Lord has a plan and in His abundant goodness and grace,  He's working all things for our good.

"For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations."
Psalm 100:5

Accentuating the Positive!

Today was the day. The day I've not been looking forward to. The day I had to go back to work and leave my favorite little boy at home. :( As much as I want to be negative and complain,complain, complain, I'm not going to! Instead, I'm going to focus on the positive and think about the pretty exciting summer our family was blessed to enjoy!

Last summer Cason was brand new so we pretty much locked ourselves in the house and didn't go anywhere. This summer was a different story! With Cason being a year old, there was so much more we could do to enjoy our time at home together and there were lots of things he got to experience for the first time.

We kicked off the summer season with a super fun mustache bash to celebrate our little man’s first birthday. We were joined by many family and friends to celebrate the blessing that Cason is to us and the joy he brings to all of our lives. It’s so hard to believe he’s one already!  I’m not really sure where the past year went! As sad as it is that my baby is growing up so quickly, it’s also really fun to watch him grow and change and learn new things. He constantly amazes me with his huge personality, gifted little brain, and all the cute that just oozes from his very being. (I’m not biased or anything!)

We spent the month of June preparing to move into our very first home. After many hurdles, frustrations, setbacks, and a lot of prayers, we finally closed on June 30^th. We started moving right away and it took us about four days to get everything out of the old house and into the new one. There’s no way we could have done it without the selfless help of several friends and family members who worked tirelessly to help us complete this endeavor. For the record, I don’t ever want to move again!!!

One week after closing on our house, we headed off to Athens. I had to go up to UGA to get my AP Language certification and I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving my two guys for an entire week, so O’Neal (being the awesome husband and daddy that he is) took a week’s vacation and he and Cason went with me. Even though I was in class every day, it was so great being up there with my two guys. We got to see each other at lunch and on some of my breaks. When I was finished with class we spent the evenings walking campus and downtown Athens. Cason loved being outside so much, he would cry every time we went back into the hotel room! And O'Neal and Cason enjoyed hanging out together while I was in class.  

The week after we got back from Athens, Cason had his appointment with the pediatric GI specialist. Since he was about nine months old he has been unable to tolerate foods with weird textures or chunks. His pediatrician said it could be a GI issue, or it could be a sensitivity to textures. She referred us to the GI specialist to rule out any GI problems he could have before we look at food therapy for a texture sensitivity. The visit didn’t give us any definite answers like we had hoped, but thankfully, was not as traumatic or scary as I was afraid it would be. The doctor basically took a history and asked me a bunch of questions and concluded that it could be reflux, or it could be two other things: asthma he will grow out of or Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE).  Basically, his case is kind of puzzling. For now they are taking the least invasive route and treating him for reflux. He’s on medicine that we will try for two months. We have a follow up in September and will then determine if the medicine is helping. If not, then it’s on to some testing to see what they can find. We’re praying it’s just as simple as reflux and that it can be controlled with medicine and he will grow out of it quickly and soon be able to eat normally.

This last week Mom and Dad told me they were heading to Florida for a few days to visit some family. So Cason and I decided to squeeze in one last little road trip while we could and we crashed Mom and Dad’s mini vacay. But they promised they didn’t mind! J We had fun seeing some family and just spending time together. We really missed Daddy while we were gone, though!

I’ve also gotten in a few crafting projects this summer like this cool wreath for our front door, 

these little books of cards (birthday, special occasions, meaningful notes, etc.) for each member of the family,

and this pretty sweet growth chart to track how much our little man is growing.

I also worked hard to de-clutter and organize as we moved into our new home. We even had a garage sale to dump our extra stuff! I’ve had lots of fun getting us settled and starting to decorate the house to help make it a home. The blinds finally got installed yesterday and that's made a big difference. It doesn't really feel like home when you're using bed sheets for blinds! We still have plenty to do to really be "settled," but such is the life of a home owner, right?!

Other than that I've spent time doing one of the most important things and that's snuggling and playing with this sweet boy...

Before I headed back to work this morning, the Lord dumped a pretty poignant devotion in my inbox. It reminded me that God sees me and He knows my heart. I just have to remember to trust Him and His timing and know that He has a plan for me and that I have a purpose to fulfill where He has placed me right now. It's my prayer that as I daily enter the mission field that is my classroom, my students will see Jesus in me. And of course, I'll be remembering that His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in my weakness. 

Encouragement For the Working Mom

There seem to be a lot of blogs flooding my Facebook news feed lately. These blogs are geared toward moms. Specifically moms who stay at home. Well I’m a working mom and I know there are a lot of other working moms out there, too. Whether it’s intentional or not, these blogs make me feel inferior as a mom and like I’m doing something horribly wrong by working outside the home. They make me feel like I don’t truly experience motherhood because I don’t stay with my baby 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  They seem to highlight all the things I am missing. And trust me. I don’t need to be reminded of this because it weighs on my mind all the time. Every day when I go to work I leave a huge piece of my heart at home and I don’t get it back until I walk through that door every afternoon and that sweet baby is in my arms. I would give anything to be the one who gets to hold my baby when he naps during the day. Who gets to comfort him when he cries. Hear his belly laughs all day long. Watch him do something new for the first time. I hate being made to feel like I’m less of a mom because I work outside the home. I hate being made to feel like I’m not fulfilling God’s purpose for my life and like my life as a mom is not difficult, demanding, or even important. And I hate being made to feel like I don’t trust God because I don’t just throw my hands up in the air, quit my job and shout “God will provide!” (That may have been where the Lord led you, but that is not where God is leading my family.) Maybe all these feelings are justified. Or maybe they are all fabricated in my head because my heart is at home and that’s not where I get to be.

I was able to stay at home with Cason for sixteen weeks after he was born. Sure it was difficult, exhausting, demanding, and so very hard to accomplish anything that felt remotely productive throughout the day. But now I’m back to work and for me, it is ten times harder. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. And even spiritually. I’m thankful I’m in the teaching profession because I only work 190 days a year and get relatively long breaks here and there to be home with him. I CHERISH those days. Cherish them so much that sometimes I practically barricade the door and sit at home all day and just hold my little boy. Just me and him. And when nothing gets done around the house on those days I don’t feel the slightest bit of guilt. But oh I wish those days could be my every day.

I always get nervous when I post a blog because I'm always afraid of offending someone unintentionally. Please know this is not a post about which is harder- working or staying at home. They are both difficult and for very different reasons. But I know I can’t be the only one who struggles with these feelings and who is tired of being made to feel inferior.This is simply a blog post for working moms, because we all need a little encouragement that’s written specifically for us. So here goes…….

You are a great mom. You are doing what is necessary or what is best for your family. You may be going to work because you have to. My heart aches for you. Or you may be going to work because you choose to. And that’s okay, you’re a great mom. But either way, you’re probably tired. What you’re doing is hard. Your baby might not sleep through the night, so neither do you. Then you get up and go to work for eight hours, ten hours, twelve hours. You don’t get to go back to sleep after that early morning feeding. You don’t get to nap when your baby naps. You spend all day at work under the demands and pressures that are placed on you there. And you’re exhausted. Then you come home. There’s a baby (or babies) who have missed you and who want your attention. They want your time, your kisses and snuggles. They need to be fed. Bathed. Read to. Played with. You have a husband who needs your attention, too, because after all, before you were a mommy, you were a wife. And you have a house- a house that needs to be cleaned. You have groceries that need to be bought. Laundry that needs to be washed, folded, and put away. Dinner that needs to be cooked. Lunches that need to be made. And all the while you’re exhausted. But you keep on doing it with a smile on your face (most of the time) because you are an awesome mom and because you love your family so much it hurts. And because you want to do the most you can for your family to the best of your ability and you pour everything you have into working hard both inside and outside of the home.  You are trying to be all things for all the different people in your life- wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, employee, etc. And that is so very hard sometimes. And you might not have time to fix healthy, completely organic meals made from scratch because you’d rather sit and rock your baby after that long, exhausting day you just had. That’s okay. You might not have time to do those awesome crafts you pinned the other day because you’d rather read a book or snuggle on the couch. And that’s okay. Your house might not be spotless because you’d rather spend time playing on the floor with your kids. And that’s okay. Or you could be like me and when you actually get to wash the clothes they sit on a chair until you wear them and they are dirty again. And you know what? That’s okay. Give yourself a break. Let go of that pressure you feel to “measure up” to those other women who have an extra eight, ten, or twelve hours a day at home. Know that for you the most important thing is time. Time spent with your husband. Time spent with your kids. One of the many things I have learned in my eight short months of being a mom- time goes by way too fast. Read all the books you can. Give all the hugs and snuggles you can. Spend as much time as you can sitting, rocking, snuggling, kissing, singing, reading, and smelling that sweet baby’s head because that baby will not be little forever. When your kids are grown then you can have the perfectly kept house, the laundry that is always folded, the to-do list that actually gets accomplished, and the meals that are organic and made from scratch. In the meantime, take a deep breath, extend yourself some grace and realize that what you are doing is difficult, amazing, and selfless all at once. And you’re amazing at being a working mom and juggling it all. You truly are superwoman. What you are doing matters. And no you can’t do all. But guess what? No one can.

And if you’re in a position where you can be a stay at home mom and you’re still reading, please do me a favor: If you have friends who are working moms, please encourage them. Please tell them how awesome they are and how wonderful it is that they are working so hard to take care of their family. And most of all- please pray for them. For grace, strength, energy, wisdom, and patience. Because working moms need all these things, too.