I’m getting older in all the best ways.
I know who I am and don’t hide from it anymore. I’ve been away from home five days and coming back is like slipping into your most comfortable sweat pants and having someone hand you a cup of hot chocolate.
This is my skin.
This is my house.
This is my ordinary and when I see it with fresh eyes it’s so extraordinary I can feel that heaven-breath pulsing through everything.
Dear God how you must love us to offer all this sacred wrapped up in the trappings of scrubby boys and skinned elbows and baby girls with dimples. So much holy on a Wednesday morning I can see it even through the spilled Cheerios and the dog that refuses to stay off the sofa.
Look at the lines beside these eyes of mine. Like parenthesis. They cup all that I have seen – a testament to the fact that your mercies are actually new every morning. I have screamed down this carpet and roared in bedrooms and scared small boys. But you are stripping me of it – this temper born into my DNA. You are scrubbing me down with your Spirit and I am learning the art of the whisper, the dance, the celebration.
Fall has arrived and I think even the trees breath a sigh of relief at the respite from humidity. The cold has us cuddly on the sofas while Elmo or Bob the Builder or Shaun the Sheep bleats at us from the TV.
Micah slips his arm around my shoulder and mutters, “I like sitting with you.”
Zoe swats her arms as I swat at mosquitoes on mine.
The dog is determined to sandwich herself between us all.
And when Peter comes home there is a race to see who will open the door to him first. Everyone talking at the same time. Everyone trying to jump at him. This family he has built with me wraps arms and legs and loud baby babble around his welcome home.
And later Jackson will make a bad mistake and I will be forced to uphold the consequences and both of us will cry about it. But he will learn that courage is when the frightened do brave things in the face of their fear. Peter will tell me how that seven-year-old courage transpired and we will pass another milestone in this parenting journey.
These are my people.
We are made for one another.
This is my church.
I bow low over carpet stains and I know the holy of a Wednesday afternoon.
I love that you can see the beauty, even through the mess and the mundane. I’m loving your perspective!
Beautiful, friend.
“Look at the lines beside these eyes of mine. Like parenthesis. They cup all that I have seen – a testament to the fact that your mercies are actually new every morning.” Love those lines. LOVE them. All of this post, really. There is so much wonder to be found in our everyday lives if only we have the eyes to see it.
This made me smile. Thank you. I can totally relate but to be recognize the beauty in the everyday routine is a gift.
When we have foound this place before God we have indeed found ‘holy’… I take off my shoes and feel the beauty with each toe…
Another beautifully written article. Your blog was shown to me by a friend of mine, and I’ve loved everything you’ve written so far. You truly have a gift for getting to the sacred of the matter, and I’m always giddy when I get to be the first one to share your stuff on Google+. It’s like being the first one with a really amazing, wonderful secret to share.
Thank you for making me giddy on a Wednesday after a very long Tuesday night.
The art of the whisper… Yes.
You live well, my friend. And you mentor with your words. Every time.
Sweetly said :)
“Learning the art of the whisper, the dance, the celebration” – yes. May I be filled with these lessons each day and may I go to heaven completely empty, because I gave it all away everyday.
You are such a blessing Lisa-Jo.
Oh, how I love your line: “I have screamed down the carpet and roared into bedrooms and scared little boys. But you are stripping me of it-this temper born into my DNA.” All I can say is, me too. And yes, slowly, but surely, the Lord is stripping it out, this anger and impatience that wells up within me. Thank you for your authenticity and for blessing me with your words.
Looking forward to the day when I can step into my home again and feel as though I am stepping into my own skin. Meanwhile, I will seek my new cup of grace each morning and do my best to fulfill my purpose as a MaMMa.
YES! Your altar…your worship! This.
Lisa-Jo – remind me please, that I have hand gathered morning glory seeds that would grow effortless on that arbor…right now they are packed in the UHaul, in the drawer of my china hutch that won’t get touched until we close from the house on the 21st – along with all but one pair of shoes and one suitcase of clothes from my dresser drawers… (you can read more on that topic on my blog!)
LOVE the post!! LOVE that you are treasuring these moments.
<3
Lovely. Just lovely. Yes, with Jesus at the center, how can put homes be anything buy holy? I have had the same experience returning after a trip. I wonder why, when we live in the center of something extraordinary day to day we see only the imperfections. But the beauty of it reemerge a when we have gone away for a bit?
This is my church. Oh my, how could I have not seen this before? This is my church. I love it! Thank you, thank you! I hope you have a blessed day soaking up all the wonderfulness of your sweet family!
After reading this post, I scrubbed down the toilet with mindfulness and the realization that this was my true work for the day. It didn’t seem so unimportant.
I too struggle with anger and I patience. So much. I have forgotten what it is to be happy. But, I am slowly asking God for help. Thank you for your words.
That something I wrote helped inspire someone as she scrubbed a toilet? Maybe my favorite compliment of all time. Especially since there’s a toilet waiting for my scrubbing brush this afternoon ….
Oh my. Profound. My heart-cry matches yours, this Wednesday morning. “The heaven breath pulsing through everything. These are my people. This is my church.” Wow, thank you. Thank you for the confidence, the reminder that the Lord will create beauty out of my mess and the many mistakes of this group, here, in this house.
Lisa-Jo, this is beautiful. This holy so evident right in the midst of your everyday. It is right there, we just need to pause and see.
I love it. LOVE it. I had similar thoughts last week and am hungry for the reminders that our everyday life is where we can worship, pray, and work through our salvation. Thank you for sharing!!
Gasp. BIG breath in – breath of gratitude, recognition, amen. Thank you, sweet friend, for this beautiful reminder of the everyday holy.
So loved your blog post! Sounds quite familiar, however, I’m on the other end of the spectrum(our kids are 16, 21 and 23(the 23yr old just got married). Everything has come full-circle, but it seems like nothing has really changed(go figure). We still love hanging out together, snuggling(yes, big kids do that too), playing board games…and yes, when the ‘big” guy comes home…we still get excited. ;-) Just goes to show we all have similar stories in some way or another. Thanks Lisa-Jo for the reminder to ALWAYS be thankful and to cherish even the small things in life! ;-))
This is so beautiful. Thank you for opening your life to us. I love your writing. You’re amazing. Thanks for just being so relaxed about your blog. It’s a great example for me. :)
This was truly touching. As I get ready to do my housecleaning before my son returns home followed soon after by my husband, I think I will do it with a whole new perspective. I think I will do it and try counting my blessings in it. ^_^
I feel like your words reached into my heart and wrung it after scrubbing through and through. I think someone else said they had the same heart-cry this Wednesday morning…me too! Beautiful words that leave me speechless. Thank you!
Oh my goodness, this brought tears to my eyes! So beautifully written!
I had to wipe away tears to get through this post. It was so beautifully written and touching. I felt peace embrace me as I read. Thank you.