Meet Puppy, Jonas' bedtime buddy. Puppy is a faithful friend to my son, and so to thank him I gave him some new eyes. It was the least I could do. But I'll be honest, it was a week from the time my teary-eyed 5 year old asked me to fix him until I sat down to do it. As dear as my son and his friend are to me, there were quite a few things I gave higher priority to.
As I gathered my thread and needle to give eyes to the blind, I thought, "Why in the world couldn't I have stopped to do this earlier? This is important. Calling a friend back and cleaning out the fridge could have waited. For a five year old, this means the world."
And then my thoughts turned to my new years resolution:
to be more present with my kids.
I admitted to you that I rarely share my resolutions for fear of failing, but there you have it.
I want to put aside being a task-master and really enjoy my kids. Sure, I still need to get stuff done, and I'll always make my lists. But I want to get better at listening to them, laughing with them, and finding out what they think is important.
Im sure I'll fail some days, but with God's grace, I'm going to be more present.
*Ironically, two blogging friends gave me friendly reminders about my resolution without knowing it. Find them here and here.
4 comments:
Ironic that we were thinking the same things at the same time. The Lord is at work! Praying for you.
Jen,
I'm so encouraged by your decision to be more "present"in your kids lives.
Wish I had done the same.
Daddyo
I got a chuckle out of seeing puppy and noticed the toy still had a smile on its face. I knew when I gave the toy to Jonas that her would take good care of it. But I never knew that it would become such a tool for you to be a part of his life. Just glad Jonas has a mom who will take time to fix all the little hurts of life.
Love you all.
Grandma Rader
Be more present...I need that reminder often, as a to-do list-maker myself!
BTW, have you read "Crunchy Cons" by Rod Dreher? Your bungalow and big porch make me think of that book. If you haven't read it, I'd recommend checking it out sometime. Great read!
http://thechoulife.com
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