As a mom of 3 small children, I am frequently being reminded (mostly by mothers of older children) how fast time flies. I love that I get this unsolicited advice at a time when, quite frankly, I don't want to hear it. A child has put extra items into my cart, one of them needs to go potty (and I don't mean pee) with an urgency that causes us to sprint across an entire Target store or, my favorite, after my toddler has wiped his grimy, chocolate protein-bar stained hands all over my gym hoodie. And for the record, I do consider my gym hoodies to be "nice" apparel in this season so please translate this into a Banana Republic silk blouse or Nordstrom Easy-care dress shirt if you happen to work outside the home. Translated: The chocolate protein bar is now all over my way-too-pricey-can't-believe-you-charge-this-for-workout-gear-hoodie.
What was my point? Oh yes, the "time flies by so quickly" comment. I know it does. I don't have to be reminded... but I guess I probably do because its some universal rule or something that we feel the need to tell moms who have children younger than us. Some rite of passage...or, I don't know... but, we all do it. My middle son just turned six this weekend...how did THAT happen? Why, it seems like just months ago that HE was the little toddler wiping the protein bar on my sleeves... not his little brother!
But it flies... time, that is. It marches on. With, or without us. Funny how it doesn't "need" us to keep going...yet we are all caught up in the marching of time, aren't we? I had grand ideas of finally being able to get back to my blog and write. I mean, it would have already been over two weeks since I posted! This, coming after I sent an email out to some friends asking them to "follow" my blog instead of just "liking" it on Facebook. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...I love it!...but please, soothe my fragile ego and sign up to follow...its like friends on Facebook... who doesn't want more???) Great "coming out" with my blog...I hype it up, ask to follow it and then nada...nothing....no additional posts from this grand writer over here!
But you see, life had marched on. Two weeks was already too long for me. I had so much to write about; mostly the things that had gone on in my life that were keeping me from my writing. My husband's dog-and- pony travel schedule for work would have made for a good topic but with him gone so often, I was left at the end of the evening with enough energy to crumple onto the couch and clear a show from my DVR before dragging my sad-self into bed. Hmm.... time marched on...
Then it was the discovery that our computer had crashed. Not just a "cute blue screen" crash.... I mean the big one. The "Windows cannot fix itself and you shoulda gotten a MAC" crash. The "Hope you backed up your important stuff cuz its gone" crash. Yeah, that one. Not sure which is more frustrating... knowing you lost some documents and files on the computer and trying not to condemn yourself or the look on the I.T. tech's face when he tells you it probably crashed following the power outage because the computer isn't on a power surge switch. Oh. Duh. Well, I'll write, you be totally geek smart and we'll each use our gifts, okay?
Time marches on....
Last Friday I was admitted to Overlake Hospital for uterine ablation surgery. (Yes, I know more than 25% of my readers are men and yes, ablation surgery is definitely a girl thing. I'm also banking on the fact that you men know you were knit together in your mother's womb...aka uterus and so you realize I'm not getting too crazy in the TMI department.) A week ago it became a clear fact that we couldn't hold off any longer and that I needed to get scheduled for surgery. (And to think I was RELIEVED to learn I was super anemic when the blood tests came back.... at least I have just been tired, not lazy...oh, the mindset of a crazy wanna-be-a-superwoman-woman!)
I was to report to the hospital at 6 a.m. and full bed rest for the 24 hours following the surgery. Yeah, that's super easy to do when your husband travels and you have 3 small boys...ahem... I am full of sarcasm here! So, the 4 days prior were all about putting schedules into place to have my husband home, someone crazy enough to get here at 5 a.m. to watch the kiddos and everything set up to be able to come home and stay in bed. A babysitter for the pre-op appointment, a babysitter for the blood work that needed to be drawn (as if taking a toddler to a lab would be a brilliant idea,) 7 carpool and play date switches later, we were set.
I'm always tickled at the questions they ask you as you are being wheeled into the operating room. It unnerves me a bit to know the first set of drugs they give you makes you drowsy but you still respond to things... having no recollection of them when you wake up. Not very comforting...ha! I know my anesthesiologist asked me about the housing market and that was the last thing I remember. Wonder what I said? Pretty sure he won't be asking ME to list his home. :)
Time marches on. Here we are. It's Monday afternoon and I've gotten 1 load of laundry done in the last week...I'm pretty sure my kids recycled their underwear today. I've learned why people think Percoset is great. My son's drum lessons have lapsed. Our dining room table is still covered in vinyl because I haven't ordered the glass top. I'm the room mom, and the Kindergarten Valentine party hasn't gotten 2 minutes of my attention since the middle of January.
Sure, my list got big. It always will. Did I write these last 2 weeks? Ummm... my name on consent forms, does that count? How about my bible reading plan? Hmmm.... does carrying the bible around in my car count? Time with Jesus? Ugh... if we count when girlfriends prayed for me before surgery, then yes?
Here's what I learned. By the way, I only learned this because I had a great friend who came over for dinner with her kids the night before my surgery. She has a newborn and in addition to being exhausted, she felt like life was passing her by. That her time might have come and gone but because she wasn't dialed into God, doing what she was "supposed" to be doing...she might have missed her window. Or that by this time, she should have "God's plan for her life" figured out.
Oh, been there. Drank that koolaid before. Several times. Dirty drink of lies. Since I have frequently drawn water out of that well, here is what I told her...and told myself...
God knows our days before we live them. He knows what trials we will face and obstacles we will choose to overcome. He knows my husband is called to the marketplace and that our 1st quarter will be filled with travel, crazy schedules...and GRACE. He knew this operation would have to come in order to restore my health and that while my energy was so low these last few weeks...there would be GRACE.
Just because I didn't get to "my list" of writing and studying His word...there was GRACE for that. My book opportunity didn't go "poof" and disappear simply because life happened in the midst of my plans. Life happens. We plan, it happens. Time marches on. But our God, He knows this...and whether WE blow it (making the wrong decision, etc.) there is GRACE given or when LIFE blows it for us (faulty computers, faulty uterus's, etc.) there is GRACE. Grace to get back on track. Grace to not hang out in the "shouldda wouldda" camp. Grace to celebrate our victories...even when we didn't put them on our list. (Thank you for last-minute babysitters, thank you for skilled surgeons, thank you for husbands who can re-arrange travel.)
Just like my friend.... God won't take a "pass" on her when selecting who is going to change the world. She will change the world. She is changing the world. She got me thinking....she's probably got you thinking. That, my friends, is how the world get changed..it starts with one person.
You go do what God called you to do TODAY...even if life threw you a curve ball. Tomorrow will bring its own worries. You own today. Just go out there and seize it. First, go plug your computer into a surge protector. Then go seize it. :)
