There was a day when a friend told me about her child’s drawing-on-the-wall shinanigans, and I said a prayer of thanks that mine had never done that… but discovered a few days later that one of my darlings had actually shared his/her artistic talents on our walls in pen and marker. And then there was a day when I thanked God in the shower that we were finally over the stage where the kids might feel empowered enough to cut their own hair… and I came out of the shower only to find Elizabeth standing in front of the mirror, asking me how her hair got so short… And then there was the day we thought it was time to get nice new leather furniture– surely our kids are old enough to have nicer furniture— and then I go to sit in said furniture only to discover circles and “As” written all over it. And now we don’t have writing utensils, scissors, clean walls or nice furniture. The good news is everyone is still alive. 😜

Everyone always tells me someday I’ll miss the noise— the noise of carpools, the noise of dinner preparations, the noise of chore-assigning, the noise of playdates, the noise surrounding me as I plan our menu, schedule our week. It baffles me how I could possibly miss all of that!

When I sit and think about the community Paul and I have built within the walls our home, it feels good, and I can forget about the headaches and stress along the way. I tell people I am an introvert, but I think the opposite is true. While it’s true I crave quiet in the midst of crazy, I realize how quickly I grow bored in the quiet. I yearn for a measured amount of chaos and crazy. Measured, I said. Measured.

That’s the thing— I don’t know how to measure the appropriate amount of crazy in my life. I don’t know what my exact threshold of noise tolerance is. All I know is this: it’s the now, it’s my life, and I have so much to be grateful for.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28–30

It is so interesting how I can learn something completely differently about a concept I have been reading about for years. The yoke is a reference to all the laws the Jews had to abide by– the laws of the land and the laws of their spiritual leadership. Jesus says “take MY yoke” and encourages us to learn from him and no one else…

Stop trying to please others, stop coping with the burdens of life on your own; the panacea is in Jesus. He is the one who can help us overcome these burdens and live freely.

Though we might have different approaches to accomplish the same things, Paul is way more amazing at capturing those fun learning moments with our kids. He seizes every opportunity to teach them, much like his parents did for him. He is purposeful in “putting out fires” with the kids, helping them view bigger pictures, choose the right course of action, or even get over themselves at times. He has a different level of caring patience that I admire. This P&G Day with Dad is just a snapshot of one of these opportunities. He juggled his travel and busy work schedule to accommodate this day because he knows its importance to our kids. They had first time, and maybe once-in-a-lifetime, experiences and all three of them look back on this memory as special, impactful, and educational. Time with their dad is never boring! They are lucky to have him. They have so much love for him.

Even while on hospice, my dad sat in his recliner smiling and enjoying the chaos around him, despite his pain. I know he adored being a dad and loved being a grandpa even more. I found some time today to imagine him reunited with the four grandchildren he already knew well and the six more who came after his death. I know he’d still be smiling. Happy Father’s Day to all the smiling dads out there!

I was sitting in church when I got the message that Grandma Kelly had died. We shared our memories about her on the way home, and the kids wanted to know who she would see in Heaven. Ginger1 began rattling off a pretty long list, which caused me to pause and think about the influences they have lost in their short lives. When I told them Grandma was able to meet Jesus today, the car went quiet… until Ginger2 announced, “Awwww, that’s nooooo fair!”