My Peacefully Chaotic Life

Well, the musical went great. We had a good turnout considering we are a rural church and many of our older folks do not get out at night. The children were precious right down to the boy who fell apart at the very beginning because he did not get "his" jingle bell... ah, the things that seem important when you are five! There is some consideration being given to doing it again in the upcoming morning service. As for home stuff Mondays are Wal-mart day. Except we did Wal-mart on Tuesday this week because I have been sick with a stomach flu. I am better but still not running on all cylinders. But that puts everything behind for the week. I am not sure if I should hope it's a virus in which case I was probably contagious at church and it doesn't bode well for all those folks I shook hands with/ hugged or to hope it was food poisoning which doesn't bode well for the fingerfood fellowship! We had a guy come by this morning to show the FisherMan the bobcat he had shot...

So tonight is our church Christmas program. I think it will be a great program...it is an old fashioned Christmas theme. We decorated as though it was an old timey cottage. The children will be in their jammies and there will be carolers. I will be narrating so that is new for me! I am not really a "look at me!" kind of person. The gospel will be woven throughout everything followed by an invitation. After the program we will have finger foods down in the fellowship hall. So I am excited...just hoping people will come out in the cold for it!

Heard from the lips of a six year old Flower Child when noticing a sea gull flying over the Wal-Mart parking lot hundreds of miles from the beach: "Look, it's a beach eagle!!" Ok, so maybe we need to work a little on animal recognition but it was really cute!

Do you ever feel like time just slips through your fingers at a rate that is just out of control? Christmas seems to make us more of aware of it as it rolls around seemingly sooner each year! It can be a challenge to make each day count, each relationship matter, each moment a treasure. Recently I was reminded of this in a sad and unexpected way. A precious girl I knew years ago was tragically and brutally murdered. I had a very hard time putting it together in my head. Here were the memories of a sweet, unassuming girl colliding with the thoughts of what she must have endured in her last moments. So many of us said the same thing. "I didn't know her that well." How many people pass through our lives and we never take the time to get beyond a surface relationship? Too often we are content to surround ourselves with acquaintances rather than investing the time to pursue something deeper. What treasured friends might we find buried in the clutter of our lives? Maybe the bes...

So, what exactly is peacefully chaotic? It's typing those words and having the baby wake up crying at that moment! It's then holding that little one close as he nurses back to sleep contented just to be near you. I am constantly surrounded by noise. In a few hours it will be the little guy's coos as he awakes with a smile, aways a smile! My little girls' laughter as they greet the day, the shower's starts and stops as the family gets ready to worship. The calls to "hurry or we'll be late" will begin and become more frantic. "Where's my other shoe?" "Brush your teeth!" But for right now it is the low murmur of the football game on TV that my teenage son left on, the rain pouring off my roof outside the window, the little guy's sweet rythmic breathing, my husband's snore in the other room... the sounds of family. Happiness. Safety. Love. This is the chaos where you find your peace. This is the peacefully chaotic life God ...