Satisfy - Day 5

Time with friends. And their kiddos. Watching them dance, cheer, squeal, run, and play together. That satisfies my soul right there, y'all. Happy Homecoming! We made some great memories! 

Satisfy - Day 4

You know what really makes me a proud mama? Watching Finley be SO friendly to people he doesn't know while we had dinner at Cheddar's. He stood up in the booth, turned around, and started waving like crazy and saying "hi, hi, hi" to all of the servers as they came by. He was our little greeter :) And it was amazing to watch and see what a small, innocent gesture can do. It certainly made my night as he would get each one smiling, or even stopping to talk, get a fist bump or high five, etc. You just never know how his sweet ear to ear grin brightened someone's night after they dealt with a disgruntled customer or were maybe dealing with personal issues that are hard to ignore. And you know what? One of the guys was so impressed he even brought him some ice cream!  

Having a child is such a good - and sometimes very humbling - reminder of Jesus' love and grace that He so freely gives us so we can give it to others. We don't need to do it to get the reward of ice cream :) but to simply show others our Savior. Watching my boy do that tonight satisfied my soul. Thankful for that reminder! 

Oh and in other news - here are pictures from our trip to the airport tonight. It was our first, but certainly not last, trip. We met the nicest couple who were in from Atlanta to watch their son fly. His mom shared with me that he recently flew to the airport close to her work for one of his lessons so he could see her. His instructor said that was a first! Tears - What a proud mama moment for her! As we talked I was certainly reminded of how quickly this time with Finley will pass us by. Going to do my best to soak it all up as much as I can. It's already gone by way too fast. 

Satisfy - Day 3

Today I'm going to use other's words on being satisfied - I'm working on some longer entries that I'll post later :) 

“Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other.” 

-Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

"True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” 

― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.” 

― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” 
― Charles H. Spurgeon

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.” 
― Ann Brashares, Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood

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Satisfy - Day 3

He Satisfies my Soul by allowing me to work with Chris. 

Yup, you read that correctly - allowing me to work. With my husband. 

I mean it! I am certainly not dismissing the importance of the work I am doing at home with Finley - trust me! - but to have 2 days a week where I help Chris is great. I get to roll my sleeves up and pitch in to assist the man who is working his tail off to provide so I can stay home with my son. And even better, it's also been wonderful for us to work as a team and get time just the two of us (Finley goes to Aunt Shannon's with Ellie Grace to play - which we all really enjoy!). For me to witness first hand what Chris endures on a daily basis and to see why he may sometimes be emotionally drained, physically tired, etc. has also helped me become more forgiving and understanding on the not so great/long days. 

So, as I sat in my office today (one of my favorite spaces I've ever decorated) and felt an overwhelming sense of thankfulness I thought back to how wonderfully the Lord's plan unfolded so I couId do this work. I remember crying out to God, begging Him to give me more time with Finley after he was born, knowing I only had a very short 8 weeks with him. He didn't answer my prayer right off the bat - instead of staying home full time, I went back to the Chamber. Thankfully, my part time schedule was agreed upon the day before I was supposed to come back full time - but the lessons I learned that year working part time were and still are immeasurable. 

God had way too much work to be done in me, my marriage, and my life as a whole for me to stay home. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to have used that time to go to counseling, nurture relationships with my female co-workers/mama friends (including a wonderful bible study), and have time to myself to reflect upon God's grace, mercy, and love and how they were at work in my life. My marriage got stronger, I got more comfortable and confident in my role as a mother, and I found freedom from a past full of pain that I stuffed for far too long. All of this prepared me for the shift that would take place when we decided I would stay home 3 days a week and work 2 with Chris, starting in June. While this was exciting, there was plenty of fear tagging along as I found myself wondering if I would fail at using my time effectively at home and if working with Chris would be the worse idea ever. 

But, as He always does, my Father reminded me over and over again that He has me where He wants me and will give me everything I need for the task(s) at hand every single day. I am His. And that is enough. 

Satisfy - Day 2

Tuesday is a pretty calm day, typically, at our house. I try to stay home all day to catch up from the weekend and allow Finley to not have to be rushed out the door like he is on Monday and Wednesday. Today was no exception - we didn't even change out of our jam jams until daddy came home! I absolutely love calm days at home playing, reading, and making memories with my boy. We had that for sure & topped it off with a great night. 

Chris came home around 4:30 and we hit the pavement with the quickness. We wanted to make it to the park down the street to get plenty of play time before the sun set. Finley started squealing as soon as he saw the playground and was waving to the cars as we waited to cross the street. He played on the swings, climbed up the bars (with our help), and even went down the slide by himself with me holding his hand. Chris & I caught up on our day, we all laughed & played, and simply enjoyed each other's company. We even saw planes in the sky - so I'd say Finley's night was made! After dinner Chris gave Finley a bath and I cleaned up the play room, which included making the train track I had been trying to do all day. I got it set up & we played & played on it - connecting trains, going through the station, making noises as we went along - it was wonderful. We then all went and played in the living room until bedtime. 

Time together. Watching my boys play. Seeing the biggest grin on my baby's face. Blessings from Him that satisfy my soul like nothing else.