The making of a backstory

I learn so much from my kids.

Both of the boys are at ages where they’re rapidly changing at the moment – Judah in all his babyness (one milestone after another) and Levi in the midst of his toddler vocabulary explosion.

Although he’s been sitting up for a good six weeks now, just today Judah got himself up into the seated position (from laying down) all on his own. It was fun to watch, and looked completely effortless and natural.

And every day Levi says new things as if he’s been saying them all along. (Love the seemingly easy flow of words that pour out in every day conversation.)

So I’ve been thinking about these developments that seem to apprear out of nowhere.

Of course we know that there’s been lots going on behind the scenes to get them to the point of being able to sit up or articulate or whatever other development it is, but it’s easy to forget the backstory and just get swept away in the it-happened-just-like-that front end of the story.

It’s caused me to think about my own growth as an adult.

How many tiems to I get frustrated with myself when the results don’t come immediately? When the improvement isn’t overnight? When it seems like nothing visible is happening?

And yet, there’s always a back story.

There’s always a strengthening, a preparation, a foundation-laying that needs to happen first.

Pouring concrete into giant holes isn’t sexy, skyscrapers with shiny windows are.

And as cliche and over-used as the analogy is, the tallest buildings have the deepest, most grueling-to-lay foundations.

There’s a whole lot of backstory to be developed before the world sees those 78 flashy stories.

And so it goes with our lives.

STOP.

Q for you: Do you ever feel frustrated when you’re in the foundation-laying stages and just want to get on with the building of skyscrapers? Or are you grateful to be living the “backstory”?

Love,
A

Click Clink Five | Five minutes a day, unedited. 

Quit stalling and get ‘er done

Do you ever avoid things you know you’re “supposed” to do?

No, of course you don’t.

Well, I must admit… I do sometimes.

But then there’s this one thing that happens when I do that other thing I was supposed to do but was dreading…

I feel glad.

Relieved.

Free to move on.

Funny how that works, huh?

How the thing that causes dread can turn into the thing that causes all those warm fuzzy feelings of *phew* and *sigh* and *ahhhhh* and oh-my-this-is-good?

That’s really all I have to say tonight.

Are you trekking? Hello?

Maybe there’s something that you’ve been putting off… and the day to call it quits on the putting off business is today.

Maybe?

(You’re call, not mine.)

For me, I’m resting easy tonight. My “should do” thing is done and I’m breathing easy.

STOP. (BAM, 3 minutes tonight, baby! Oh, it feels good!!)

 

Q for you: Is there something you’ve been putting off that you need to attend to?

 

Love,
A

 

Click Clink Five | Five minutes a day, unedited. 

Guard your heart

Something happened today. It was only a little thing.

But it hurt my heart just a bit.

Wasn’t directed at me. Didn’t even really involve me.

But I suppose that was the problem. (I’m purposefully staying vague here.)

As I brought my little pang of pain to the Lord this phrase came into my mind out of Proverbs: “Guard your heart for out of it comes everything.” (my paraphrase!)

I know that my response needs to be to “guard my heart”… because the response of my heart will determine my thoughts, and later, my actions.

I need to guard my heart from taking on offense; I need to choose to not dwell there, in that little tiny bit of pain that creeped in.

Mmmm, yes.

I was then reminded of the verse in Phillipians that talks about not being anxious for anything but instead with prayer and thanksgiving bringing my requests to God. For if I do, the peace of Christ will guard my heart.

I’m so glad that this “guarding my heart” business is not all my responsiblity. Yes, I have my part to play… but so does Jesus (the Peace-Bringer).

I guard it. He guards it.

Between the two of us we should pretty much have it covered.

That deosn’t mean it’s always easy.

Most of the time the “my part” can be a little bit hard. (And get in the way of the “his part”.)

But with time and maturity and fear of hte Lord it does get easier.

So tonight I’m guarding my heart in the litle things. Making sure that I don’t take on offense unnessesarily. Making sure that I don’t judge someone else’s actions (or intentions, which I can’t fully know anyway, right??). Making sure that I don’t find my worth in the gestures of people, but instead in the greatest gesture of God.

What is it? That greatest of gestures? It’s gift of his Son, his very self, and the presence of his Spirit.

Tonight, he gets my heart. So glad he knows how to guard it well.

STOP.

 

Q for you: How do you guard your heart? Have you ever thought about this concept?

 

Love,
A

 

Click Clink Five | Five minutes a day, unedited.

I’m loving this tiny little space

Can I just say how much I’m loving this little blog of mine?

My five minute, unedited, tiny little space for a few words a day.

Yes, it’s sometimes frustrating to “STOP”. I always, always want to go back and re-write and add in words and sentances and correct little mistakes. But, oh thre’s a but…

But I LOVE that I’m actually writing every day.

My life is so hectic right now that if I only ever wrote when I had time to write… it would be almost never. And yet five minutes a day? I can make that happen. (And somedays it actually feels like a stretch – ha!)

So even though i still want and need and crave for time to sit and write and edit and write putting more effort and thought into the creative process, the fact taht I’ve got this little blog means that I’m still writing in teh meantime. And I love that.

Sure, it’s beating out the perfectonist in me. (I still have a long way to go.) Sure, it’s teaching me to not waffle on and on and be more succinct. (Well, hopefully.) Sure, it’s forcing me to sit down and do something every day as a discipline and a creative outlet.

It’s all those things, those wonderful things.

But mostly? It’s becoming this precious place where I just clink out what’s on my mind. Sometimes deep and sometimes not. Incredibly theraputic. And such an amazign way to store up the little slices of life that might get buried or lost otherwise.

Funny taht some of my favorite writing has been here – banged out in just a few mnutes.

Of course it needs polishing and honing… but still, these little sessions have produced some treasures… in my opinion at least.

i think I may have stumbled into somethng that really is changing my life for the better. And I love it.

STOP.

 

Q for you: Are you actively seeking a way that you can be creative in the midst of your busy schedule and responsibilities?

 

Love,
A

 

Click Clink Five | Five minutes a day, unedited.
Adriel also writes (using spell-check!) on motherhood and parenting at The Mommyhood Memos. 

My goals for 2012 – so far, so good

I was reading through my goals for the year today – to check up on myself (check in on myself?) and see how I was doing.

Out of the 10 I set, I’m doing relaly well at abotu half.

Of the other half, there are a couple areas I’m sort-of improving on, and a few I’ve not moved forward a single inch.

But you know what? i’m ok with that.

That’s why I don’t set resolutions, I set goals.

Resolutions make you feel crummy when you break them.

Goals are something that you work towards.

See, it’s only mid-Feburary. I still have 10+ months to nail these goals before I’ve actually failed.

That doesn’t mean I should wait until December to try and implement them (duh). It just means that I give myself grace adn count any small progress for what it is – progress.

Although i still have lots of room to grow in my ten for 2012, I’m happy with how things are going.

I’m glad I’ve set goals and have something to work towards.

And I’m also glad that I’ve “gone public” with them. (Posted them on my blog.) I really do think it’s helping me to stay accountable to myself.

Here’s hoping that when I check in with my goals in another few weeks or a couple months… I’ll be able to see even more… progress.

Slow and steady wins the race. That’s what they say…

STOP.

Q for you: Did you make goals or resolutions for 2012? How are you doing with them?

Love,
A

Click Clink Five is a blog by Adriel Booker. | Five minutes a day, unedited. | 2012 All rights reserved. | Adriel also writes on parenting and motherhood at The Mommyhood Memos.