I had a wonderful, relaxing and fun weekend with a college friend of mine. I met Kim at Ouachita Baptist University during my sophomore year. We got to know each other when she saw me struggling to get into a tiny parking place at the dorm after a tennis class and she parked the car for me. We got to know each other better after that day. Kim is soooooo sooooooo funny. I tell her all the time that she should be a comedian. She is one of those people that everything that comes out of her mouth is funny. She gives me a hard time and I love every minute of it!
Kim is a therapist and my personal, free counselor. She also has taken care of foster children for the past two and half years.
I worked really hard last week to get the house looking nice for Kim and her foster baby to come visit. I worked hard to pick up the toys and get the floor clean and shining. On Thursday night, Emily was upstairs with me in the room Kim was going to sleep in. Emily peed on the floor outside the bathroom. Yes, she is 5 years old. She hates to go to the bathroom. I have even taken her to the Dr about this. I think she just does not want to take the time to go. Soooo, accidents happen. I cleaned up the mess and then we went to make some cookies for Kim, but we ate them all before she arrived. (I know.....the great hostess that I am,) Sarah Kate was helping stir the cookies and then she began peeing on the floor of the kitchen. She is potty training and I had failed to take her to the potty in time.
Sarah Kate had also been eating shredded cheese at the table and half the bag was on the floor. Steve was on the couch and I yelled at him, "I don't know why I even try!!!!!!" I never have anything to show for my work!" I looked around and saw a floor that was a disaster. Emily's room looked like an episode of hoarders. The freshly bathed girls had sticky cookie batter in their hair.
I thought about what my friend, Rachel, had said at lunch Tuesday. She talked about how she was trying to do something eternal with her boys everyday. I loved this thought!
For those of us who know Jesus, THIS is NOT our home, HEAVEN is our home! Am I spending time concentrating on things that REALLY matter? I spend a lot of my time doing things that don't matter a "hill of beans"
One hundred years from now, it will not matter if my floors were clean or my girls had the best clothes or if our house was always in order. I am going to shift my focus on doing things with my girls that will last forever. Do they know how wonderful God is? Do they know how much He loves them? Are we hiding God's Word in our hearts?
Kim has lots of little children that have been in her home in the past couple of years. These children come from terrible family situations. I am so thankful that Kim has these children, even if it is for a short time. Kim shows them God's love. She teaches them about WHO is the most important Man! Many of them have gone to church for the first time while in Kim's care.
Back in 2007, our Sunday School teacher used to say, "livin for heaven in 2007!" I thought this weekend of a new goal for my year...."livin for heaven in 2011!"
Kim is a therapist and my personal, free counselor. She also has taken care of foster children for the past two and half years.
I worked really hard last week to get the house looking nice for Kim and her foster baby to come visit. I worked hard to pick up the toys and get the floor clean and shining. On Thursday night, Emily was upstairs with me in the room Kim was going to sleep in. Emily peed on the floor outside the bathroom. Yes, she is 5 years old. She hates to go to the bathroom. I have even taken her to the Dr about this. I think she just does not want to take the time to go. Soooo, accidents happen. I cleaned up the mess and then we went to make some cookies for Kim, but we ate them all before she arrived. (I know.....the great hostess that I am,) Sarah Kate was helping stir the cookies and then she began peeing on the floor of the kitchen. She is potty training and I had failed to take her to the potty in time.
Sarah Kate had also been eating shredded cheese at the table and half the bag was on the floor. Steve was on the couch and I yelled at him, "I don't know why I even try!!!!!!" I never have anything to show for my work!" I looked around and saw a floor that was a disaster. Emily's room looked like an episode of hoarders. The freshly bathed girls had sticky cookie batter in their hair.
I thought about what my friend, Rachel, had said at lunch Tuesday. She talked about how she was trying to do something eternal with her boys everyday. I loved this thought!
For those of us who know Jesus, THIS is NOT our home, HEAVEN is our home! Am I spending time concentrating on things that REALLY matter? I spend a lot of my time doing things that don't matter a "hill of beans"
One hundred years from now, it will not matter if my floors were clean or my girls had the best clothes or if our house was always in order. I am going to shift my focus on doing things with my girls that will last forever. Do they know how wonderful God is? Do they know how much He loves them? Are we hiding God's Word in our hearts?
Kim has lots of little children that have been in her home in the past couple of years. These children come from terrible family situations. I am so thankful that Kim has these children, even if it is for a short time. Kim shows them God's love. She teaches them about WHO is the most important Man! Many of them have gone to church for the first time while in Kim's care.
Back in 2007, our Sunday School teacher used to say, "livin for heaven in 2007!" I thought this weekend of a new goal for my year...."livin for heaven in 2011!"
Comments
jaimi
i have been doing the "anointed, transformed, redeemed" bible study (awesome!!) and loved this quote:
"Mothering is not the ultimate goal of being a mom, revealing Christ to the children is."
....His intention is not the task, but that He might be more clearly seen..."
Thanks for sharing your heart today! :)
And I have a daughter who doesn't like to go to the bathroom either. I have no idea why, but it is so very frustrating!!!
I have the same "peeing" issue with my 3 1/2 year old. I usually have to bribe her or threaten her to get her to go. A week ago I came out one morning (that little ninja sneaked out of her room without me hearing her) and she had food all over and had peed on my couch! Gah! THIS IS WHY WE DON"T HAVE NICE THINGS!!! lol
But you're right. None of it matters.
I always try to keep my kids looking perfect (even if I don't) and my husband sometimes has a hard time dressing them. But my sister-in-law said something that stuck with me. Their Dad would get up with the kids on the weekends (like my husband does now) and let their Mom sleep in. She said, our clothes were dirty and didn't match, our hair was a mess, and we ate cake for breakfast. But I will always remember how fun those Saturday mornings were with our Dad and how he just loved us....it made me want to cry. hahaha So now I try not to bug my husband too much about how the girls look if he is taking them out on a Saturday morning. He's a good father, just like his own Dad was. :-)
So happy your friend can be such a blessing and help to those kids. They will remember her forever.
I don't know you personally, but found your blog through Kelly's Korner and read often. My heart was so blessed to read about your friend that is fostering! I actually was wondering if you could pass my email to your friend, Kim. My husband and I are thinking of fostering and would like to speak to someone that is experienced.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for posting about Emilie's "accidents". I have a 6 year old that constantly wets his pants. We are homeschooling right now so it's not a huge issue except when we go places. Do you discipline her at all? I try not to make an issue of it, but it is quite frustrating!
Any suggestions would be helpful :)
I really needed to hear this today. I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first baby and my husband and I are trying to get everything ready for Brodie's arrival. I started cleaning out closests this weekend and I am not finished yet and my house is in shambles. It helps to keep it all in perspective! Thanks so much for sharing your heart.