Wonderfully Made...: Talk, talk, talk...

When I first met Jon's family, we spent a lot of time in their living room talking. I was new to the family, the surroundings and to the art of talking. While my family is close, we never did an awful lot of just being... just visiting... just talking.

In the beginning,...all this talking... it made me uncomfortable. I'm fairly quiet to begin with, so being the center of attention in this new little family made me antsy. I quickly grew to love those times tho, listening to Celtic music and talking... isn't that what Saturday nights are all about?

Well, in the busyness of life with a young family, we haven't been able to spend much productive time in our own living room. Oh, don't get me wrong, we have spent a great deal of time dancing (usually to Celtic music) or watching TV or wrestling or walking sick babies or being loud (usually involving Celtic music) or singing or changing diapers or reading to the kids or rolling the rug up, spraying the floor with Pledge and letting the kids 'skate' in their socks (don't ask, this was their dad and nobody got hurt)... but not a lot of conversation. Until recently.

Due to lack of funds to do pretty much anything but stay at home, we have taken up talking.

Sometimes we discuss the really important things in life like God and family and who's wrestling in what weight class on Saturday (if you know my husband and Caleb, you'll understand)... and sometimes we discuss the less important, like the weather, the holes in the couch Josh has made with his jagged fingernails (yes, another phase) or who's wrestling in what weight class on Saturday. Sometimes we have debates and sometimes the kids argue and sometimes Josh gets us all laughing or singing hymns and sometimes we do a lot of talking about nothing at all.

Like just the other night... we were discussing facial hair and Jared, in his usual has no idea that he's even being funny voice announced that, when he gets older, he's going to grow a full beard. I asked what the lure of that was/is... why he wanted to do that. He answered "so when I get lonely, I can groom it".

Alrighty then...

I was (immediately) reminded of the time I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he answered "a fire hydrant". Obviously, he has always had high aspirations. And yes, the discussion about becoming a full bearded fire hydrant ensued and, before we knew it, it was time for bed (thank God because that conversation was clearly going nowhere fast).

These truly are the best times. Another mom friend of mine (a mom of SIX boys) was saying the other day how she's trying to enjoy these times to the fullest... that these next few years are all we have before they learn to fly on their own. We really only have a few moments with them... to teach them, learn from them, listen to them and talk to them.

Often the stories from school and life are hard to hear. They typically end their sentences with "and DON'T email the school, Mom" (do they think they know me or something?). We talk about the hard stuff and try to help them, knowing full well that they need to find their own voice, their own convictions, their own way. It's hard NOT to email the school with each and every wrong that goes on within those walls, but it's just as important for me to learn to pick my battles as it is for them to learn to handle theirs with grace and integrity.

Grace and integrity... wow, such beautiful and important words. Words to live by. Words worth talking about.

So, while I'm not always happy with our lack of funds to do anything but stay at home... I am so (incredibly) thankful that we have taken up talking.