Roadblocks in Life

I just came home from an awesome field trip to the Houston Zoo with Nicholas' kindergarten class. I have many pictures to share and a VERY inspiring cardinal experience, but will have to post those later. Right now I have to share a revelation I had on the way home. You see, I accidentally took the wrong turn, and then got stuck in traffic from a lot of construction, so what usually takes 90 minutes, took us three hours. Nicholas was quite happy at first, oblivious to all the congestion (thanks to portable DVD players). Then he fell asleep for a while. By the time we got home, he was saying he never wanted to go to the Houston zoo again because it is so far .

Anyway, as we were driving through the roadwork, I watched cars impatiently zip in and out, back and forth, thinking they could outsmart the traffic. Then at one point, the cars began exiting the highway. I thought to myself, 'Who would do such a thing- you never know where that road will lead.' I just trudged through, chewing piece after piece of gum and listening to music. I soon noticed that all the people who had exited had a bigger pileup than we had on the highway. One daring car eventually drove across the grass, back onto the highway, and as I drove on and looked out my rearview miror, I noticed a lot of cars following suit- illegally driving back onto the interstate.

Hmm. This seemed strange. If they had only stayed on the road and gone through the congestion, they would have been better off. They wasted a lot of time thinking they could outsmart the traffic. Then, I realized this is so much like life. I am on a road through life. Sometimes traffic or congestion stops me, or causes me to take a detour, but if I have patience/ faith, and stay on the right path, I will get to where God wants me to be. But so many times I jump off the path, and think I can do things my way, just like those drivers today. Or I avoid going through the jams, because I know they will be too painful. But If I trust God, he will steer me in the right path. And this is a wonderful thing!

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Here's a poem I wrote for the PAD challenge:

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

There are many ways
to say "I love you,"
like "Je t'aime,"
or "Te amo,"
or "Ti voglio bene."

But perhaps the sweetest way
to show your love for thee,
is to do thoughtful things;
for action is proof
of love you can see.

A thoughtful note,
in praise of your loved one,
or a picnic for two;
out in the sun,
walking hand in hand
through good times and bad,
being the one to lift
spirits that are sad.
A song sung or
poem written for thee;
all of these things
make our love
a lasting memory.

The Best...

Did I ever tell you I have the BEST husband in the world? Well, I DO! You know, Pete is so in tune to my needs and wants, he might know I need something before I even do. When the kids were babies, he would come home early from the office often so I could take a break and get out of the house. At the time I didn't know I needed some "me" time, but once I got away, I realized how nice it was to have a few minutes alone. A happy "me" makes a happy mom, and a happy mom makes a happy home!

My husband also knows how to take subtle hints. The other day I was dusting and decided to get rid of some empty perfume bottles I'd been keeping (I had thought they were too pretty to throw away). I put them on the dryer instead of in the trash can in hopes that Pete would see the empty bottles. Of course he did, and when he asked me about them, I was a little snappy about how he had never bought me any perfume.Well yesterday, he came home and nonchalantly handed me an empty perfume bottle box. He asked me if I thought it smelled good. "Mmmm...it smells beautiful," I answered."Good, then go look on the mirror on your dresser," he said. Sure enough, there was a small bottle of perfume standing there. How lucky I am to have a husband like that(even though he can be a clown)! Thank you God!

Small Lessons, Big Difference

Here are a few difficult lessons I've learned today:

1. Never play WII bowling right after you put hand lotion on.
2. Don't freak out when you hear your boys say, "I killed all those roaches for you." They are probably just playing the computer game, Spiderwick Chronicles and referring to the bad guys.
3. If your daughter spends the night with a couple of her friends, don't let her go over to her grandmother's house the next day. She'll probably take a LONG nap and wake up very cranky and disoriented!
4. Never serve crispy french bread after you spent all day cleaning the house (don't keep the dogs outside all day either- they'll just track in dirt).
5. Or, better yet- why clean the house when you have three kids and two dogs?

Perhaps the most important thing I was reminded of today is to enjoy every minute of everyday with your children and family- you just never know what tomorrow might bring. (I miss you Mary).
What did you do today, on this MLK day, to follow your dream?

Resolutions Update and An Award For Me

Today is January 14 and I have to admit I don't think I am doing very well with my new year's resolutions. The month is half-way over and I haven't had time to do more for my family. I haven't started walking (does getting a WII fit count, because I have been doing that a lot).
I have been praying and meditating more, though. In fact between the WII fit yoga and my meditation exercises, I have started having muscle spasms in my chest. The first night, I thought I was having heart palpitations, but by the second night Pete assured me they were muscle spasms. I sure am glad I didn't have to keep waking him up like I so often do. So, you see, I have done half of what I want to do for the new year, but I guess it's okay. New habits take a while to form and old habits die hard, right?

The good news is that I received this wonderful sisterhood award from my friend and fellow poet Rachel over at . If you haven't already, please check out her blog at www.homemakerslibrary.blogspot.com . It's one of the one's I visit regularly and I love it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so honored to receive my first fellow blog award.

P.S. I will be passing along the award to a new recipient within the next couple of days. If you are interested, please leave me a comment and let me know.