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March 29, 2009
A Weekend with the Girls
When I first heard about the women's retreat at our church, the lunatic who lives in the back of my head started whispering: I'll bet Shannon wants to go to that. Maybe you should offer to watch the girls. Normally, I try to indulge the little crazy imp knowing that if I didn't, he'd fill my head with a long-forgotten commercial jingle or annoying 80s song. Okay, that last sentence proves that maybe I've been reading a bit too much James Lileks, but it describes what I felt at the time.
Seriously, though, when I told Shan that I thought she should go, it was clear the thought I had was not from any sort of internal lunatic but from God because her thought was that she wanted to go, but I was the one who had to mention it. So it's clear God wanted her to be there, but she's probably going to write about that.
Until this weekend, I had never been alone with the girls for more than a few hours when she was at work. Understandably, the thought of it was nerve-wracking. As it turns out, my fears were unfounded. Although all three of us were sick, the weekend was not as bad as I feared. Hard, but not horrible. The girls and I spent the weekend watching movies, playing games, coloring and eating dad-friendly foods like pizza and chips. Maybe I didn't get as much sleep or free time as I would have in a normal weekend, but I did have a lot of fun with my girls. However...
As the picture above shows, it wasn't all fun. That was taken Saturday night at around midnight. Natalie woke up in pain from coughing and Charlotte was sneezing and needed comfort so we all went downstairs. After medicine had been administered and a few minutes of "Beauty and the Beast" had been watched, the girls quickly fell asleep. I took the picture for two reasons: one, I thought it would be funny. Two, I wanted to remember the moment because it made me thankful for both my wife and my parents.
My wife, because she's normally the one who comforts the girls when they're sick and stays up so I can sleep to be rested for work. And my parents, because sitting with my girls made me realize just how many times they probably did the same for my siblings and I when we were sick. As I sat there wishing I could reach the television remote, I also realized that parenthood, for all its difficulties, really is rewarding and humbling.
Yes, these two little people were counting on me to meet their needs for physical and emotional comfort and that was draining. But at the same time, it really hit me anew that these two little girls trusted that I could and would provide that comfort. That realization caused me then and causes me always to seek the strength that I draw upon - it made me thankful for my own heavenly Father who has enough strength not only to take my burdens, but to give me strength to handle the burdens my daughters place upon me.
For that reason, I'm glad Shannon had the chance to go away for the weekend. The retreat gave both of us a glimpse into the nature of God, and for that I'm thankful.
grabbing and pushing. And tears...oh, the tears.
Posted by Peter at 08:34 PM | Comments (1)
March 04, 2009
It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times...
The last month or so has been a challenging one with my youngest. She has had way worse separation anxiety than Natalie ever had. To put it more positively, she is my biggest fan. :) It's nice to be loved, but Mommy has also gotten to the point of feeling like if her little darling is clinging to her (pulling her hair, pinching her, scratching her) for one more second she might implode!
In anyone else's arms, she panics and strains for me, urgency written all over her face, heartbroken and betrayed sobs coming from her mouth.
Speaking of the mouth, she's also been teething like there's no tomorrow. I was checking to see if her fourth tooth had emerged yesterday, and discovered a fifth just under the surface! Holy cow child! That's five in about a month and a half. No wonder she can't self-soothe for beans and is in general needy and sapping her parents of all energy.
But at the same time she is so sweet and doing lots of fun stuff like sitting up on her own, crawling, eating, and waving. I've found in my experience as a mommy thus far that this often the case for babies. The wonderful and fun new developments come with crankiness and sleepless nights. I guess it's the same for us when we're going through change as adults, really. When I'm experiencing new things and feeling insecure, I lose all my ability to self-soothe too--just ask Peter :) I'm so thankful that God is more patient with me than I am with Charlotte when He gives me a new task or challenges me in a new way. I certainly can get cranky and needy at those times.
So as I give extra snuggles (and consider just getting Charlotte surgically attached to me for convenience sake) these days, I try to listen to the Holy Spirit's whisperings:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:34-40
Posted by Shannon at 02:57 PM | Comments (3)