come sit awhile with me.

and you will see...things are not always as they seem.
you say 'your house is so clean' , but don't you see little fingerprints on the wall and toys beneath the couch and sink. What about the dirt dried old, maybe you missed the pea from weeks ago, hiding on the floor beneath it a chair it seems. the endless loads of laundry and the dishes piled in the sink. They always seem to lurk and wait, they like to tease me is what I think. Just when something's sparkly...more dirt creeps in with a wink.

you see the picture with the smiles, but you don't often see the tears that followed.

you see a sweet and cautious child, he seems so polite and mild mannered...you wish for yours to stand at your knee, but please, look more closely...it is something calle spd. His senses are much different, did you know? Please don't judge..before you know. We look at others lives, they seem so perfectly. But we don't always see; the tears, the trials, the struggle...we often don't look past their smiles.

you wish your children played as good as they, but you don't see...the sweet hugs that can turn to hits so instantly. Their mama reaches in to help with words that guide. Do you see the lines beneath her eyes?

A little boy in big boy unds seem so grown up, but you weren't there don't you see...when held down was he, with big fat rolling tears, the transition for that one thing, led to melt down, hugs were given, but sometimes it is hard to see beneath the picture perfectly.

So many families with stories of their own. A child sick, a child mourned, the poor who struggle to feed their little ones, the rich who miss moments with their own. A parent gone, a child missing, a fight that changed their lives. A mother loved who grows so sick, a father whose working and oh so missed.

It's hard to see, a picture perfectly. We see only what we believe. The struggles, the trials, why do we try to bare alone? What if we....could look more closely. Lift our heads and reach our hands? Often times what we may hide can bring another out of fear, out of pride. Often times what we don't tell, can lift a person up who may have fell...

So, before you look and think you see just sweet smiles, remember too, the sweet mixed sad..they have stories that mold and shape... those sweet, sweet smiles.

via image

 

These thoughts came to me today, as we finished our James Study this week. There is so much good stuff in James. And I think just one of the many things I took away from this study was that as we face our trials, we should face them with JOY. Becuase we know that God is working through us, that his glory will be revealed. God also touched upon my heart other things through this study, but I today, I wanted to share this scripture. We started out our study with it, and it carried us through. I am trying harder to consider my own trials, a JOY. I'm prayfully trying to Let Go and Let God. And one thing I'll always struggle with is the taming of my tongue!! Oh how I need His Grace on this one.

 

some tidbits from our morning...

a puppet show at story time today for Lu and I. I get a lil sad that C misses out on story time with us on Thursdays, but I try and focus on the sweet alone time I get with Lu while C gets great therapy.

Despite a melt down for C over the bathroom this am, Caleb did great in OT today. Lots of engagement/following directions/task persistence (yay C!)

Cold and dreary weather continues, but I'm actually loving it this week (not feeling sad about it yet....that'll come after Christmas I'm sure!)...more cozy candle burning, christmas music playing, and wagon walking to occur this afternoon. I love this time of year....(it is post Christmas that I usually go into my winter funk).

But with all this cold weather...my runs? not going great! just call me a chicken that's plucking up with fat stores come winter. ;)

 

Happy almost Friday.