a-failure-to-skate

[a-failure-to-skate]

Since I accidentally wrote a blog post on other social media, I thought I would share here too.

I feel like most Christian moms, especially moms of small children, kind of laugh to themselves and maybe roll their eyes when they hear Sundays called our day of rest. Sundays are far from restful! We have to get up early, make breakfast, make sure the husband and kids are all up and dressed, someone's missing a shoe, and no matter how much you try to comb down Kiddo's hair he's still looking like a member of a punk band. Next thing you know, you're running late and everyone is staring at y'all as you get into your pew during the singing. But what if I tell you it doesn't have to be this way?

Here's a few practical things I've learned as I've started making restful Sundays a priority:

1. Make it a rule with yourself that you won't do any extra chores that could be put off until Monday. Get the priority laundry done and the house reasonably tidy on Saturday. It doesn't have to be perfect, just done enough to give you a calm mind.

2. Have leftovers or quick meals ready for everyone to eat. Make a huge dinner on Friday or Saturdayso you have leftovers for Sunday. Have cereal, yogurt or freezer waffles available for a quick breakfast. Also, use paper plates! Minimal dishes are ideal for making your day easier. If you are bringing food to church, get it made on or prepped on Saturday.

3. Set out everyone's clothes beforehand. Find all the lost shoes or ties days in advance 😂

4. Come to church with one thing on your mind: worshiping your Savior and Creator because He is Holy and worthy of praise. Spend the afternoon reflecting on what you heard or discussed during service that morning. Talk about it together as a family or invite fellow church members over to fellowship and meditate on the Word that was spoken together.

5. Finally, give yourself grace because the only one who has perfectly kept the Sabbath is our Lord Jesus. Because we are united in him, our sin of imperfect worship is forgiven and all God sees in us is His Son's flawless completion. As we rely more and more on Him, He continues to sanctify us and make us more like Him here on earth until we are perfect with Him in heaven.

Hope this long post helps and encourages you as you prepare for tomorrow.

[a-failure-to-skate]

Written February 2024

What we've got here is a failure to skate

It's been three years since I stepped foot on the ice. Nope, I stepped on ice today going to the car.

It's been three years since I've skated. It was my second date with my husband. We went to lunch at a French inspired cafe and then enjoyed a fairly quiet Tuesday afternoon public skating session. My poor husband had never skated before and I wasn't confident or strong enough to pick up someone who weighed as much as I did from off the ice so a random old man had to help him until I taught him how to get up on his own. My dream was teaching people to skate, and here I was teaching the boy I met online a few months ago and had just met in person how to do what I love most. He says that he fell in love with me watching me skate on that date.

We became boyfriend and girlfriend that day, got married about a year and a half later, and I moved to his home state of Montana. I got caught up in the busy life of creating a home and settling into a new job that I didn't have time to skate during that summer. Winter rolled around, and I wanted to go skating for my birthday, then for Christmas time, then as a winter activity, but I found out I was pregnant and my midwife said no skating.

I now have a 6 month old son. We moved to a tiny rural town after buying an 100 year old house for the price of the land it sits on. And my priorities changed. Life is making sure my baby thrives, and enjoying my happy marriage with my dearest friend, and making sure we have clean clothes to wear and wonderful beautiful meals to eat, and trying to read more, and running a small hobby business, and loving the Lord and growing everyday in His knowledge.

Yes, I still love skating, and I hope to continue to skate and teach my son when he's big enough. But until then, my life will continue to be a failure to skate and (hopefully) succeeding in a life I never thought could be possible.

[a-failure-to-skate]

Anyway if you see this you have to reblog and tag with a delight from ur day -- even the littlest thing counts