Embrace

So the other day Jeff and Emma were having "a thing." Ya know, "a thing" that involved yelling, stomping, and a whole lot of crying. Emma was clearly in the wrong, and Jeff was keeping his cool...for the most part. He ended up leaving the room, totally frustrated.

As I listened to Emma continue to cry in her room and watched Jeff glare at me with that "I didn't sign up for this" look, I simply said, "She probably just needs a hug."

At first, he looked at me as if I was crazy. She was out of control...kicking, screaming, sobbing over wanting him to read "just one more book." But after he had time to digest what I said, he got up, walked into her room, and I heard the crying stop.


A few minutes later, he walked out and said, "You were right. She's asleep."

Now, this isn't to say I always have the right answers, and I certainly don't make a habit of hugging away the problems around here, but sometimes when things are spinning out of control and you don't know what else to do, a hug goes a long way. For everybody.

And it got me thinking. Really, isn't that a better way to approach life? Sometimes it is unfair and all we want to do is kick and scream and sob. Heck, sometimes we need to do all that. But most of the time, what we really need to do is embrace it. Grab the life that has been given to us and just live in it, dance in it, and make the most of it.

And you know what? That is definitely the kind of life I want for me. For my marriage. For my girls.

If you haven't noticed, things have been a little heavy around here lately. Too heavy. Somewhere in the midst of shunts and the everyday chaos that is motherhood, my focus got skewed. My perspective clouded.

So I have been making some changes. Real changes that are making life more manageable, more enjoyable. So far, I like the differences I am seeing, and better yet, I love what I am feeling.

Sure, some spring weather would make things even better, but I know that is just around the corner. For now, I'm just going to snuggle in my robe, enjoy the warmth of my coffee, light a yummy candle, and wait for the flowers to bloom.