Mom Advice #2
Well, I'm trying this again. Here's my Mom Advice #2. I'm still figuring out if I want to make this a regular feature on this blog, so here it goes...
We all know that there's plenty of advice out there. Some good, some not so good. Do this, don't do that, get plenty of sleep, get up early, hustle, be kind, question everything. (Please kids, don't question everything. For your mother's sake, just do it...because she said so.) But Mom's advice is different. It's real sage advice. It's wisdom that comes from all she's been through, her good judgment, and a life well lived. It's a voice you can trust and depend on. There's nothing like hearing the sound of your Mama's voice. I don't care how old you are, it is wonderful to hear. It's a voice that comforts you, encourages you, and guides you through your life. Even if you're a grouchy teenager and you pretend you're not even listening, her words get into your bones. Her teachings stay with you. They are the treasures carry you, even in the darkest times.
And we all have hard times, don't we? Which brings me to my Mom Advice...
Some days are diamonds, some days are coal.
I like diamond days. My wedding day was a diamond day. There was nothing that could have ruined that day. I could have left one of my children at the church and drove off without her (which I did, whoops!!) and it would not have marred that day. My parents' 50th wedding anniversary was a diamond day. I live 800 miles away from my family and we drove back with two little kids and a newborn to help celebrate it. I commemorated that special day with my brothers & sisters and our whole family together. It was a happy day. I watched my Mom & Dad dance together and they were so in love (they loved to dance).
Which brings me to the coal days...a little over year after that anniversary party my Dad passed away from heart failure. Nothing could take away the hurt I felt that day (and many days since). I could have won a million dollars that day and it would still be a coal day. My comfort is that I know he is with my Heavenly Father and I will see him again one day. The day my two-year-old daughter almost died and ended up having strokes on both side of her brain and lost the ability to do everything, that day was a coal day. God gave us tear ducts for a reason, sometimes we need to use them.
I've had highs and lows and many other days in between. There's plenty of just regular days. Days when you repeat the same things over and over. Get up, open the curtains, make the bed...etc. But those days don't have to be blah kinda days. They can be diamond days or they can be coal days, it's usually our choice. The same craziness and chaos can be happening around me and some days it gets to me and some days it doesn't. It's usually just a shift in my attitude that makes all the difference. I'm a glass is half-full kind of person. But even so, I am not always sunshiny and sometimes I create stress by my attitude. I set the tone of my home and sometimes I blow it. I can ruin the whole day by losing it and going off the deep end. (But, thankfully, most days I don't!)
I have learned that a little thankfulness goes a long way. Last week I was having a coal day. Actually it was more like a coal week (when it rains it pours I guess!). I had hurt my neck and had to be in bed for 2 days. I had a pounding headache that I couldn't get rid of. It was pouring rain for days and the kids were stuck inside. Then we had some bad news that added financial stress. But through it all, I had some beautiful moments. My teenage son did a wonderful job keeping the kids busy for a whole day so I could rest. It was awesome to watch! There was this peaceful moment when I was laying in bed and this wonderful breeze blew in and I could smell the rain outside and it was just delicious! My oldest daughter came home after working all day and cooked dinner and she did a great job! And on top of that, the next day, my two eldest daughters took all the kids grocery shopping for me and I had 3 whole hours BY MYSELF! That.Never.Happens! It was so amazing to watch my family pull together for me and it made me so proud and I felt so loved. It changed my crappy time into a wonderful memory.
Some days are diamonds, some days are coal. Through all this life and what it teaches us, we can know that seasons come and seasons go. This too shall pass. Hard times will not last forever, good times will come again. Those sweet times give us days to look forward to, and put smiles on our faces when we think of them again. They give us a glimpse of how wonderful Heaven will be someday. The hard times shape us and help make us into who we are. The hard times are not wasted if we take the pain and look for the good that can come from it. Keeping those hard-learned truths are some of life's deepest riches. They can teach us to appreciate each day, even the mundane ones, and live a life full of joy! Love ya!
"And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name." Isaiah 45:3
