We all know how good it feels to write down a list of things to do and feel this sense of relief when things get crossed off that list. It is a sense of accomplishment. Even if the task is as simple as write a thank you note, call a friend. Some of us are so busy that our lists are so long because we don’t want to forget about all of the little things that need to be taken care of. Let’s face it, if we don’t write it down, will be actually remember to do it?
As my husband prepared for going out of town this weekend, I suddenly realized that I was going to be responsible for more things with him gone. My husband is a stay an home dad and is rarely ever gone, so a change in routine like this is not typical for me. My son has a hockey tournament in Detroit, so they are gone from Thursday to Sunday and I realized that my normal routine was going to be out of whack.
My first thought that set in was PANIC. Oh Crap! I need to re-arrange my schedule. Of course I needed to add a few things to my daily “to do’s”, re-arrange some appointments and change up my regular routine. My mind was initially thinking, how am I going to run all 3 kids to everywhere they need to be and still do the things that I already had planned. If we are not careful, the mind can drive us absolutely crazy. After I looked at my calendar and accounted for a few big things, I then came across this photo below.
I was then reminded of the important things in life. So while I had other things planned for the evening, I listened to my heart and just went with the flow. Each boy had their own things going on. My oldest son took responsibility for helping out to make dinner without asking. Yeah! I was so grateful and counted my blessings. My youngest want to carve a pumpkin, snuggle, play games and read books, so while it wasn’t in the plan to spend all that time with him I did it anyway. He of course prolonged bed time, since I had 3 kids to take care of myself, but I loved every minute of it. I let go of controlling the evening to my plans. Then there is my other son who has been struggling with turning in homework at school. I grounded him when he got home, because this was the 4th time this week that some teacher reached out and said that he didn’t turn in or complete his homework. Ugh! I was so not having the patience for him. So I had to breathe. (MANY TIMES) He of course was not happy with me this evening, when my consequences were not the same as his dads. I could feel the tension in our relationship which started aching at my heart.
None of this was on the “TO DO” list, however, it was definitely on God’s to do list. There was a lesson to be learned from each child and experience I encountered. Even as I write this now as the kids are off to sleep, I can’t help but think about my middle son and what I am supposed to learn from this experience. I keep being attracted to the words Practice Kindness from the picture. I certainly was not being kind to him, since I was disappointed in his behaviors and needed to teach him some important lessons, but maybe there is something going on with him and he is just crying out for attention. Is there something going on that I haven’t be present to? Being mad, frustrated and disappointed is not going to help. This is my chance to be open to what is really going on. More to ponder this weekend. If I focused on my original to do list for the day, I would have totally missed out on the gift of being present.
So the next time you make your “To Do” list, be sure to add the little things that really matter as you never know what lessons might be revealed to you.