Sun @ the Beach

I take for granted how wonderful my children are. It's far too easy to 'rest' in the challenges, the arguments and the 'wrestling' matches.

If I were to actually tally the time spent in battle and the time spent at peace, I think I would be surprised at the difference. And that difference would be weighted significantly in favor of peace.

Although, it can seem that the calculation would lean heavily towards time spent in "battle"...working with the kids to share, to relax, to speak rather than scream, to do what you ask, to hurry, to slow down, to listen, to treat one another with honor and respect and on and on. It can be and is so exhausting. I think that it's the amount of energy required to parent in these circumstances that skews my perspective into believing that my life is spent in the trenches, rather than on the beach under an umbrella.


Being a parent is labor intensive. Being a good parent requires divine intervention. I do not believe one can simply "happen" to parent well. It takes intentionality.

Now, my fault in this entire calculation of peace versus battle is that during those times of peace, I'm often not at peace. Not resting in the moment; experiencing the children, experiencing life at peace, but rather looking towards the next moment. The next meeting, the next activity, the next email, the next work-related crisis.

I need to spend time playing in the sand and jumping on the beach. Thank you little ones for reminding me how to be at peace.