Pull on my reins

MOM:

So we have hit our busy time of year. The time of year that I seem to run out of hours in my day. Whether it’s that the sun shines less. Our schedules become filled with activities and events. Or maybe it’s the upcoming holidays approaching. The fact remains that life gets busy once fall starts appearing. I start thinking of Christmas gifts, Christmas travel plans, Thanksgiving dinner, Our wedding anniversary, Halloween costumes, trips to the Pumpkin Patch, Photos to take, cards to send out, and a new year to plan for with new calendars and projects ahead.

As a working mommy of 2 little ones and a wife, I stay very busy anyways. I try so hard to share as much as I can with my kiddos after work while still putting a dinner on the table and setting appropriate bedtimes for them and for me. As if my house isn’t crazy enough on a daily basis throughout the year, this time of year adds so much more to our family.

In the midst of this beautiful season, I just pray that I take enough time for my husband. To encourage him as the wonderful father he is to our kiddos. To love him in a way that speaks directly to his heart. As busy as our life is, we have started praying together each morning as we leave for work and go our separate ways. It gives us a reason to pause and remember what’s important in our life.

As great and wonderful and fun as all the activities and events that we have planned this season, if I don’t slow down and pause a little I will look back and wonder where it all went. As a mommy sometimes we let so much invade our heads with plans, goals, activities, holidays, birthdays, school, dance, church, chores, parties, bedtimes, meals, etc that we fail to stop and watch our children long enough to soak them in and see the beauty of all God created them to be. I pray each night for God to pull on my reins daily and hold on to these moments. With my kids as well as my husband.

DAD:

Time does certainly fly by. Seems that it was just a little while ago that we were enjoying the first days of summer, but now fall has began. This is the time of the year where holidays, and events are non-stop. It is great to have the time off from work, but it also means more trips, and other plans. Sometimes I think that life gets busier the older I get, but I think the closer I get to God, and the more mature my faith becomes God puts more things on my plate. God hasn’t promised the perfect life, but he did promise that I will have an abundant life.

Even though life has gotten busy my family and I have found time to pray. Those moments are what I cherish. I look forward to the first prayer of the day as I roll out of bed, then as we sit at the table for breakfast, and once more before we leave in our cars. The whole world is put on hold, and we just submit. It is a wonderful way to begin and end the day. So many times we can go through life and just keep busy, not really admiring your surroundings or what you have been entrusted with.

Each day at home is a moment to be the father, husband that I am called to be, and I pray that I step up to the plate. I never want to be too busy for my family. I have been given a great family, and I choose them over all the trips, tv programs, facebook, twitter, and the general craziness of the day. We can’t stop the bullet train of life, but we can slow it down a little to enjoy the scenery.