Rambunctious Joy!

It's early when the alarm goes off, and I use that term *alarm* in the loose sense of the word. My alarm these days consists of the pitter-patter of little feet, sudden quiet and then a loud giggle and sharp elbows as 1 to 3 children come flying into bed.

It's at that point that I have a choice, do I roll over, grumpy like, pushing these warm, giggling bodies out of bed or do I welcome them in, tickling them in return and pulling pillow over head for them to pry off to choruses of "But Mommy, it's MORNING time" and a response of "Only if you can get the pillow off...."

Eventually they win, or I surrender, and am dragged into the kitchen to the voices chanting for breakfast and oatmeal and cer'al and toast with plain butter and.....

The day continues in a wild frenzy of lunch making, clothes finding, hats, jackets, backpacks and the mad scramble out the door as the bus turns the corner into view...do they miss it? Not once thus far, which is a feat in and of itself some mornings!!

These days, I wouldn't trade for the world. I truly would not.

These busiest moments in life, where it's about the little ones clustering around my feet, teaching them the joy of the Lord and the lessons of Love and Mercy and Grace in a world that just lacks it.

These moments of kissing boo-boos, being a walking kleenex, wiping bums and brushing teeth, snuggles and stories and the infectious laughter and shrieks of delight.

I was made for this.

By a God Who knew me even before He created me. Who knew who I was going to be, what I was going to do and the places I would end up in life. It's incredible, isn't?

I was asked a few days ago, if I wanted to be at home. I responded with a questioning look, not fully sure of the askers meaning. It was rephrased to do I want to be out of the house working.

Nope. I am so incredibly thankful, even on the hardest of hard days, that our family has the choice of me being at home.

I cannot begin to imagine the struggle of working moms, to go to work all day and come home and be everything to their kids in the few short hours before bed.

I am thankful to be at home, thankful to have that opportunity.

This Thanksgiving weekend, I am thankful for so much. There has been much going on lately, and the sermon at church today was a good reminder, that we need to be thankful in ALL circumstances, not just the ones that are known for causing our thanks to overflow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!