A Spring of Joy

“In my South, you don’t have to be rich to live a rich life. In my South, you don’t need much to have it all. My South is My Heart.”

I read these words by Charlie Geer today, and it made me stop and think about how rich I really am–about how much I have with my family, my friends, my home, my Lord. I watch my kids and fall in love with them even more every day. I sit in companionable silence with my Brian, and realize just how deeply I need his love and how my love grows for him every day. I hold the hand of my best friend and cry with her in her pain, and I love her deeper than ever. I breathe in the thick, honeysuckled air of our backyard and fall in love with my South more every day. And as I fall in love with each of these, I fall in love with my Jesus even more as I thank Him for these blessings.

Life has been hard these past few months. A lot of twists, curve balls, pain and hurt thrown my way. There are fears on the road ahead, and there is change coming quickly, but I’ve seen just how each day matters.. the little things that my kids and husband teach me every day. Here are some of the life lessons I learned the past couple weeks:

There are 3 ways to say “no”. One that makes your kids laugh. One that makes them obey. And one that makes them cry. The best one is the one that makes them obey with a smile.

Popsicles really do make everything all better.

We sleep a whole lot easier when we know there are no monsters.

Being a mom means thinking creatively (almost) all the time.

No matter how you try to avoid it, boys will turn anything into a gun (and baby sisters will mimic them at 15 months!).

Maybe it’s just my southern blood, but dressing my daughter in fun dresses, cute shoes and sweet ribbons will never get old.

God made me who I am and that’s a good thing. I don’t have to be what anyone else thinks I should be.

It doesn’t matter what kind of mood I’m in or how “ugly” my kids are being, their faces will always be beautiful to me.

I’ll never tire of hearing my kids say, “Please may I have more broccoli?”

Babies find joy in everything they do, and it’s very contagious.

Watching slideshows of my kids will always be much more entertaining than television.

Boys need a dad who can pitch tents and build fires, even if it’s in the backyard.

God’s hands are scarred with my name. He’s holding me and will never let go, even when it feels like more than I can handle (that’s because it is… He’s handling it for me!).

Whether it’s off-roading, reading, wrestling, building lemonade stands, playing with friends, watching the wildlife in our yard, singing them to sleep, story-telling, dancing or snuggling, it’s the being together that matters.