The desire for less.

A few weeks ago I found myself in quite a tizzy. Life has been moving at a warping speed here lately and I have been forgetful, stressed and even a little edgy because it seems like no matter what I do, I just can't keep up!

The laundry never stops, the homework never ends, the fights between these girls are getting louder and more intense and more and more often a girly stops to ask me a tough question. Harder than the, "Mommy why is the sky blue?" type questions.

We seem to always need more milk, more bread and more cereal. There is always one more phone call to return, one more e-mail to respond to and one more errand to run. Always.

More, More, More.

And for probably the first time in my life my heart is filled with a pure desire for less.

Because I've realized now that I am nine years into this motherhood thing that the more there is to do, the more little people running through the house, the more places to go the less time there is for my God.

Sometimes I think we think that when we are busy for God that we are on the right track. I don't think we could be more wrong in this type of thinking. In fact I would dare to say that believing such a mis-shaped truth can only lead to failure in our walks with Christ.

Taylor, my oldest is such a perfectionist. And she sets such high goals and expectations for her life. I love that she is so ambitious but I'm afraid that she's going to miss out on the simple things of life because she's reaching for the extraordinary so often. Taylor gets things done, that is for sure though.

Kennedy my youngest is the same way. She's just got that high drive to be first, the best and to succeed in EVERYTHING she does. Whether it's learning to roller skate or painting her nails perfectly, she won't stop until it's just right. Kennedy is just perfected drama, there is no other way to describe her. {wink}

But my middle girly Hope, for some reason she has discovered this absolute truth of ,"less is more" in her short lived life of 7 years. She is the one who takes the time to leave me a note on my pillow that just says, "Good-night". Hope is the only one who will just randomly come up and give me a hug or say, "I love you."

Sure she too holds a wee bit of drama in her soul, but what girl on this earth doesn't? Her many art projects for people often get under my skin with all the spread of paper and glue and glitter...have mercy for the glitter....but I realize that is her way to show the world that she cares.

The other day I was in the midst of a day where everything seemed to need "more" attention. I was frustrated, stressed and just tired when I heard a ding on my computer which meant I had a new e-mail. So, I walked over to the computer expecting it to be something "more" I needed to respond to, but it wasn't.

In fact it was an e-mail from Hope's teacher that simply said: :) . Yes, a smiley face. Well, then I noticed that there was a file attached so I began to open it expecting it to be some message about how I forgot to pay this or how this book is overdue.

But instead, up on my computer screen popped up this beautiful picture that Hope made in computer lab that day:




And at that moment, it was as if God stepped inside of my home and pulled my eyes to that picture and said, "Love a little more simple today. Love the sunshine that I gave you. Love the cool air and the flowers. And enjoy the peace that comes with the desire for less. Quit making life so complicated and just make it simple."

Tears flooded me and I shut that computer down, walked away from the laundry, left the toys on the floor and took Kennyboo to the park. And I didn't even bring my cell phone! We just enjoyed, simple life. And it felt good!

I am challenged to desire less more and more. And I am challenged to love simply. Not everything we do in life has to be an over the top experience. It's the simple things that we should enjoy the most. And I'm thankful for the simple seven year old girl who has taught me this lesson.

Be blessed my friends, less is more.