The everyday of it

"Mama, what's that delicious smell?"
A small voice rounds the corner to the kitchen where I stand at the mixer watching the sticky dough pull and stretch itself into a ball as I add puffs of flour by the cup-full.  
"Hot cross buns.  Wanna see?"  I ask holding my hands down to him to lift up his still-too-small frame into view of the mixing bowl.  
"Mmmmmm....Am I gonna get some?"  He asks.  
My reassurance comes in smile and wink form, he knows this means yes.   

​It's a Monday and I have had nothing really profound to say for months.  No story inspired by God's hand to line me up with a lonesome passerby, no grocery store miracle or prayer answered with writing on the walls of my home.  Just life.  Life that's lived thick within this house.  Thick with love and compassion and with frustration and attitudes as well. 

And forgiveness.  always forgiveness.  

We read the story of Lazarus today during bible time.  Jesus raising to life a precious friend because well, life is worth living and Jesus knew it.  Heaven is better, of course and we recite to ourselves when the world is visibly full of evil that, "this is not our home".  All true.  All things I say and believe.  But today the story of Lazarus hit me differently and I think I see something I didn't before.  If Jesus, knowing heaven is our forever home and dying, (for the Christian) only profits the soul, yet He chose to raise Lazarus from the dead, did all of this, then life must be a more worthy blink of an eye than I have often given it credit.  At least on a bad day that is.  Everything is His, everything is grace.  Good days and bad.  

There's golden raisins in hot cross buns.  Doesn't that sound perfect?  And crisp bacon and cheddar cheese on creamy potato soup is nothing to shrug over either.  Life.  I spend a lot of mine schooling children and training the youngest to simply hear my words well and cheerfully. 
Who am I kidding?  I'm teaching the same to the oldest too!  Exactly what God is still teaching me, I suppose.  

I've dipped over 300 candle sets since November when I began selling them.  Wow, that's a lot of wax!  I don't know why, but it fills my heart to make pretty tapers for tables near and far.  And when one of you wonderful purchasers texts me a picture of your beautiful table lit with the glow of something I made, I'm overjoyed!  So, thank you.    

I took some time this year to paint the kids bedroom walls and floors.  Old barnboard planks make up most of our upstairs, which I love.  And even more so now that they're freshly coated and sealed.  Two weeks of painting and waiting.  Two weeks of kids on couches and makeshift floor beds.  Two weeks of my old sweatpants and a T-shirt belonging to my husband.  

My mom snapped this picture of me trimming the floorboards of the little girls room.  Not much about it is pretty and you should thank me for editing it to black and white.  Nothing screams louder than an oversized safety orange T! 
But back to the point, I love this picture.  I love that it shows so much of life, so much of my life (and maybe yours as well).  From my socks (which I believe also belong to Andy) to the boy using me as a springboard.  This is a picture of what makes up most of my days; production accompanied by joyful distraction, at least it was joyful on this particular day.  Mix in a thrown together hairdo and the four year old still in his PJ's and you know I've really invited you in!   

So what is all of this writing about?  Really nothing, which is something (if you ask Pooh).  Life.  The precious and delicate story we all get to be part of.  The days that seem to rush in and out with all haste to be met again anew with sunrise and no more (or less) ticks of the clock hand. 
Purpose.  Mine and yours, to live to the glory of God and gain nothing for ourselves but to learn daily to serve better those around us.  Service to others always draws the heart toward God no matter which end of the action you're on. 
"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me."  John 12:26     

"Mom, maybe we could plan a special time soon?  Just you and me?"  

"Yes, I think that's a perfect idea."