I’m Blessed

Whew!  It’s been crazy-busy this planting season.  It’s still been a blessed season.

Knut has been planting the fields around the clock.  The corn is done.  The soy beans are underway.

Back here at home 72 of the 74 baby chicks are still with us.  That’s the lowest chick loss we’ve had in the first week ever.  Chicks die pretty easily, so to have lost only 2 is a good thing.

Our kittens have shown up again in the barn.  I’ve been worried about them.  We found them underneath the seat of the sleigh.  The mama has been moving the nest on us, so we haven’t been able to keep tabs on them.  So far all are still accounted for.  For awhile we thought the mama had abandoned them as she wasn’t seen for 2 days, so we tried bottle feeding them as they were getting really loud.  They wouldn’t take a bottle, so we left them with bowls of kitty formula, which they lapped up.  Then the mama decided to take them back and has hidden them again.  We found her new nest, but left it undisturbed.  I’m so new at this, that I’m second guessing myself constantly.  I wish the mama would keep them cleaner, as I don’t want any infections to well up with them.  I’m blessed with some neighbors who are coaching me through it.

I’m blessed that at least the mama is a superb mouser.  My goodness I think that’s all she eats.

Today I’m feeling so blessed with God’s provision for us to purchase some farm land we’ve been renting for a long time.  It was a busy morning with the closing, and swimming lessons, lunch at Grandma’s, and finally getting to some school.

I’m thankful for the variety of people to meet and places to go for my kids during the day.  They get to see how the world works through so many different lenses, and sometimes I just get so excited for them.

I’m so blessed that we’ve broken through some communication and discipline issues with the kids.  Consistency that has been so hard is starting to pay off.

I’m so blessed by the grace that people give me.  Yesterday was Silje’s piano recital, and I forgot to bring a dessert to share.  I brought her to the rehearsal on the wrong day too so she missed that completely.  We showed up for swimming lessons today an hour too early.  I’ve been messing up pretty consistently lately with the lack of sleep and constant work that spring always brings.  I’ve gone through planting seasons before, and not always gracefully.  I at least have the perspective that it’s just a season, and like all seasons, it changes quickly.  It’s just been an adjustment with 5 kids instead of 4 this year.

I used up all my freezer meals after Ingrid was born, so that has been part of my problem.  If I can get on top of our food a bit better, everything else will fall into place.  I’m dropping balls left and right, and about dying of embarrassment when I realize that I’ve messed up…again.  People have been giving me so much grace and encouragement.

There has been so much understanding and helping hands.  I feel so blessed by that.  A friend will call me with words of encouragement just when I need it, or I’ll run into the store who sees my troop with me and someone exclaims “We always look forward to seeing your kids come in every week!  They’re such a joy!”  I don’t think people know how badly moms like me need to hear things like that.

David has been reading books for fun these last 2 weeks.  I could cry with joy.  With all of the work with attention issues, and his eye tracking exercises…he’s come over some really big humps.  We’ve been pouring a lot of time getting him over  these humps.  I walked into the family room the other day, and there he was laying on the floor with a book in hand, and reading aloud just for fun.  I just put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from squealing for joy, and tears welled up in my eyes.  He can do it.  He’s been reading for over a year…maybe 2.  But reading by himself without me forcing him while I’m sitting and pointing to each word for him was unheard of.  I cannot believe I caught him reading for fun.  I’m still on that high.

I keep taking pictures.  With all the rush, I want to not forget to remember.  I want to remember these days.  I want to remember how people helped me, so that I can be a help to someone when I’m in a different season.  I want to look back with joy, and I want to hold onto the joy available today.  That’s why I keep writing.  Because remembering to hold that joy?  That might be the most important.

I’m blessed.