Chad and I had a really fun weekend playing aunt and uncle. Friday night, Davis came and stayed the night with us. This was very exciting for all of us because Davis had never stayed with us before, and it was the first time our guest bedroom was used with the new bed in it. I realize he's only 6, but Davis thinks we did a great job! In fact, since he's the first one to stay there, the room is now called "Davis' Room."
Poor guy though. We kept him up until 10:30! However, Chad did take him for donuts the next morning, so hopefully we are still on his good list. Chad also taught him how to shoot the bb gun (is it bb or bebe?...I honestly have no idea!). I wish I had been there to take pictures. More importantly though, Chad taught Davis the rules first. I'm sure I would mess them up if I tried to quote them, but they involve never pointing at people, never holding by the trigger, and always hold the gun up or down. Davis can quote them verbatim...I should probably have him teach me!
Then, on Saturday we kept Mary Alice and Major. These kids love to play! We walked to the park and ran and played until it got a little too cold. For dinner we went to "The Chick-Fil-A Restaurant" as Major calls it. This place is genius. First, 4 people can eat there inexpensively and second, there is a great play area there. The kids would have played for hours if we'd let them, I'm sure! It was so interesting to watch them play together and also with all of the other kids. Kids who are complete strangers become friends so quickly! It's such an amazing quality children have that at some point we apparently lose as we approach adulthood.
So, that was our weekend in a nutshell. I actually had Monday off for Presidents' Day (yea Presidents!), so the whole house is now clean from top to bottom. Good time with some sweet kids and good time cleaning...definitely my kind of weekend!
Still, this weekend it occurred to me that our task was really very simple. All we really need to do is make sure the kids know that they matter. That's it. How simple is that? Sometimes I get bogged down with every single issue and problem; I want to help them solve and figure things out. I want to help them so that they don't make some of the same mistakes I did when I was their age. I ache when they are hurting and hope that something I'm doing or saying is helping. This is quite a heavy load! Something Marshall (PC youth minister) said put it all into perspective. These kids just want to know that someone cares about them. They just want to know that they matter to someone.
So, with this new insight, I'm excited to see them tonight. I'm excited to listen as they talk about their days. All Chad and I really have to do is just be there. God takes care of the rest.
The title of this blog is dedicated to Katie and Shanta...Shout out to PC Ladies Retreat 2007!
1. Have a piece of chocolate for no reason at all. It is my firm belief that I deserve one piece of chocolate everyday. I don't go crazy and eat a whole candy bar...just one small Dove dark chocolate. They are my absolute fav! There are 2 reasons why this tip is awesome: 1) Dark chocolate is good for you (in moderation), and 2) Having one piece usually takes care of any sweet cravings I have in the afternoon.
2. Be overly nice to that one person in your office or day who usually drives you crazy. I've learned that when I'm extra complimentary to this particular person, she tends to drive me a little less crazy. I'm not exactly sure why this is, but it's been proven on several occasions. When I pray about her and react to her extra sweetly, she doesn't seem so bad after all!
3. Email or write a hand-written letter (gasp!) to a friend you've not spoken with in a few months. I can fall really behind with keeping in touch with friends, especially those I don't see on a regular basis. I'm a terrible phone conversationalist...I think this may be because I'm on the phone all day at work. But I really don't have a great excuse because I have about an hour in my car every afternoon when I could play phone catch-up. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem that hard to spend 20 minutes writing a note to someone you love. I'll let you know how this goes!
4. Make it a point to encourage and build-up your spouse or best friend today. Remind them how much you appreciate who they are and what they mean to you. Chad takes such wonderful care of me! Every morning when he wakes up he makes it a point to come into the bathroom and give me a big hug while I'm getting ready for work. This is definitely one of my favorite times of day! Another thing...I love how smart Chad is...he just has such amazing common sense, which comes in handy when I'm having an "off day." (Which sadly happens more days than I would like to admit!)
5. Sing really loudly in the car on your way home. Definitely even dance a little too. Don't worry about the drivers next to you...they don't know you, but after they see how much fun you are, they'll probably want to!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Monday!
