Friday, June 3, 2011

From Grumbling to Gratitude

It was one of those Sundays when the to-do list in my mind was growing by the minute. The more I tried to do, the more there was to do. Finally, at about 4:00 I took a creativity break. I was participating in an amazing online class called Mondo Beyondo – an opportunity to dream big.  Our assignment for the week was to create a mantra or a personal theme for ourselves and then to creatively express it.  I had already chosen my mantra: “I have enough, I do enough, I am enough." In the spirit of living out my mantra, I quietly carved out a little spot in our dining/craft room and gathered my supplies. Oh, I forgot to mention was that I had planned on solo creative time.
Growing up as an only child, time by myself to putter, clean, organize, create, whatever, has always been important to me. I didn’t even realize how much so until my husband Ryan and I were dating. He would notice me starting to get snippy with him and he’d say, “I think you need some time by yourself, Hon.” And he was always right.
Well, fast forward 20 years. In a life with kids who are 6 and 12, a husband, and an aging but adorable Westie, alone time doesn’t happen very often. I had hoped to begin working on my project undetected. But similar to the way the dog just knows when you are making lunches and waits patiently for the bread crusts you will trim off and feed to him, my kids have radar for when mom is doing crafts. I had just started working when my 6 year old daughter Chloe came in and started gathering up some materials for her project. “So much for alone time,” I muttered to myself.  In case you might think my kids are deprived in the craft department, let me assure you that they have plenty of craft supplies, for any possible project – feathers, googly-eyes, craft sticks, clay, glue, markers, paper – all of it. And I have my stuff for scrapbooking in a separate area. Why is it they always want to use my stuff?
So Chloe and I began working on our projects, coming to consensus on which stickers and paper we would share.  I shared some sticker letters and she shared a sparkly pink curlicue sticker from her stash that was the finishing touch on my project. As we worked side-by-side, a beautiful thing happened.  My tension started lifting. The creative energy flowing between us shifted my resentment into joy. My grumbling turned to gratitude as I observed her creation taking shape. In the end, her project turned out way cooler than mine. She made a sticker collage for her friend Rheagan, with all these cute little “stories” embedded in the stickers: “See the snake? He is close to the birds but he isn't going to hurt them. They are all friends.” As we admired our work, I felt guilt and then grace wash over me. Yes, I felt a little guilty that I really didn’t want her to be there at the beginning. But I was thankful that I kept my grumbling and my solo agenda to myself. I felt happy that my daughter felt comfortable enough to just gather up what she needed to work and plop down beside me. I felt honored that she wanted to be with me, doing something creative. It was a great reminder that when we create space, beauty and grace will flow. If I hadn’t been open to a change in my mental plans, look at the opportunity I would have missed! God’s grace shows me that perfection isn’t the goal or even a requirement to experience  joy. What a relief! That God could be patient enough to show this grumbling mom something beautiful – the gift of creativity – that is grace!


Ecclesiastes 5:18 (MSG) After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.



3 comments:

  1. Glad to see you sticking with the writing, Lindy! You've inspired me to re-launch my old blog.

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  2. Thanks Eric - you have also inspired me! There is no bigger compliment than inspiring others to write!

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  3. This really made me stop and think. You have a gift, my friend. Keep it up. I look forward to reading more...

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