Make It Count Monday - Vol. 13

Written and published on December 16th, 2012. Archived to previous year. 

It's impossible to jump right in to evaluating this past week without acknowledging what's defined it for all of us. I wish, like the rest of the world, for some sort of explanation, some way to understand the tragedies of the world that make no sense. I don't have any words of wisdom or answers to the questions we all ask when bad things happen to the innocent. In fact, I don't really have much at all to say, because there just is no way to quantify that feeling we all have, the tightness in our chest or the ache in our heart. But I will say the few things that I know to be true, and also echo my sentiments from this reflection I wrote on loss, as well as these thoughts I shared after the shooting at the movie theater a few miles from our home:

I know there is good in the world. I know that God loves every last one of us more than we can fathom, even more than those parents love their beautiful innocent children who are gone. I know that He aches far more than any of us, more than any of the parents whose hearts are shattered, at the injustice of it all. I know that where there is God, there is love. I know God wants us to find a way to share that love with the people He puts in our lives. I'm thankful for this Monday. A Monday when I can really make it count. A Monday, like the ones we so often bemoan. This Monday I've woken up, hugged and kissed my children--fevers, banged up heads and all--and been given the gift of another day on this earth to love them and carry out my God-given mission. It's a shame that it takes something like this to remind us--me included--that it's a gift. It's sad how quickly we forget the importance of our simple mission to love others. But I'm thankful that the nightmare some parents are living right now is just a reminder for us, not a personal reality. As those feelings of horror and grief start to fade for those of us not directly affected, as the media moves on to other stories of sensationalism, I hope I can find ways remember the simple lesson of loving others without having to be reminded by a tragedy. At church yesterday, we read a scripture that included this verse: "Let your kindness be evident to all." (2 Phil 4:5). I hope that at the end of my life, God will look at me and say that my efforts to share His love and kindness outshined my shortcomings. And on that note, I'd like to pass along this wonderful link that my friend Caroline shared which demonstrates that good really can redeem the world--it's something I think everyone should take five minutes to look at. 

Evaluation from last week: Even before the world was turned upside down on Friday, I was blown away by how my heart ached for my kids throughout a pretty tough week of sickness and other incidents. I think I definitely accomplished my goal in supporting our beautiful daughter at her Christmas concert, even though she stood facing away from the adults the entire time and staring at the Christmas tree behind her. I curled her hair to make her feel special, we told her how proud we were of her, and even got our own private concert before we left as she twirled around the house singing. I also finished the Christmas cards--hallelujah!

~MOTIVATION~ 

What did I accomplish last week?

Our week was full of some late nights and unexpected events. Our little girl developed a little fever and a pretty bad cough that showed up right after her concert on Monday and is still going strong. My husband and I went to an alumni function at his school the next night, and the kids got to bed late for the second night in a row. Wednesday night was even later after we made an unexpected trip to the ER--our baby boy's head met a chair in a rather unfortunate manner that scared me to death but thankfully only required stitches. The rest of the week was filled with doctors visits, and of course Friday made us all stop in our tracks. Then over the weekend my baby girl spiked another fever of 104 degrees and our other little buddy boy walked around crying and holding his ear. Despite all of that, I still somehow managed to finish the Christmas cards, get a few gifts done, and bake Christmas cookies with the kids, and we spent a quiet weekend resting up and holding each other tight.

~DIRECTION~

What's my goal for this week?

Other than doctor's visits, working a few more gifts, and getting some packages to the post office, I'm focusing on letting go this week. As our priest said yesterday, "when we are too full of other things, we can't fully appreciate the gifts we have." So I'm going to be present to the most important people and relationships in my life and work on letting go of the things that usually pull me away from them.

~ACCOUNTABILITY~

What steps will I take to move toward that goal?

I'm re-visiting my Facebook fast, limiting my social media time and focusing on the activities that bring us together.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!

Comment below to share your own MOTIVATION, DIRECTION, and ACCOUNTABILITY for the week! Or link up below to host your own Make It Count Monday--grab the badge on the sidebar if you'd like, and don't forget to link back here to Positively (Im)Perfect so we can visit and encourage you!