{One of my favorite pictures ever.}
The kids are all in the kitchen doing jobs after our always lively lunch hour.
The Charmer has a towel on his head... he and the Spunky girl tend to get a little distracted when it's time to work... they're both supposed to be wiping the table. Currently, no one is wiping the table. :)
The Dancing Girl is, well, dancing. In between counter wipes she does a twirl.
Solomon keeps bringing me empty boxes from the trash.
And my Siah? He's dictating. "We've got stuff to do. Everyone get to work. Hal, stop twirling. Reese. Reese. REESE!!! Stay focused."
And me, I'm just sitting here at the end of the farm table taking it all in.
The coolest thing about kids is that they have no qualms about being themselves.
All five of our treasures exude joy.
And all five them exude joy in a completely different way.
My Siah has joy when his world is in order.
My Hal, she dances, everywhere, always.
For my Reese, everything is an event. She desires to eat her dinner on tiny doll plates. She skips her way to the next thing, whatever it may be. She sets up 15 stuffed animals along the couch so that they watch her do her school work.
My Jed has the cutest dimple that would make you smile just looking at him. He's tender. He's perfectly content playing alone. He's not afraid to laugh and he's not afraid to cry. He has nothing to prove to a single soul.
And my Solomon. He's one. He's all over the map and he has no shame.
I've been thinking that to have the energy-producing, life-filling, always beautiful joy of the Lord just might be to live like a child...
Like a child who's growing up in a safe, happy place.
Like a child who knows that her Father not only didn't mess up in making her, but crafted her exquisitely for her joy and His glory.
Like a child who knows that every hour of every day He calls her His beloved.
Like child who loves well, because she's loved well, by the ONE who calls Himself love.
Like a child who doesn't analyze, or doubt.
Like a child who simply lives fully the life she's been given.
To live in THAT. To live in the energy-producing, life-filling, always beautiful joy of the Lord?
Glorious!
When the kitchen was done, I watched my Siah take a deep breath of satisfaction. He looked around at everything in it's place and it made him smile.
My Dancing Girl twirled her way out of the kitchen and onto her next task.
My Reesie had a story that she was dying to tell me.
And my Jed hung his towel over the handle on the stove, told me he was tired, and asked if he could go take a nap.
They all move seamlessly throughout their days, all in their own joys. I love that about them.
That joy?
It's there for my taking.
Every moment__of all my days.
