Dried Up

Everything is just kind of drying up right now. My beautiful mums are wilted and dry (maybe that's because I neglected to water them this fall, ha!). The soft dirt in our flower beds is cold and hard. My girls' fish tank has almost no water and needs a WHOLE lot more, (once again, probably because I neglect that poor lil' fish). And all 3 of my kids' skin has eczema patches dispersed throughout their lil' appendages. The dry season has arrived.

Holidays are such a fun time-- and such an important time to cherish people, valuing the minutes, hours, days we have with them.  It's not always easy to do that. This year, for the first time in my life, I'm now realizing what it means when people say that holidays can be the hardest time of year. It's a reminder. It's a reminder for many people that life goes fast. It's also a reminder that there's a LOT to do; type A people are in their prime (and still stressed), and the type B people are effectively putting off the to-do list (also still stressed). This time of year is also a reminder that we have lost people, and maybe even feel dried up a bit/numb because of that.

Tonight I was at the YMCA for my kids' swim lessons. As Emma was showering, she tinkered with the water temperature: first too hot, then too cold, then "ahhhh, perfect mommy." I couldn't help but think about the kiddos in Ethiopia who, in their own homes, clean themselves infrequently with a bucket of cold water. My sweet pea tonight got her shower for today "just perfect." What a drastic discrepancy. Thought about what it means to be dried up again, as I was watching my kids swim and shower and put on their layers of clean clothes to stay warm.


My family is experiencing a new taste of dryness this season. We are, we can't deny that. Losing someone close to you is hard and comes with a whole new level of "DRY." But we are blessed, there's also no denying that. Emma and I talked about her "just right" shower tonight and she said she is just so happy that she will get to bring a little person home to share her food so they don't have yucky food. (In many third world countries parents have to feed their kids something called "cookies" as a source of nourishment. This is made of water, salt, dirt, and vegetable shortening). She said she also wants to give those kids things because she wants them to have warm showers.:)

We got great news from our agency today that we have moved up 8 spots on the waiting list! We are thrilled...because we are moving. That brings refreshment and life to dryness. And it breathes life into us as we dive into the season ahead. We are thankful.