Wild Baby Rabbits

Being consumed with taking care of my little ones and working on my writing, this 

blog of mine has taken a bit of a back seat. Hurry up and Write is where I focus

on the writing side of my life, whereas Finding True Balance is a bit more personal

and introspective. I don't really care if anyone reads this one. It's more a way for 

me to stay accountable to myself in various areas of my life. First of which is my 

relationship with God. Am I keeping my focus on Him? That is a great question

to ask oneself each day. It's so easy to get caught up in the "cares of this world,"

and lose sight of what is most important - God, family, and those around me, 

next - working on my writing, keeping up with the housework and exercising.

Today, in an effort to live out the "balanced" idea, I decided to meet my little sister

for a serious stroller walk (it has been a while since I worked out). We had a great

walk and were able to catch up. Balancing between spending time with my 

kids, husband, extended family and friends can be a challenge. Of course, my kids

and husband get the majority of my attention, but it is harder to stay connected with

even my sisters, let alone friends. I was so thankful for the time to talk while the

kids were somewhat occupied, strapped in my double jogger, watching for 

wildlife. Afterwards, my sister being a Starbucks junkie, we stopped for an iced 

drink after our nearly 4 mile walk to rest. We loaded my kids up with Cheerios and 

juice and then parted ways. 

Upon arriving home, my husband pulled up into the driveway as well. I had forgotten

he had to split up his day at work so he could run an evening report. With the kids

needing to run the juice out of their systems, we let them loose in the backyard. The

chaos was complete once my 95 pound boxer mix was let out into the yard. My 

husband then informed me we have a mole problem. Showing me an area where

the ground was upheaved a bit with dead grass atop it, he stomped the area down

with his shoe.

To our surprise, 5 - 6 baby bunnies came racing out and scattered in various 

directions. Hobbes (our dog) tore after one in a flash. I heard something that sounded

like a squeaky toy and realized it was a baby rabbit in my dog's mouth. We screamed

for him to "Drop it," and "Leave it." Finally, he released the little lump of fur, and it fell to

the earth. I was horrified. The little animal was still breathing but appeared to have a 

broken leg. After Jason put the baby rabbit in a box, I found the number of a local 

wildlife clinic and left it there with a grim prognosis. The woman informed me the 

rabbit was severely injured and may not make it, but at least I had given it the 

best possible chance. I thought it had only suffered a broken leg. Saddened by the 

news of the little fur ball's condition, I returned home to my little crew. I know it's just 

a baby rabbit and that they die frequently in the wild, but I've always had empathy 

for cute furry things. 

How does this story relate to the idea of being balanced? It doesn't really, unless 

you take from it the lesson that crazy scenarios can happen in life, and one must 

be flexible. My day was turned upside down by the trauma of seeing my dog use 

a living animal as a chew toy and then having to deliver the animal to someone 

who can hopefully nurse it back to health. 

In the midst of our attempts to live the best, most balanced lives we can, life happens.

Crazy things can interfere with our day to day lives. We must take them all in stride 

and trust our Creator to take care of what we can't. Even more, we must trust Him

to help us with even the stuff we think we can handle on our own. Though we each 
may have a plan for our day, we may never know when wild baby rabbits may 
surface and race through it. 

"Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday."

Psalm 37: 3-6, ESV

Being a Mom: Coming Full Circle

My daughter is always trying to figure out a way to stay up later than she should.

Tonight, she tried a new tactic, "Mom I want to stay up and learn how to be a 

Mommy!" There was a huge smile on her face. Anticipating my answer, she had

such hope in her eyes that this would work. Finally, she had figured out a way to

stay up past her bedtime. 

I answered, "Being a mommy is a lot of work, you don't get to play very much." 

She countered, "I like work," smiling as big as ever. 

Knowing I wouldn't win this debate, I gave her a kiss and a hug and changed 

the subject, but the conversation caused me to remember my childhood.

When I was a child, I used to wonder what I would be like when I was older, 

especially what it would be like to be a mother. For sure, I would be able to 

things my way, which at the time was always the best, most logical way. I 

wondered what my children would be like. I will be lucky if my kids are as 

good as me, I would think. There was never a question if I would meet and 

marry Prince Charming, but just what kind of Prince Charming would he be?

Now I look back over the last few years, and I am overwhelmed with how 

blessed I am. I met and married my Prince Charming, otherwise known 

as Jason, or occasionally as "Snack Attack," and I have two adorable and

intelligent children, who are a lot like me. Little did I know when I was younger

what kind of a kid I was. 

Although I was fairly well behaved, I had a will as strong as iron. If I decided 

something should be one way, well that's the way it was going to be. My poor 

mom. I now understand the effort that goes into guiding your child in the ways 

of the Lord, trusting the Him to help me temper the strong wills without breaking 

them. For that quality is a gift from God, that if used properly, can be a huge asset. 

I am thankful to my mom for directing and guiding my stubbornness, my impossible 

strong will. I hope and pray I can do as good of a job with my own children. 

As that small child so long ago, I could never have imagined my life would

be as good as it is now. No, my life isn't perfect. There are difficulties to overcome, 

and financial stresses to endure, and strong wills to direct, but God is good. 

My life is good, challenging at times, but so good. On this Mother's Day, I am 

reflecting on all God has given me, and it is all good! Happy Mother's Day!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" Ephesians 1:3, ESV