Take Time to Blog

Did you know that it can take twenty minutes to scrap ice off a car before it's drivable? At least in Minnesota. I know we never quite make it to church on time but the forces really are conspiring against us here! That's how my morning started. I use the word "morning" lightly, of course, because it was nearly 1:00 pm. It seems like we've been going all day and I've been grumpy all day. And before it gets too late and while my baby is still sleeping...

(she looks like this, yes she usually sleeps on her side:)
...I wanted to slow down for a minute and think about why.

I used to love Sundays. I used to be able to wrap myself up in the feeling of the Sabbath, of a day away from and above the daily grind. Now it seems I'm chained to the trenches. Guess that's Mommylife, eh? I really thought I'd adapt faster than I have to this whole Mommy thing. But then, I frequently overestimate myself (My sister reminded me of this just tonight, Eric thinks it's a family trait owing to our over-developed work ethic. I think it's a mutation of American Exceptionalism). I guess it's better than underestimating, at least it provides lots of lessons in humility. So where is all this evaluative introspection leading? New Year's Resolutions, baby! I figure if I blog about it, I'll be more accountable.

1. Take Time to Be Holy
This is actually a song that the church choir I helped direct back at BYU sang. I didn't choose it and hadn't heard it before, but it's one of my favorites. It's one of the rare times when I have fallen in love with both the music and the lyrics. And here they are:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

I need to take the time to be holy, it doesn't happen naturally. Quite the opposite really. And I've been told this before (and did it for all of 3 days together), but I need to take at least 20 minutes everyday to feed my spirit. So this is the year where I'm not going to miss a day.

2. Take Time to Be Me.
Now it's my general belief that we as a society are far too focused on the individual. But if I learned anything from feminism it's that I have value and worth outside of home and family life. Yes, I have lots, TONS, of value within it. In fact, I believe I'm irreplaceable (there goes that exceptionalism ;-) At the same time, it's not the end. In fact, what I'm doing right now is just the beginning of the person I'm becoming. Motherhood and wifehood is this forge, this refining fire. It's "sacrifice" as Eyring describes it: SO hard but is SUCH a bargain (yes, words fail me again and all I've got left is punctuation). And while I search for new words to describe the whole "can't give from an empty bucket" metaphor, all I know is that in order to give myself freely and fully, I have to be whole. Again, I need to take at least 20 minutes everyday to feed my soul. So this is the year where I'm not going to miss a day.

Eric's New Year's Resolution is the same as that of 1.5 million other Americans--get healthy! When I got pregnant we bargained that he'd loose his belly when I did. (I'm well below my pre-pregnancy weight now...;-) But more than loosing the belly, Eric wants to find balance (no, that's not a fat joke). The belly is a symptom, not the disease.

So now we're committed. We're accountable to the internet. (Maybe now we should go private?)