There is nothing like Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They are my jam! Unfortunately when it comes to the weekend I am like a mediocre teenage student doing just enough to get by! Shameful right?….Just about every Monday morning I mourn Friday and I completely detest the thought of my some what lackadaisical behavior. Why you ask? Well as always I’ll oblige.
As awesome as being a stay at home mom is I often feel like I’m rushing through life waitng on Friday. So periodically throughout the week between cooking, cleaning, last minute homework checks, poopy diapers, laundry and running after kiddos all day (basically all things mom). The day can become pretty overwhelming. Many times making it imparitive for me to have a self pep talk…to talk myself down from the ledge. “Girl relax, enjoy the right now, the kiddos being this young has an expiration date and Im sure one day you’ll miss this”, also accompanied by the occasional cry for Jesus to help me!
Look! The ‘S’ on my chest is reversible! No smoke and mirrors here, I am human sometimes the pep talk work and other times I am judge and jury sentencing everyone to a much needed nap. Only to wake up just in time to be at the door when dad gets home. Sounds simple enough right? Wrong….in the absence of some good ol’ aged communion juice and a throwback greys anatomy episode this takes both tact and skill! (Lol)
Thankfully this past week wasn’t one of those rare and rough ones. It was pretty average and went smooth for the most part. By Thursday morning I had already gotten the Friday itch and was texting my husband to come home and love me before he had even made it to work (text verbatim). Would you believe he didn’t turn around? Work and make money to provide for your family or stay at home with your wife and toddler? Lucky for him, Im such a reasonable and understanding wife, so I continued my morning as usual only slightly disappointed.
That is until a little past noon, I’m in the kitchen making lunch for the kiddos and myself and the doorbell rings. To my suprise its my husband and of course the entire house celebrated. Nothing short of an actual cheer, and if the walls could talk his head couldn’t have gotten any bigger. As we are celebrating the door bell rings again and its our neighbor. After a year of no proper introduction and a few casual conversations in passing, about our old and broken fence we share. I guess the time had apparently come to delebrate on how we would move forward with shared financial responsibility. Instantly I am reminded of a statement our realtor who helped us in purchasing our first home made.
“You can pick your house but you cant pick your neighbors”. This wisdom was bestowed upon us because our very first home that we fell in love with and might I add could afford, had neighbors with garage doors as their fence….(Shhh…You dont have to say it, I think I know what your thinking). All things considered and needless to say we brought the house! The neighbors to our left never said a word in four years. The neighbors to the right of us, we grew to love and only made me uncomfortable some of the time. In the words of most Kindergarten teachers “Get what you get and dont throw a fit” and most times I didn’t.
But this particular situation on the other hand involved the business of money. This made me a bit apprehensive because understandably so no one wants to be taken advantage of. Immediately into the conversation my husband and I realized this was not going to be your average fence. So as we talked and looked over the numbers, we decided that my husband and I would discuss it further throughout the weekend. We were asked if Sunday we could all sit down and talk and instantly anxiety came. Whooosaaah! Honestly, I really just needed to table the fence talk for a minute, but my husband felt differently and the more he brought it up, the more anxious I became.
I felt forced to accept the necessary conversing of this eight foot cedar board on board fence. In all its glory, it came in like a smooth criminal and invaded my precious weekend. I begin to resent it and all the extra bells and whistles included with it. Making it so budget unfriendly, savings threatening and not to mention its latest offense ‘a weekend murderer’. Yes I can be very dramatic at times! We know this! But seriously by Saturday night I wasn’t any good. My stomach was in knots and with little to no sleep, Sunday, the glorious Sabbath, the day that completely embodies rest, quickly met me with exhaustion.
By early afternoon as we pulled up to our neighbors house my husband and I said a prayer for guidance in our decision making and quickly made our way up to their humble abode. I am grateful to say peace met me there and I became extremely comfortable with making the right decision for our household! Whatever that may be. And along with building a small rapport with our neighbors, of all things we walked away with a new toaster! Yes! Our neighbors gave us a toaster! How wonderfully random!
Faithful Monday fininally rolls around AGAIN and as I was positioning my brand new toaster on my counter, I was gently reminded of daddy Gods goodness. Ironically, despite my knots, nerves and various emotions. By letting go and trusting God I not only walked away with peace and potentially a beautiful fence (if the price is right) but something new that I did not have and had’nt had in at least 7 years. Although I am extremely grateful for my toaster, for me its not at all about the toaster as much as it is My Fathers intent towards me.
He sees and knows all of our needs and if he can give me a toaster when Im not asking Oh! the expectation that rises up in my heart when I do open up my mouth to ask. The toaster served as a small reminder to me that I am loved and SO ARE YOU!
Cheers to Happy neighbors good vibes and a perfectly crispy piece of Toast!
Shalom💛
Shalom Mum 