Take Care of Yourself

I have a friend that I visit that leaves me with the same words every time I walk out of her office. I imagine its the same with everyone she visits.

She always says...Take Care of Yourself.

It's not trite or quick. In fact it's exactly the opposite. She says it more like a plea. Love and concern are evident with each word. Take Care of Yourself.

I don't think I noticed it the first few times we met, but as our visits became more frequent I realized it's the same every time. Take Care of Yourself.

Depending on how I'm doing it means something different. In my mind it's basic. She must mean:
Excercise, Eat well, Sleep enough--but not too much, Pray, and Search wisdom (scriptures etc.) Right?

Take Care of Yourself.

Laugh. Love. Work. Play. Have fun.

Defining it almost makes it seem trite, but it's not. It's just different depending on what it means that day.

Take Care of Yourself.

If my children's whinning could kill me, I'd be dead.

I started the day telling my son, that he "can do hard things." He insisted that he only wanted to do EASY things and he wanted to have nothing to do with hard things. In my mind I just felt sorry for him. "What kind of adult will he grow into if he never does hard things?" I try motivating him with things he may want. I try taking away privileges he enjoys. He insists on being unmotivated. I get that I have to be consistent. I know this from experience, because if I can be consistent it will pay off.

As I was fighting with myself in my head about what consistency looks like and how to proceed I could only think about how much I'd really like to wake up tomorrow "a better parent." Could I please be magically transformed into someone who knew what I was doing? Could I just be patient, kind, and consistent. Could I hold my kids accountable for every choice they make and not waiver? "Can it PLEASE be easy?"

That's when the irony of the whole thing hit me. What kind of kid will HE be if he doesn't want to do hard things? Exactly like me. In fact, I'm thinking of just quitting too. The biggest problem with that is that I know better.

I have forgotten what it's like to be a kid

That's not an entirely a bad thing, after all I have to be the responsible one who makes sure we all survive etc. Yet, I'm not sure it's an entirely good thing either. I have this memory of sitting in the back seat of the car and saying to my mom, "When I'm grown up I'm never going to forget what it feels like to be a kid."

I felt misunderstood, and unimportant. I was sure that as soon as I was old enough to be in charge of myself things would be great because I could call the shots, and make my own decisions. I would finally have things the WAY I WANTED! That's funny now, but not to my kid mind, it wasn't.

One of the things that reminds me that I don't think like a kid anymore:
My daughter sleeps in her swimming suit so that she'll have it on ready to go in the morning.

I don't know an adult alive who would be comfortable sleeping with those straps boring into their shoulders.

Of course I totally did that! "So I can be ready in time."

From Jed in Iraq--An image from the Old Testament

Jeremiah 17:5-8

5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Above is picture of a heath. This little plant is a member of the Juniper family and is exactly what Jeremiah is referring to. Notice the heavy salt stains on the earth behind the plant. My mom's husband Jed has been working in Iraq for the last 20 months. He sent this post in an email yesterday along with the picture he took. I liked it so much I asked to post it here too.

He doesn't have this post up on his blog yet, but here is the address that includes some of his adventures.
-- Visit http://jedmail.blogspot.com/