It’s been a hectic holiday season, topped off with a stomach
bug for two of our five family members. School starts tomorrow, so today I’m
trying to carve out a little breathing space to enjoy time with my family
before we’re back in the school-and-work grind.
So, today, we’re trying to start the new year right, snuggling
on the couch and reading good books. Reading aloud as a family is a tradition
we’ve been building for more than a year, long before I discovered Sarah
Mackenzie’s Read-Aloud Revival. (If you’ve never heard of it, she’s running a
31-day read-aloud challenge this month! Find her at readaloudrevival.com.) She
has a book list, but we have favorites in our stack right now, so we went with
that.
This month we plan to read about missionary Gladys Aylward,
which means we’ll also be delving into literature about Chinese history and
culture. My oldest has a love of dogs—more of an obsession, really—so we’ll be
feeding that by reading together Sled Dog
School by Terry Lynn Johnson. She’s a new author for us, but so far we’re
enjoying this charming book about a boy who’s good with dogs but bad with math.
(And he has a weird family. Who can’t relate?) My eldest will be meeting her
read-aloud challenge by reading to me from a long-standing favorite, the Jack Russell: Dog Detective series. (I’m
a consultant for Usborne Books & More’s excellent books, and you can see
more of them on my consultant website at https://p4250.myubam.com/.)
As I type this, we’re obviously taking a break from reading—Mommy’s
voice needs a rest sometimes—and I can hear my three children playing pretend
in the background, mixing together imagination and knowledge in that seamless
way only children can. And I wish I could freeze this day right here, with the Christmas
lights still twinkling and my husband playing Christmas music on his laptop,
and the peace and contentment we’re sharing as a family saturating the house.
And I’m also realizing that, while the Christmas trappings will soon be packed
up and put back in the basement for another year, the peace can be there any
time for the asking.
Because peace isn’t about externals. It’s not only the
absence of war (or of squabbling among siblings), though that’s part of it. It’s
a state of mind and heart. It’s about resting in God. In the nitty gritty, it’s
about pushing aside the to-do lists that plague us and simply being. Being at the dinner table for a
family meal on a weeknight and not worrying about whether it’s gourmet or organic.
Being on the couch to snuggle together for a moment, even if the laundry does
need to be folded. Being compassionate with a child who may need to take a
break from math despite what the lesson plan says. Being together to read a
book about a missionary, or a dog, or green eggs and ham. Being present at
family gatherings because you never know who’s spot at the table maybe empty
next year. Being present in God’s word and prayer so I can take that peace into
my day with my family. Not doing, accomplishing, and checking off. Taking time
to breathe and simply being.
I’m not by any means saying that if you’re busy or have a
lot to do, your life is empty. As someone with a never-ending checklist, I’m
well acquainted with the pride of accomplishment, as well as how quickly things
can fall apart if I’m not on the job. But sometimes that checklist takes over
and I forget about the people around me who want more than a meal on the table
or clean laundry or a beautiful lesson plan. They want my time. They want me.
They want me to be with them.
Maybe it’s a lesson you’ve already learned. I write this most
of all to remind myself that, in 2018, I want to stress less, enjoy my family
more, and be.
Now I think I have another chapter of Sled Dog School to
read with my daughter.
May God bless you and yours and give you the peace to do
less and be more in 2018.
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