Ryan Stevenson - Eye of the Storm

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
And in the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm

A Wedding Prayer- Marisa & Ben- 10-16-2017

 

Heavenly Father and Great God,

We thank you that your hand and your will has guided and led us to this day. We gather to celebrate the love and commitment of Marisa and Ben, as they share their first meal together as husband and wife.

We pray that you will give Your Holy blessing today upon their marriage, and ask that You continue to bless them with Your love and mercy throughout their lives together.

We ask that you bless this food, and pray it be the  first of many loving meals they share together with their family and friends, and we ask that Marisa and Ben will always be blessed by Your amazing grace.

We thank you that we may come before you to pray and ask these things  in the sweet name of your son Jesus through whom we are granted our salvation. Amen

You're Going To Miss It

Michelle Zunter

One day you're going to miss it. One day there will be a peaceful silence while you go to the bathroom instead of small hands busting through the door or someone wailing bloody murder outside with an owie until you jump off the toilet holding your pants in a panic.

One day you'll miss the frantic desperation of never catching up because one day everything will catch up. Your children will grow up and you will eventually get a decent break. One day.

So savor the good times now, right? Not so easy. But I tell myself all the time that one day you're going to miss it.

This is the thing I tell myself day in and day out when I'm on the verge of losing my sh*t. This mantra keeps me going because no matter how cliche it sounds, it's true. I need this running thought in my head especially now as summer break has peeked through the curtains, ready and waiting for the show (circus).

One day there won't be baskets of laundry overflowing with play clothes, gym clothes, or uniforms. One day there won't be endless piles of dishes in the sink. 

And you're going to miss it.

You're going to miss someone needing you all the time. You're going to miss being called out for maybe a hundred times a day for all things great and small.

One day there won't be anyone around to worry about entertaining on school breaks because they'll have their own lives, friends, and passions.

That life you think you can't wait for now — perhaps for time alone with your spouse, time alone with yourself — or just some time period — will come and then it will all be done. All the irritation over mud on the floor, stains on the carpet or messy rooms never cleaned will be washed away with the tides of life.

So maybe you can't muster the feelings of cherishing the moment with your loud, messy, chatty children today, but it does help to keep in mind that this day will pass and one day you are going to miss it.

One day you're going to miss dropping them off or picking them up from school. You're going to miss their scrunched up, disgusted faces when they see what you've made for dinner. You're going to miss being called into their room for the 10th time asking for a glass of water, another hug, a 3rd story, or to excitedly tell you the sudden revelation they just had.

You're going to miss all those endless questions because — guess what? — for a time they do think you know everything. This won't last forever, of course.

One day they won't be asking you to look at everything they do every minute of the day. One day they won't be constantly seeking your approval. One day, they will hopefully have the confidence to do most things without you.

So, the next time you feel like screaming, yelling, or running out the door because no one is listening to you about cleaning up, just tell yourself that there will come a time when you will miss all of this maddening, beautiful chaos. It might help a little to ease your sense of hopelessness on those particularly hectic days that are not so kind to your sanity.

While it may not be possible to fully enjoy all the moments that come to you as a parent, it's definitely possible to know that one day you will miss this.

Slipping Through My Fingers

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time