Wild Flower Days

A brother with hands dirty teaching her how to trust him. His hands are dirty though, but his whispers are clean and pure, " keep trying Channie, you can do this".
The Lord reminding me to listen to Him through the voice of a little boy. I can do this, I guess....do all this and not make a mess out of it, out of everyone around. Just keep trying right? And so I do. The days seem over filled and my watch, with never enough time on it, keeps me running from morning till the moon shines in my bedroom. I still think I've missed a special kiss or alone time with my husband or a thousand other things but I hear Him loud and clear....."Just keep Trying" and I do.

The winter has been long on the farm. A hard winter... and as the cool air runs northward, the Sun defrosts all that's alive around here. Trees budding the life beneath our feet growing wild and green...weeds and all.
My little boys have found their way to my heart again with vases of flowers that stay filled with their gifts. I take them anew every single day and keep reminding myself that the oldest boy used to bring me flowers by the fist-full with the days play all over his dirty face. His vase for me always full, now stands empty. He doesn't bring in the wild flowers that grow on our farm anymore.. he's busy turning a curve into manhood and the sheer size of him keeps reminding me that my wild flower days with him are over and eventually all my vases will stand empty as the boys each take their turn into the journey of manhood.
I will be thankful for the lessons I learn as they grow and change in my front yard. As they hold bikes and climb trees, I will be the first to stand and say, "Thank You Lord, for the wild things that play in my yard. May I tend them well, pulling their weeds, yet letting them grow strong and tall and when it's time to release them help me Lord to release them well." No regrets.

We can learn to see Christ in all things, even the growing up of our boys, but as Ann Voskamp wrote in her book "sometimes it takes years for us to have the right perspective."

"In time, years, dust settles.
In memory, ages, God emerges.
Then we look back, we see God"

We see Him turning the day to day struggles into life lessons.
We see Him teaching us that its so much better to be kind and gentle and patient as our
children grow, instead of short tempered and full of anger.

I have the perspective of seeing one son almost grown and three more not far
behind. I have changed through the years and I'm so thankful I have more chances
to do things different. To learn the lesson of time.... To learn the lessons of Perspective..