We're hunkered down these days. Winter is suddenly bitter and snow-filled, with school closures and activity cancellations a certainty at least a few if not all days of each week. Our family is taking this opportunity to stop hustling around so much and we're doing little more than resting, hanging out inside and figuring out how to incorporate a new baby into our midst.
The days have been long. It's apparent the kids require their usual routine by the number of squabbles I'm having to help settle. Nick and I have so little energy at the end of the day that we've substituted early bedtimes for lengthy conversations about how the day went -- how we're feeling.
With lots of help and by what I can only describe as the power of the Holy Spirit, we're muddling through and I can honestly say we're all doing great. I know this by the sight of baby Max's rapidly plumping cheeks and fingers and by the way his brothers and sisters verbalize how surprisingly demanding Max is but in the same breath, how utterly adorable he is.
I wake in every morning hungry, thirsty, tired and not the least bit refreshed. The cycle of waking every two hours to nurse, change and soothe our newborn son is taxing to say the least. But when I buckle the baby into his bouncer and step into the shower to wash away the night and prepare for a new day, I can't help but feel grateful. And, if it makes sense, to be grateful for having something to feel grateful for at all.
As the hot water pours over the tender parts of my still-healing body, I find myself praising God for all of the undeserved good in my life -- a thriving newborn, happy, healthy big kids, comfort, good health and great people surrounding us.
The carpets are too dirty, the fridge is too empty, the laundry is piled too high. These aren't problems. They are by-products my being preoccupied with the business of helping people grow. And because, at least for now, we are all well, this a season worth thanking God for.
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