13 Hours of Rain

I have been thinking about my purpose in life. My recent contemplative outlook has been brought on by the sad news of friends and family facing their final days on this earth. In one case it has been expected. In other case it has been incredibly sudden. What is my purpose? As a believer in Christ, I know what I have been commissioned to do. I must share my faith in word and deed. I must reflect the characteristics of Christ to those around me. I must love God and love people. I am pretty useless in doing this on my own, thus I must desperately depend on God's Holy Spirit and surrender myself to Him so He can complete His work in me. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it! And it is formidable. But how does this translate in the everyday? How does this intertwine with our secret desires and dreams that haunt our souls? Here are some of my current reflections on the above purpose and questions. Be present in the moment. Last night I was rocking my son to sleep. And my mind was wand...

Oh little boy, who likes to snuggle Who only falls asleep if he is rocked and cuddled* It is partly my fault, I guess For not letting you cry too long As you lay swaddled in your crib But I gladly relinquish my freedom for a time To hold you a little longer Can you stay this little forever? And grow up to be a strong young man Full of vibrant vitality And love for God? Your laughter is contagious And I admit, your screams Make many faces cringe And sometimes your Daddy and I Are clueless as to what to do But that's okay Because you are probably our last And that makes this Mommy's heart Sad And cling to you a little longer *85% of the time :)

We are all failures. Everyday I am reminded of how often I screw up as a mom, wife, and child of God. I don't read to my son enough. I don't preschool my daughter enough. I don't encourage my husband enough. I don't pray and read the scriptures enough. Oh, nobody is complaining. Nobody is wagging their finger at me and saying, "You are a failure Rain. You gotta improve here!" I'm just acutely aware of my inadequacies everyday. I'm not writing this post to gain your sympathizes. I am writing this to make a point. There is one guarantee in life. We will all fail at something, whether it is at school, in our relationships, at our jobs, in our journey as parents, or in improving our health. Or we will become the brunt of another person's failure. I am sure we can all remember some incidence in which we suffered the consequences of another person's screw up. Yet, in spite of the assurance of failure, we live in a world that tries to push failure...

My friend Ephphatha Michelle at Lost in the Prairies...Found by God  asked women to post their answers to her personal survey in her post entitled Caffeinated Randomness - Tag Your It!! Well, here goes... 1. Purses/shoes/chocolate - Which could you not live without on a desert island? Chocolate. I have a mild addiction to the various types and often crave a little goodness everyday despite the lack of it in the house. My favourite snack these days is Nature Valley's dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chewy granola bars. Mmmmmm. 2. What is one habit you do that you've done since you were a child? (ie. bite nails, etc..) I do have a few habits, but I am too embarrassed to admit them on the world wide web. Sorry! 3. If money was no object, where would you go and what would you do? I would tour the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. And I would eat a lot of GREAT food and sample some fine wine. I would revel in viewing God's spectacular nature and human...