Listening for the music

Part of why I love fall so much is the opportunity to slow down and cozy in. This summer we spent hiking, visiting parks, spray parks, the zoo, and lots of play dates. Summer break for school kids goes so fast, that we try and cram in all the fun with our friends we can before they head back.  At one point, even my social preschooler asked why we were going everywhere all the time (but when asked, she admitted she didn't really want to stay home).  When you think about it, it's only about eight-ish weeks of play-dates.

Jokingly I started saying that my mission this summer was to introduce everyone to nature. :-)  We visited the Arboretum with three different groups of friends along with our own visits just as a family. We also introduced friends to the love of nature hikes. This coming week marks the end of our summer shenanigans as all of our friends are heading back to the regular school rhythms of fall. Which is fine with me as our family is also preparing for a big life change (more news to come in future blog posts).

Often in the busyness of life, the noise hinders us from hearing the music. I know today it's been hard to hear it as my kiddos fight, tempers flare, and babies don't nap. It's hard to remember our purpose, and our "why" for our decisions when the noise fills our ears. But it's still there if we stop and listen closely.

One night as I was cooking dinner, my daughter started dancing and said "When you cook, it makes me bang my feet! It makes a song when you bang it." (mixing up the food)  It made me chuckle, and it made me think.  The music is in the ordinary life. The dramatic notes on high or low days are not what carry the beat, it's the everyday tasks and day in/day out caring for other people. 

Some days I feel my song is lost and I don't remember the words. Some days I just try to make it through the day with everyone safe and the house in order...ish. But when I see my daughter get up early and come down to sit by her daddy on the couch....both of them reading their Bibles side-by-side....my ears catch the notes of my song again. This....this is why we do what we do. The tough choices, the careful spending, the research, the long conversations and prayer over the littles, and the crawling in bed exhausted each night (and sometimes crawling back out at 3 am to feed the baby, then crawling back in again). 

When I see the love for each other in my kids' eyes, when I hear them sing all the songs and verses we've learned together, when they sit and read books quietly.....my song comes back to me. 

What's your why? Do you hear your music playing above the noise of life? Society will try to drag you into so many rabbit trails and mazes to make your head spin and you lose sight of who you are. 

In Max Lucado's book The Song of the King, three knights set out through the forest to reach the castle and win the princess's hand in marriage. Each day the King would play a song on his flute to help them know the way to the castle.  However, creatures of the forest also played flute songs and imitated the Kings's song in an effort to throw the knights off course. Who won the competition? (spoiler alert)  Was it the strongest or bravest?   No, it was the one who asked the King's son to journey with him, so he could memorize the King's song and follow those notes despite all the imitation music that tried to deceive him. 

Let's remember our why, keep our ears in tune with our song, and refuse to let the noise and busyness of life drag us off course. 

Sojourning with you, 

Felicia