This Life...

I've spent the majority of my morning in the kitchen. You see, my best friend from high school is in the area visiting for a few days & is coming here tonight for dinner. When she's back from sunny Arizona, we try to see her as much as possible but it's hard since there are many other people who are vying for her time as well. When she said that she & Brett would be here for supper, I asked her what she would prefer to eat...grill food or homestyle/comfort food. Not at all surprising to me, she chose comfort food...chicken & noodles with corn! :) So all morning I have been busy making pies, mixing up noodles, baking a chicken & preparing for their arrival. Doesn't seem like a big deal other than MaKayla chose lemon pie for dessert & I decided to take it on myself to make a homemade, from-scratch lemon pie. We had lemons left from MaKayla's graduation Saturday (a post will be coming on that when I can collect my thoughts enough to share) so I juiced them, zested them & gathered all my ingredients for the recipe I was using. I decided to make my meringue first so it would be done & ready to top the hot filling. As I gathered my eggs from the fridge, I quickly remembered that I NO LONGER have an electric mixer (one of those simplification things when my last mixer quit on me & I chose not to buy another one). Hmmm... I have learned how to beat eggs for Kyle's infamous waffles & I got by without it when mixing the homemade buttercream frosting from last weekend's cupcakes, but meringue... Seemed quite daunting... Especially after the first batch failed. But as I gathered the ingredients to try again, I said, "Lord, if the women of old could accomplish this task without an electric mixer, I know You can give me the strength & knowledge to do it as well." It was just the motivation I needed. I whipped, beat, stirred, whipped & beat some more while MaKayla gradually added the sugar I needed & FINALLY it reached the desired consistency. Amazing... Thank you, Lord! :)

As I continued working on this evening's meal, the Holy Spirit really began speaking to my heart. MaKayla was quietly helping me in the kitchen while Mal bathed and a serene instrumental played softly on my kitchen stereo.

 Simple... Isn't that how life is supposed to be? It reminded me of an article I read last night out of MaKayla's most recent KBR magazine on homemaking that echoed my sentiments exactly. I'm a homemaker & I love it. I love the simplicity of it. I love teaching & training our girls. I love taking on challenges & trying to accomplish the impossible. I love being home & doing life. I love being present when Kyle arrives after a long day of work. I love lying under shade trees with MaKayla & Mal studying God's Word together. I love creating a "comfort meal" for a precious friend who rarely gets "comfort meals". :) I love washing clothes, doing dishes, folding laundry, being still, learning healthy eating, taking on tasks that seem daunting. I love doing these things because this is what God has called me to. MaKayla asked me the other night during a discussion we were having if I wished I had a "different life"...  A life filled with money, possessions, status, name brand clothing, fancy cars, upscale living... I've thought alot about that question since she asked it & even after giving it much contemplation/analyzation, my answer remains the same as it was the night she asked it, "No, I would never choose such a life over the life I have been given. I would never choose that over this. I love my life. I love my Jesus. I love my man. I love my girls. I. Love. Life."

So with flour covering me (and the floor), potatoes peeled & waiting to be boiled, two pies done, chicken baking, laundry beckoning to be folded, sheets on the clothesline & bread to be baked, the Holy Spirit reminds me that this is what I am here for. This is what I am called to do. These are the things that matter. This life is what I was created for. I'm not here to let our girls fend for their own. I am not here to have a husband come home to an empty house. I am not here to work outside the home so that MaKayla & Mal can have designer clothes, the newest cell phone & a fancy car. I'm not here so that they can run circles with friends & do all the "extras" in life. I'm here to teach them. To nurture them. To train them. To love them. To create a legacy for them. To help them understand better of Jesus. I'm here to welcome Kyle home. To listen about his day. To encourage his heart. To be his helpmeet. To love him with EVERYTHING I am. To be near.

The life we live is simple...
The life we live is precious...

This life is my life & I am so unexplainably grateful today... ♥