Tonight I put my hair in a ponytail using a laffy-taffy wrapper. I live in Oklahoma. Where the wind comes sweeping down the flippin’ plains and brings leaves that hit you in the face but feel more like rocks. After a very long April of 2-3 soccer games a week, we have finally arrived at the last week! Today Everly told me she hated sports (because she has to wear tennis shoes). Go figure.
She runs over asks for my ponytail holder so I take it off and let my now longish hair blow all over the place. After I get sick of it and can’t find anything to pull it back with…aha! They sell laffy-taffies (taffys taffies…is that supposed to be spelled plurally…is plurally a word?) I eat the pink taffy goodness while reminding myself I need to stop eating junk, but it’s for a good cause. I twist the wrapper and have Kyle tie it in my hair. Wah-lah! Ponytail!
“Maybe no one will see it,” he says.
Oh I didn’t know I was an embarrassment to you, Kyle Fuller. Kidding of course as I realize I just fixed my hair with trash.
How many times have I said…
Don’t judge my house! Don’t look at my van (as stuff falls out of it when I let me kid out at school)! If you come over there will be dishes in my sink, laundry on my couch, and toys on my floor. And guess what…if you come the next day, it will still be there then too. Well different dishes, different laundry (maybe…or just more), and different toys.
I have friends that say mine looks just like that; however, when I show up at their house unexpectedly (on multiple occasions) it doesn’t look just like that. It looks like they have their life together. I have friends who come over, sit on the floor in the midst of the toys and laundry and never blink an eye. I also have friends who come over and start scrubbing my stove top. I appreciate all of them.
I have literally written half a blog about my dirty house. That is dumb. I am 7 weeks away from being done with my doctoral coursework! You better believe that once I finish those last finals I will gladly fold laundry at night, do the dishes, and pick up toys (for at least a few days) knowing that I have new-found freedom. Woop woop!
I did homework while timing contractions. I wrote papers while nursing a baby. I took a test while administering a suppository (to a baby…not myself. Okay, too much?). I wrote weekly 20 page papers in the hours of 9PM to 3AM. And I know you could go through tons and tons of the things you’ve done that reminds you of just how capable you are and that despite the messy house, the dishes in the sink, the tantrums, the back-talking, the complete craziness… you’ve got this too!
Maybe you know Jesus. Maybe you don’t. I don’t know. But this week I went to Subway and in one of those moments where I though about unraveling because I just couldn’t handle the heavy load I’ve been lugging around, I read the notecard on the back of the cash register:
For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)
Don’t panic, He is right here to help me. He has a solid grip on my hand and He is not letting go. Remember what you’ve come through, remember where you’re going, and keep those eyes fixed on the one who holds it all together. Maybe today you fixed your hair with a piece of trash. Maybe your tire blew out, your dog ate your kid’s shinguards an hour before her soccer game, and you ran out of milk. Hang in there. You are so very loved!
Okay…now to go start that next paper!
Bye friends!
Hey Brooke Fuller 