DECLUTTERING

Anyone who knows me, knows I am always trying to get rid of things and

declutter.

It is a constant battle in a house with 6 children under the age of eight!

I try, but never seem to get rid of enough.

Well, today, I have an eye opening conversation with my dear, sweet, smart

Marcus that I would like to share with you it taught us both 

something!

 

 

This little face became the opening of a deep conversation! Thank you Timothy!!

 

 

The conversation goes like this:

 Marcus: "Mommy, why is Timmy always so happy?"

 Me: "Well, it's like this, Timmy is happy because he doesn't have a lot of things to clutter his mind and take away from his happiness and joy. He was born into the world with NO clothing, but a family that loves him.  He doesn't have very many things, and so he doesn't realize the "want/need" for more."

 Marcus: "Oh, I see. Well, he really is happy!"

Marcus with his little brother Timothy, he doesn't know the impact a smile will have!

Me: "Yes, son, he is, and we can be too...we can declutter and get rid of things in order to take our minds off all the things that need to be done or of the things we think we want or need.  We can declutter our house and our mind and be happy!"

 brief silence

Me:  "I have an example I want to share with you Marcus."

Marcus: "Okay." sits and listens again

Me:  "I really was hoping to get a Kindle to get some books downloaded for school and religious reading, BUT, because we have need to keep food on the table, clothes on our backs, heat in the house (top priority) and we need a new vehicle (top priority as well), it isn't possible for mommy to get a Kindle right now, maybe down the road it will happen, (I was looking at the Staples ad last night just to get an idea of the price.) but I really don't care. I don't care because it may make me happy for a short time, but I know in the long run, it will not be the thing that makes me happy. It is another "something" that will take up space, and in the end, I can't take it with me, so does it really matter if I have a Kindle or not? The same goes for you children, more things won't make you happy in the end, only your love for God will do that."

 Marcus: "I see, I guess you are right."

 

As the conversation ended, I finished changing Timmy's diaper, snapped his outfit back up to keep him warm, Marcus went off to get ready to eat breakfast.

 

Next thing I do is check my email.  In it was a message from a very special person, asking if I have need for a Kindle.  

Mind you, I NEVER SAID A WORD TO THIS PERSON about wishing I had one for school purposes.

 

I truly believe that the Holy Spirit had everything to do with all that transpired today from the talk with Marcus down to the email I received.

 

I will be saying some extra prayers for my benefactor throughout the day and evening.

 

  I called my husband and told him what happened and he agreed that it was intervention by God and/or the Holy Ghost. And we are being blessed in this

matter.

I hope one day you have the benefit of knowing the Spirit the way It has come to me today.  

Thank you Lord for sending such caring people into our lives, and thank you for knowing what our needs are without really saying anything to anyone.

May you all experience a declutter of heart, head and home and be more open to the gifts that God has in store for you!

God bless!

Gearing up!

We have been toying with going to March for Life ever since Marcus was a little guy.

Every year we found a reason to not go, the youngest is too little, it is too cold,

to long of a ride, someone is sick...

Well, this is THE year.

We are going, I don't care how little the youngest is, I don't care how cold it is,

I don't care how long the ride is, and I don't really care if someone is sick

(okay, maybe that one is a bit extreme, but you get my point)

WE ARE GOING, 

so 

Washington DC, get ready,

 the Smith clan is coming!

We will be leaving Pottsville at about 7:15 a.m on a bus trip that is being sponsored by 

St. Joseph/St. Vincent Churches in Girardville.

Marcus and Luke have gotten to ride on an STS bus with their nana once, but that is the extent of bus

rides for them. The children have never been on a Metro, but have ridden on trains. They are looking forward to both experiences.

I just pray that they all are good for the ride, and well, if not, it is the way life goes.

Some of the children have their opinions on this for example,

Thomas says we are going to "March from Life"

Luke says that we are walking for babies,

Marcus says it will be interesting.

 I already know I am going to be proud of our children at this event. I am thankful that we have this opportunity to walk for the unborn children.

Once we started having more children, we keep telling them that:

"A person is a person, no matter how small."

-Dr. Seuss

If our presence there changes the mind of even one person, then it is all worth it.

Life begins at conception, there is NO doubt in my mind,

I am strong in my faith and believe that all pregnancies happen for a reason.

Everyone of them is a person being formed for survival in the world as we know it here, but even

more so that person is being made ready to spend eternity in Heaven with our Creator.

Without Him, nothing is possible.

He knows what is best for us all every moment of every day of our life.

We must not get into the mind frame of, abortion is okay in certain circumstances...that is false.

How can you even think of KILLING another person, let alone an unborn CHILD?!?

Respect Life, Respect God, Chose Life and Chose God.

The ultrasound pictures here show Timothy in utero during the 3-D ultrasound, you will notice he is sucking his thumb, sticking his tongue out and his eye is open...

what more can you say, but it is a baby, that is a PERSON!

open eye.

sucking the thumb

sticking out the tongue.

Psalm 139:13-14

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

God bless you!

Control

We all feel the need to be in "control" of all aspects of our lives.  

It is NOT possible. 

We cannot control the weather, we cannot control the price of gas, food, or oil.

We cannot control when our time is up in this world.

Isaiah 45:7 

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].

So, what can we control?
We can control how we respond to the weather, the prices of gas, food and oil.

We can control how we feel when someone hurts us,

We can control our emotions, words, actions and reactions to situations.

We see children that are out of control in the grocery store sometimes, in the school yard,

at the playground or just about anywhere there are children.  

We need to realize that these children are not in control, and it is not always their fault, depending on

the age of the child. Children are taught by their parents, elders, and others that they spend time with throughout the day, week, month, etc.  Unfortunately, some parents/guardians are out of control even though they think they are in control, or maybe they don't want to be in control.

Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We need to be able to show our young ones that even though we are NOT in control that there is a proper way to act/react/respond to situations we may not like.

As adults, we also need to teach our children that there is only one that is in TOTAL control....

GOD.

He knows everything, sees everything, understands everything, and knows the outcome of today, tomorrow,

even next year. 

 Psalm 147:5

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

He knows our hurts, our concerns, our worries and fears.  We need to teach our children how to lean on Him when things seem to be spiraling out of control.  

We may not get an immediate answer or immediate help, but knowing that our Lord cares for us is a blessing

in and of itself.  We all need to lean on God a little more and stop trying to be in control of everything, every minute of the day.  

Even though He allows these hurts, concerns, worries and fears, He already knows about them and is waiting to hear us ask for help.  We need to have total trust in God's plan for us and teach our children the same. 

Revelation 2:10: 

 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

We need to accept the fact that we are not in control, and

leave that to God!

 

SILENCE

You may be thinking, "Silence?!?  How/when does that household have silence?!?"

Well, I'll tell you when we have silence:

1) when the children are snug in their beds

2) when the children are playing nicely in their room or living room

(yes, it does happen!)

and

3) in the early hours of the morning

As the children in quiet mode, there are things I contemplate...as they sleep, I thank God for how busy they

were during the day, how healthy they are and what joy each one brings us. 

When the children are doing school, playing with their toys and games, or drawing and creating, I see the world through their eyes...the intensity with which they work/listen show they really are interested in what their current task happens to be.

During the early morning, before every one wakes up, I go downstairs, start a fresh pot of coffee and make my husbands lunch, thankful that I can provide a meal/snack to nourish him physically throughout the day.

Then when that is done, I have a few moments to just sit and let my heart open for the Lord to hear or

see what I may not be able to put into "proper" prayer.

The quiet of the evening and morning have become a very reflective time for me.  I am thankful that I have my Thursday evening Holy Hour to be with the Lord and give all my problems/concerns/thanksgiving to Him 

 

with no distractions of the little ones needing help, 

HOWEVER, I know that I can go to Him

even in the busiest moments of our day and offer up a quick pray and He will hear it.

So, you see, no matter how many children we have, no matter how busy our lives are,

you can always find time to have some silence in your life as I have in mine!

My prayer for you today is to find time to sit and 

listen to your heart, or let the Lord listen to 

what is on your heart.

and.....

EMBRACE THE SILENCE!

Stay at Home Mamma

Let me introduce myself to you and give you a bit of my information.

I'm a stay at home mother of 6 children, ages 22 to 1 1/2 years old, 5 boys and 1 girl. Husband is the bread winner naturally, and I'm proud that he is a man that is so stable and good to our family.  We are homeschooling 3 children, one in 2nd grade (Doodlebug), one in Kindergarten (Monkeyman) and doing a bit of preschool with another (Pooh Bear). The two youngest (Tootlehead and Princess) are not school age yet, but certainly do try. We attend a MOMS group and 2 library programs as well as AWANA and many other fun things. The eldest (Mr.Fixit) is attending school for HVAC and works part time.

So, a window was opened for me to try something new. Don't really know how well this will go or if I'll even continue, but we will see.

Some days run smoothly, other days not so, but it is all part of being a mom, the calling God has given me!

I am hoping you will follow me on our crazy journey, maybe learn some new things, or be inspired!

God bless!

Marie