Living not striving…

The Olympics have lots of cool and unusual sports.  Always seem to surprise me.  Badminton, white-water rafting, beach volleyball…

I asked Mark if he thought they might acknowledge diaper changing, toddler-wrestling, car seat installing, putting two year olds in a car seat while throwing a tantrum or force-feeding 4 year olds as olympic events.

If they are I am excited because I am pretty sure I could medal.  I did wrestle a 4 year old into an infant car seat recently.  Long story…. but mighty good exercise:) lol

Today was my birthday

It has been an amazing day!  I was served donuts and coffee in bed and a wonderful lunch with my boys.  Then I had three hours on the beach by myself!!!  So many wonderful friends and family called, texted and emailed me to say happy birthday.  That along with the way my precious husband just was so sweet and thoughtful today, I feel extravagantly loved:)

It is amazing the things you can process when you have space and quiet to think:)  I had an interesting adventure though during my blissful time in the sun.  A sweet little 5 year old boy named Isaiah came up to me and said, “Do you know where my mommy is?”

Oh my goodness!!!! I took his little hand and we went and found a lifeguard.  Poor little guy was very lost and scared and confused.  He had a hard time answering our questions.  Especially as a crowd gathered when people figured out he was lost.

I normally would have had buckets and snacks but since my boys weren’t with me I was no good at providing distractions.  I tried to chat with him and assure him he would be back with his mommy soon, while the lifeguard talked on her walkie-talkie trying to figure out if his mom was looking for him.  I did talk him into sitting down with me in the sand.  Well the sweet little thing fell asleep sitting up.  Someone brought a towel to lay him down on and someone else brought him a water.  After about half an hour another lifeguard identified his momma at another hotel 1 mile down the beach in the opposite direction from where he came.

I have no idea how long little Isaiah wandered down the beach.  After 45 minutes I handed him over to the beach police to take him down to his mommy.  He was so sweet and so scared.  People stopped me as I walked back to my chair asking if they found his mom.  They said they had seen him wandering up and down the beach.  How cool and honored I feel that for whatever reason he felt comfortable enough to come up to me and stop and ask me for help.

As I drove home thinking over the experience I reasoned how this is truly what I hope my life will be.  Helping people find their parent, their Heavenly Father.  I want to help people that have lost their way find their way home.  I so hope that I live life in a way that anyone will feel comfortable asking me the way home.  And shame on me if someone ever feels like they can’t ask me.

I am nothing special but I hope in my life and also in my involvement with Newspring Florence….. we help many, many, many people find their way home:)