Laugh, Learn, Love...and hear the Truth

I'm in a season of not getting everything or even close to everything done that I want to do in a day. I want to settle in, to create order and even beauty in our home. I so want to make the most of the moments I have, especially with my children, and I very often feel discouraged that I've wasted time or at least not maximized it.

The other afternoon while I was rocking Will, I was feeling overwhelmed and decided to think through what my most important priorities with the kids are. What are the things I want to be sure to do whether or not anything else gets done?

In thinking this through, I realized that it is important to me that I hear the laughter of my children every day. I want to tickle them, chase them or be silly with them so we can experience this type of joy. Sophie has one of the sweetest laughs I've ever heard. I've always prayed for her to have a child-like heart, and I can see that prayer being continually answered in her precious laugh. Will doesn't laugh as easily as Sophie does, and his laugh is already distinctly masculine, but because we have to work for it, it is all the more precious. (Sophie can make him laugh easier than

anyone)! Whether or not there have been tears in a given day, whether or not we are battling stress and tension, I want to hear my children laugh, and I want them to hear me laugh.

I also want my children to learn something every day. I am, by nature, a teacher, and I've prayed diligently that my children will be learners. Not that they get good grades or experience academic achievement, but that they are able to learn and love learning. I want them to love words, as both their dad and I do, and understand the power of words. I want them to love history and learn from the stories of the past. I want them to marvel at the complexity and order of God as they learn mathematical concepts. I want them to develop more of a passion for the created world than I have and to be as amazed by the human body as I am. Sophie already has a passion for books, and I am amazed by Will's ability to listen as I read to Sophie at teatime. I am so excited that I get to continue learning right along with Sophie and Will every day.

I also want my children to experience my love every day. Now I know I love them all the time, but I must be intentional to communicate that love in the language that they understand best. I'm not 100% sure about their "love languages" yet, but I do know that Sophie needs physical touch. She still loves cuddling and being held. I also know that she has a strong need for quality time. Teatime is one of her favorite activities of the day, and reading before bed is an important nighttime ritual. For Will,

expressing love still means meeting his basic needs, but also taking the time to get to know his preferences. He really enjoys playing with my face and me getting down in the floor to "play rough" with him. Singing to him and praying with him at night is my attempt to reassure him of my love and God's love before he goes to sleep.

So, "Laugh, Learn, Love" - a little too close to the "Live, Laugh, Love" signs that Tori and I love to make fun of, but still as a pastor's daughter, I love the alliteration. It isn't quite enough though. As my children grow up in our family, I want them to laugh everyday, learn everyday, and feel loved everyday, but I also want them to hear the Truth everyday. Whether it is through a devotion time, a cd playing in the background, my prayers for them filled with Scripture, or just a conversation we share, I want Sophie and Will to meet the Truth face to face each day they

spend in our home. I am not responsible for what they do with that Truth, but I am called to be sure they hear it. I pray that I will experience the "joy of hearing that my children are walking in the truth" one day.

So, boxes remain unpacked. The order that I crave still alludes me. Things-to-do lists are growing longer and not shorter. We have a long way to go in order to create a healthy family rhythm, but for now, I am focusing on the main things - that Sophie and Will will laugh, learn, feel loved, and hear the Truth.