"Quiet Time" for Mothers

I'm participating in a six week spiritual foundations study through our church. Day 2 encourages us to pick a 30 minute block of time for Quiet Time each day.

Quiet Time, or rather, my lack of one -- or at least one meeting the ideal criteria -- has frequently been a source of guilt in my life.

Before Pookaloo came along, I wasn't the most faithful keeper of a quiet time, but I did read Scripture regularly, participated in Bible studies and mostly kept up with any assigned homework. I'd use prayer journals. My spiritual practice was eclectic, and intermittent, but regular in the sense that I kept going back to it even if I'd miss days here and there.

Since she came along, my pattern has changed again. I so rarely have time alone or time that is just for me that I've felt as though a set aside time with God is impossible. Reading this blog post, however, makes me realize that I'm still practicing God's presence in my eclectic, intermittent way, and that there are ways to enrich and deepen that even though it seems impossible to find 30 minutes of "uninterrupted" time.

Truly freeing and encouraging to me to read this today. Even the comments were helpful, since it let me know that I'm certainly not alone in this!

Sticking with Gentle Discipline

I found this blog post by DrMomma, where she addresses potential obstacles to sticking with gentle discpline and strategies to overcome those obstacles, extremely encouraging.

I really liked this quote especially:

It is a continuum, and children can benefit from each and every movement toward the gentler, more compassionate side, and away from the punitive, confrontational side.

Wounded by Shame, Healed by Grace

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the role that Shame plays in my life. My difficulty expressing emotions, my perfectionism/procrastination, etc. I took the shame assessment at Wounded by Shame, Healed by Grace. I took it thinking about how I was in college before any real healing took place in my heart, and scored a 22. A score of 15 is enough to mean that there is a significant problem with Shame in one's life.

Although healing has taken place (if I take it thinking about how I actually am today, I score a 15), and is still ongoing, I want to focus on this issue more. It's more pressing now that I am raising Pookaloo. The last thing I want to do is perpetuate this in her life. She will learn how to treat herself not only from the way I treat her but also from the way she sees me treat myself.

"I'm having a hard time"

I had the courage to speak those words tonight after Bible study, and vent some frustrations I've been having with motherhood.

One said she would watch Pookaloo for a few hours a week for me, for FREE, to give me a break or some uninterrupted work time.

God's grace and goodness in action, folks!

On the way home, I started to sing Trading My Sorrows. What I love about that song is that it doesn't discount that the reality depth or size of the sorrows, pain, sickness, shame, pressing circumstances, persecution and things that strike us down ... no, they are real and sometimes feel overwhelming, but we are TRADING them for joy, and therefore we won't be crushed, we are never abandoned and won't be destroyed by them. A choice for hope in the midst of adversity. A choice to share my heart tonight led to emotional support and practical help, and I won't be too proud to take it!