Life's Meaning

I've been off for several days at a Tire Convention with my husband. What these occasions mean for me is:

* Getting to go to cool places - this year it was New Orleans!

*Staying in fancy hotels

The view from our balcony

*Entering into my husband's world by going to workshops with him

*Hanging out in our room alone with lots of time to read, think, redo my blog, sleep, worry wonder about how my children are doing....

*Spending amazing amounts of time alone with my favorite man

*Eating food I did not prepare

*Staying in a room
I did not have to clean

*Observing a world completely different from my own

A world of well dressed business people who consider wine, fancy dining and loud music a good time, is a little mind blowing

It's pretty amazing.

Every single time we get to do this, I have this huge struggle with trusting my husband that it's okay to leave home and enjoy such luxury. I'm not even going to go there. I can imagine that every mom reading this completely understands the struggle I'm referring to. I think maybe this year I learned a few things but it's something that always threatens to ruin the lovely time long before the day comes to leave home. 

There's a lot rolling around in my mind and I'm not quite sure how to say it. I think mothers everywhere understand me when I say that so many, many days we would love to get away from it all. The dailyness of life wears us down --the countless jobs we do over and over, the constant demands on our time and emotions, the selfless giving that is necessary to be a good wife and mother.

I love being a wife and mother, don't get me wrong; I'm sure you do too. But it's exhausting. It never ends and we're always thinking about what we need to do next, and taking care of everyone else's needs besides our own. Getting away from it all often sounds very, very enticing.

Well, I've been there, away from it all.

It was great. I was able to lay down my fears and worries and mistrust and enjoy the time, I really did.

Riding the glass elevator to the 27th floor

Chris and I talked and laughed and shared an intimacy and oneness that often gets lost in the daily grind of life. We relaxed and enjoyed people watching....

These two gentlemen on bikes, who were shopping at Dollar General had to win the

 'Most Entertaining' prize!

 ....and the loveliness of nature....

....and observing a different culture.

The convention coincided with Louisiana's Mardi Gras festival which was quite interesting

We even took the chance to stop on the way and visit friends we hadn't seen for years and years. It was amazing.

But you know what? Several days in, I discovered something. I was done now. You know why? My life didn't have much meaning when I was away from it all. 

God created me to fill a certain spot in this world. That spot includes endless meals to be cooked, dishes to be washed, floors to be scrubbed, laundry to be done, squabbles to be settled, tummy aches to be soothed, stories to be read, hugs to be given, tears to be wiped, lessons to be taught, truth to be modeled. Filling that spot is what brings meaning and fulfillment to my life.

In the middle of it all, it's easy to lose perspective. Being a mom is just what I do - the floors have to be swept, school lunches have to be packed, children have to be instructed and clothed and fed and loved. I forget that I am created especially for this niche, that this is where I belong; where I thrive and grow and make a difference. 

Sometimes getting what entices us makes us realize how much we appreciate what we have.

I was intruiged by the Spanish moss...

Since I am not only a mother but also a wife, I think time spent with my husband is invaluable. It is important that I place high importance on our relationship. If you and your husband get a chance to get away, by all means do it! Stop worrying about your children and all your responsibilities and what people might think.

...and the racaus, rowdy Mardi Gras parade

You don't need company paid trips and exotic destinations. You don't have to have several days; even an afternoon is great. And, maybe you don't need to get away at all. But please, do realize that you were specially created for the niche where God has you and that those daily, never ending responsibilities and demands are what really brings meaning and purpose to your life.

Go out and straighten your shoulders. Take a deep breath and find joy in the spot where God has placed you!