Control Relinquished

Back by popular demand! Several readers referenced this post I wrote last year, so I wanted to re-post for all you mommas that are sending off your precious ones to school this week! This exact picture hung in the hallway of my parents' home when I was a child. I often found myself staring at it, thinking. One time, I remember my mom asking which of the sheep we see ourselves as. One of my sisters quickly responded that she was the lamb being held by Jesus.That was okay. I already knew which one I wanted to be. The black one. The different one. The one  following  Him. Yeah, profound thoughts for a young elementary student. But I was already realizing the cost of following the path less traveled. I already felt the call to  be  different.  Monday begins a new era in my role of motherhood. It is the first time my daughter will spend more of her waking hours with someone else, somewhere else. Hello, 1st grade. It has been a reflective week for me, wonderin

I recently came across this picture on Pinterest and I CANNOT stop thinking about it. It certainly is a picture worth a thousand words. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I'm probably most like the women in the third row. How boring, how sad, how serious, how lifeless.  I certainly have my fun and goofy moments, but reflecting on this photo has deepened a craving within me to laugh more, lose myself in memorable moments, and truly love life. I want to live like those women in the first row! Recently, I was almost in an accident. By almost I mean: brakes squealing, me screaming, and having to veer off the highway. In that moment of terror, I was reminded how fragile life is and how often I take it for granted. How I often just assume that I will be here tomorrow. The devotion on August 13 in "Jesus Calling" really resonated with me. "Learn to enjoy life more. Relax, remembering that I am God with you . I crafted you with enormous capa