Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Not Quite

I was thinking the other day about the Shel Silverstein poem called 'Almost Perfect... But Not Quite'. I'm not sure why it popped into my head, but living under the perfectionist cloud that I do, I often am frustrated by the almost, the things that should be better.  But today, I'm living in the 'not quites', shaking off the feeling that I should be doing more, and concentrating on being just who God has called me to be today.

My laundry is folded but not quite perfectly stacked... Because Halle wanted to get her own towel to wash her face and took one from the bottom of the pile.

Remy's bed is made, but his comforter isn't quite perfectly spread out because that's where Starbucks likes to burrow.

 

My table is almost cleared off, but not quite because we left the Slip n Slide box there when we decided to use it yesterday afternoon. There's also a stack of papers listing Remy's memory verses for T-Ball.

The play room is almost clean, but not quite because Polly Pocket and some of her Pet Shop friends were 'taking supplies to friends in Albania, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh'. (Remember, we're alphabetically making our way through praying around the world... so far we're at 'B'. You can read about the book we're using here.)

I realized today, that sitting in the not quites is exactly where I'm supposed to be... because the trade off, perfection in some areas, would mean there would be a gaping hole in others.  I'm speaking to myself here, but also to you, sweet lovelies, who read this and then email me asking how I do it all... I don't!! And please forgive me if I ever come across that way. I can do all things through Christ, which today also means leaving some things undone to be a mom. What are your not quites today? Do you realize that the trade-offs are so much more valuable?

2 comments:

  1. This is my first time reading your blog- I really enjoyed this post. :) <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mandy, I've thought lots about the idea that in some circles women are told that we can do anything - even though that's hardly true in the church! Even the Apostle Paul set an example in saying "I can do all things through Christ..." Does that really mean we can do everything? Certainly not all at the same time! Maybe it refers to the things that God has ordained for us to do. Hmmm...

    "...sitting in the not quites is exactly where I'm supposed to be..." This is a great line. Shows great wisdom.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear what you have to say~ Thanks for leaving your mark!