I am always stressing about my kids...

There are so many things that can go wrong...

So a while ago, before my Mom passed away, I asked her how did she do it.  How did she manage to raise four children and we all turned out decent.  (Not meaning to toot my own horn.)  I mean none of spent time in jail, or flunked out of school, or ended up with serious drug addictions, or really experienced any number of troubles that a lot of kids faced.  I really thought her response would be something along the lines of commenting on how blessed we were, referring really to just random luck or something.

Instead she looked right at me, and almost resentfully admitted, "ON MY KNEES!!!  THAT's HOW I DID IT!!!!"   At first I didn't realize what she meant.  But now as a Mom I am beginning to realize the real need to lift my children in prayer.  Offering them to GOD as HIS, and asking him to continually lead them towards him!  

So I better get busy, after all there are five of them to pray for!!!

I asked God to make me a runner and he has....

Okay I am crazy I know....

I am 37 years old, and had never run a mile in my entire life!!!  I just never had the motivation, or the strength, or the DESIRE.   But something happened in my marriage a year ago that made me really want to become a runner. Both for the health benefits, and just to be able say, "I RUN."  

SO i looked up the couch to 5K program and started working at it.  Then one day I just kept running. I ran around the block and made it to 1 mile!  Instead of stopping though I felt I could keep going.  It was awful! I was in so much pain, but I was PRAYING, to keep going!

Then it happened. I started imagining Mary, yes Mary, the mother of God, running with me! Not wearing her normal long thing. (Whatever that wrapped cloth outfit is called with the veil and everything.) But in work out clothes!  She looked good too!  And she and I ran another mile together.  IT was amazing.  I finished the second mile still feeling good, and just raised my arms right there in the middle of the street, and started praising God for the strength to run two consecutive miles.  

With God all things really are possible!!!  For real! Like no joke.

God Moments Number 1

So I have had so many of these moments, and I really need a place to log them all for my own sake.  So that I can remember that GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!  At least that was what the last God Moment I had reminded me.  

I was sitting in Mass with my five children.  I have taken them often to mass by myself, and although not easy it is not usually that bad.  But this occasion was exceptionally challenging.  And it was mostly my fault.  

The baby was sleeping in her car seat at my feet for the first few minutes.  My four and six year old kept kicking their feet close to the cars seat and I was gradually flipping out that they were going to wake her.  First I gently reprimanded them not to do that. Then I slowly lost control.  Next squeezing their sweet little legs as tight as I could while sternly looking to warn them a second time that this was unacceptable.  The third time I had to tell them to stop, I tried to discretely duck behind the pew to give them my best hushed reprimand.  Finally I decided to move the sleeping baby's car seat out of reach of them, and guess what....   Yep. She woke up.  UGH!!!!!!! 

It all was down hill from there. I was trying to be a good example to my children by focusing on the Mass and keeping a prayerful posture.  However I was also nursing the now awake baby, coaxing the four year old to keep her dress down and not flash the entire pew her underwear, AND keep the 6 and 8 year old from either laughing out loud or fighting.  I finally lost it. I wanted to scream out loud, but instead I started quietly yelling at God in my head.

"YOUR THE ONE WHO GAVE ME THESE FIVE CHILDREN, AND YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD HELP ME, WHY ARE YOU NOT HELPING ME?!?!?!??!"  Within seconds of me praying this prayer of desperation, a woman two rows behind me comes forward and whispers to me, "Can I help you?"  

WOW! That was fast.  I hate accepting help from other people, but it was so clearly God answering my prayer, that I couldn't refuse.  She looked at my four year old, and invited her to sit with her the rest of the mass, to which she surprisingly agreed.  I was stunned.   

I asked for help and HE put it on one of my friends hearts to offer.  How else did I expect God to help me? Was he going to miraculously change my children right then? Of course not.  But he used my friend to help me, and not only did I feel amazing after that, I think she felt great too.

THANK YOU GOD!