As if I needed any confirmation that I needed to make more space in my life for God, myself, and my family, I came across Layla Grace's blog tonight: about a family losing their two year old to Stage 4 Neuroblastom. They will lose her soon.
I go upstairs and I watch my two year old's sweet cheeks squish around her eyes, just like mine do when I sleep. I smooth the growing-out bangs away from my big girl's face (an outrage she'd never let me perpetrate in daylight hours). I lift Lars from his perpendicular position on his bed, and re-cover him with his favorite blanket-that-was-Daddy's-once.
How is it possible that I have ignored their growing moments? What would I change if I knew there wouldn't be endless days of sibling battles, lunch preparation, and carpools?
Here's what I would change: I would be more present. I wouldn't turn away from their bubble-blowing triumphs, their Lego creations, their requests for WeedWe? [translated: Please Mommy will you read this to me?]
With this in mind, tonight's post is to say that I want to live with some more intent. With more awareness. With more....... focus. Tomorrow is the beginning of Lent, and what I'll be doing is offering some intentionality to my household: I'm giving up Facebook.
Woo hoo, the crowds say. Big deal, FACEBOOK. For the casual check-in-every-three-days-or-so Facebooker, this will make no sense. Surely, surely it must be trickier to give up dessert. Chocolate, at least.
But for me, Facebook is the thing that diminishes my focus, distracts me from my daily rhythms (to the point of being my daily rhythm!), and yes, sometimes even keeps me from writing a blog.
So in exchange for the absence of scintillating hourly updates from the Yellow House, what I can offer you is blog posts for Lent. Hopefully, they will be posts with some intentionality, some awareness, some focus. (They may, however, just be posts begging to know what's happened on Facebook.)
6 comments:
I know what you mean. When I step away from the computer and actually PLAY with my kids, instead of watching them over the top of the monitor (actually, this monitor is huge so it's to the side), everything is better.
I am better.
Oh - and my kids didn't watch tv today, either.
Can you still skype? ;)
Good for you. I will be looking for your blogs.
I gave it up too. This isn't going to be easy, but I'm sure I'll be amazed at how much more I'll get done :)
I tried giving up the internet (except for work) for a week. Before I got even half way in, I started doing just "quick" peeks on FB and blogs. But even then the spin-offs were startling, which makes it so pathetic that I lunged upon it like a starved dog on its vomit at the end of the week. Perhaps I should just tackle one area at a time, like you ... or I could just cheer you on from the sidelines??
Wow, good for you! I keep half-heartedly attempting to not be on my computer during the day. You're making me feel inspired to give it more of a go. Ha! We can all give up FB and then it wouldn't be so hard knowing that no one else is there. *hehe*
Same type of story from a colleague of mine - in a different way - they will be adopting a brand new baby in early March after the loss of five pregnancies - one of which was a five month old that was lost after being held in her arms within minutes of birth...How the world can bear much more heartache I am unsure - all I can say is come quickly Lord!!
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