Listen. Do You Hear the Silence?

This week is our church's Kids Camp. Camp is a family affair in the Rocking Pony home. This year, it's just the two younger boys in camp as actual campers. Becky is a counselor, and Josh has been assigned to be Micah's personal aide. Sam and I are both helpers/hand lenders for the daily activities. See? Complete family involvement. And it's so much fun. That water slide picture on Monday was from camp. The slide is 200' down a hillside, complete with switchbacks. It's instant smiles and giggles.

But this year circumstances have conspired against me, and despite my deepest desires and intentions, I can't be there. I am home instead. Can I just say that after an incredibly busy summer it's rather nice to sit and relax a bit? And it's so very nice to clean the floors and still have them clean an hour later. It's also nice to not have the sink fill with dishes as the dishwasher is cleaning Round #1. And I am completely enjoying the fact that I don't have to clean up messes, pick up toys, do laundry every hour on the hour, wonder where Micah is yet again, escape outdoors to be able to hear a phone conversation, worry about the chaos I'll find if I sew, or even cook for the masses.

So this is what life is like without kids. The clean house is awesome. The quiet is restful. I don't feel overwhelmed with responsibility.

I miss my kids.

I haven't quite reached boredom yet but I can see it coming.

I am grateful for this week of thwarted plans and much needed rest to teach me that a clean house is very nice, but a busy home filled with kids and chaos is so much nicer.

Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.       Mark 6:31