Mother Love

motherhood + home + family

BIRTHDAY HIJACKING

lapps-89 This post isn’t as tragic as the word hijack may sound, but I {the lucky man calling Alicia my wife} wanted to hijack Alicia’s blog today!

Today is Alicia’s birthday, and I’d like to take this one day to honor her for the incredible wife + Mama + woman of beauty that she is! I can’t help but to start thinking of all the things I’m grateful for about her when I talk about her. But this post isn’t a diary. I’ll spare you of all the mushy love-words 🙂

Today I want to honor her.

Honor can be a loaded word, but honor bestows worth + value. Immeasurable, priceless value. It’s worth that can’t be traded. It’s value on one person alone, and can’t be shared or replaced by any other.

You honor your parents for example, because they are parents yes…but their only your parents. No other 2 people can replace what they’ve given you!

You honor + celebrate those in your life that have changed you more than any other. And without a shadow of doubt, being married to Alicia has been just that. Life changing in every way! She loves being a wife, and a lifetime of marriage seems too short with her. She’s a dream come true, a prayer answered above and beyond all I ever asked for in a wife .

Back a few years when I felt like God was leading me to pursue a relationship + life with Alicia, He woke me up at 2am, 2 days before I asked her out, to show me these verses I believed He was speaking over our lives. Jeremiah 32:38-42 ”…They shall be My people, and I will be their God, then I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever, for the good of them and of their children after them…” I believed that these verses were specifically for our relationship, and this is a promise we still hold dearly.

Although I still feel like it’s a life-long journey learning about and discovering the depths of what oneness means, I believe being oneness of heart means complete vulnerability. And vulnerability is absolutely vital for relationship + life.

Alicia’s vulnerability of heart with me is something that has impacted me tremendously. Although I’m her husband and that could be a ‘given’ in our relationship, she’s done that with so many others too.

She’s been one to hijack the enemies plans to steal, kill, and destroy in the lives of many. I’m so proud of her for that! Vulnerably speaking about deep things that are going on in her heart, to expose the darkness and shine the light in. Leading many others to follow that light, and be inspired to believe in the freedom that Jesus died to give us.

She’s tenacious about justice, about freedom from oppression. About bestowing value on others. She loves to cook and bake, and she’s taken many meals to the homeless here in Nashville just to love on them. But it’s not an ‘ordinary’ treat. It’s some fancy pumpkin muffin, or some other peculiar treat! 🙂 Her love for good food, and for valuing people is incredible!

She’s one to see through the problem or symptoms, and see beyond people’s choices to what affected them in the first place. We all have our story, and she doesn’t discredit anyone because of theirs.

She LOVES being a mama. And it wrecks me in every good way watching her be just that! From figuring out creative ways to make healthy baby food, to homemade baby toys, to just spending time with Ayla and loving on her. She’s with her all day, pretty much every day, and has never once complained about it!

She makes a house feel like a home, and loves to host people. I love watching her come alive with creative outlets making the meals amazing as part of that! …and of course eating the num-nums 🙂

Wife + Mama + Lover + Best Friend + Lover of People….Alicia Rose, you are one gem of a woman, and I love + honor you today!!

I think far too often we hold back words in ‘normal-every-day-life’ that we would freely lavish on someone if we knew we’d only have one last chance to bless someone. Words bring either life, or death. And I want to bless her with so much words of life, words of truth to be poured into her life…and I’d love for ya’ll to help participate in making this birthday memorable!

If Alicia has impacted you or inspired you in any way, please leave a comment below or on FB! and “bless the socks off her!!!” {..and more, but that’s only for me, hehe}

PS. I almost didn’t include that last parenthesis…but hey, I’m unashamedly her husband, I unashamedly love her, and unashamedly entered into a covenant to be one with her in body, soul, and spirit.

PPS. Ok, back to the topic at hand, please really do leave a comment to bless her!!! Thanks ya’ll!

A GOAL OF MINE:: BEING MINDFULLY PRESENT

IMG_4056 I recently started reading Hand’s Free Mama (Sarah’s recommend!), and you guys…it’s so good.

I’ve only made it through half of the book so far (its on sale for ninety nine cents for the ebook edition right now so snatch it up!), but I have been endlessly challenged, inspired, and motivated. The author describes how her life had become a series of to-do lists, emails, phone calls, appointments, committees, etc. etc. etc. The book and the “hands free” movement came from a moment of epiphany when she realized that she was missing some of the sweetest things in life by allowing her schedule and other distractions to dictate her life. She was missing small moments with her children, rich connection with her husband, and even time for rest and rejuvenation for herself by giving in to the demands of other things that were “good,” but just not the best. She learned to reset her priorities and carve out “hands free” time that was strictly for being with the ones she loved, free of distractions.

I wasn’t so much struck with the aspect of her busy-ness, because I honestly try to protect my life and schedule from becoming busy or overwhelming. I don’t thrive on busy-ness or a full schedule, and I do what I can to keep my life from becoming that, especially in this season of our family life. But what challenged and inspired me more than anything was the reminder of practicing mindfulness in being fully present with those around me.

I am a distracted human. In today’s world, there are a million things vying for my attention, and far too often I let the petty things of social media or internet browsing or texting and emailing pull me away from the ones that really matter. I never want my daughter to feel like she is hidden from my view because of the screen in front of my face. I never want my husband to feel like he is less important than the ones I’m connecting with online. I never want my to-do list to become more important than stooping down to kiss my child or taking a moment to just sit on the floor and watch her. I never want anything else to become more necessary to me than the thing that truly matters the most:: the ones I am with. I want to embrace being mindfully present, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

Here are a few quotes taken from the book that are just too good not to share::

  • “The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”
  • “At least three times a day take a moment and ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer.”
  • “I see you. You matter. I am watching you. When spoken and repeated every day, these messages begin to take up residence in a little one’s soul. He begins to believe his worth. She begins to carry these messages with her. He learns how to see others. She learns how to love herself and others…just from a few moments of pausing and seeing our kids.”

What about you: what are your thoughts about practicing mindfulness in being present with those around you? Do you find it easy to let distractions keep you from the things that are truly important? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

More to read::