great verse

So, I've had a few bible verses on our fridge for a while now; it really helps me focus and since a "mom" opens and closes the fridge door no fewer than five hundred times a day, it's a great place to put stuff I want to be mindful of.

Anyway, the verse is Ecclesiastes 4:6 --

"Yet a very little food eaten in peace is better than twice as much earned from overwork and chasing the wind."

I think there are lots of ways you can apply it to your life and situation -- "workaholics" perhaps, people being way too busy with unimportant things and thus, disconnected from intimacy with family and friends, moms who keep the calendar far too packed (I'd fit in this category, for sure).

For me, I think I'm genetically predisposed to want to "GO, GO, GO!" -- never waste a moment's time. And while you can certainly be very productive living that way, I think it's easy to find yourself being productive in ways that don't necessarily improve the quality of your life, so to speak. I want to spend my time growing closer to my husband and kids, learning ways to be a better parent, laughing with my girlfriends.

Business keeping a house constantly cleaned doesn't help me achieve that, enrolling my kids in five sports at one time (we're not there yet, but I know the time is near when that feels like what we should be doing) certainly won't allow for family dinnertime eating together, or having a spouse who works long hours and travels frequently (and we know I'm not talking about "government" workers - i.e. my husband ;-) could certainly strain a marriage I'm guessing.

I don't really "do" new year's resolutions, but I am keeping conscious of this verse; acting on it will be my "resolution". I certainly hope I can be more successful living this way than I have been with past years' resolutions. :-)

One of the greatest things about being a stay at home mom is that I don't have to be on anyone's time table. My kids and I can spend entire mornings in our pajamas if we want to, lunch dishes CAN be piled on top of the breakfast dishes -- the house won't spontaneously explode as if saying, 'how dare you!' --and Jack and Lucy can get out every toy they own and play with them all day before we put them away. (Because, seriously, cleaning up toys when the kids are napping, just so they can pull them out when they wake up, must be the #1 way to WASTE YOUR TIME. ;-)

I especially need to focus on the first six words of the verse, and that would do me well! ;-)