Reclaiming Joy: A Series

Introduction

Family life and all that comes with it is a happy, busy, mess. There are
so many spinning plates: people to chase, chores to do, appointments to keep and a hundred little fires to put out throughout your day.

Throw in spiritual practice, work, self care, time for your relationships and any other projects and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Intention and attitude is everything while managing family dynamics, home making, school, errands and performing mundane tasks. If you’re not making a conscious effort to find joy in your daily life, it can be easily lost in endless responsibilities that can  feel like drudgery without it. 

I have been crushed by these weights before, of comparison, of
resentment, but I’ve learned to catch on early and pull myself out of the muck before I’m stuck! 2020 was a tough year for many, so I’m excited to share how I recharge, reset and reclaim some of what was lost.   

I don’t mean for this series to be advice or counsel, I’m just sharing the wholistic approach I take to find and maintain balance in all areas of my life (or at least try!) 

Join me each week as we dive in and discuss how we’re Reclaiming Joy. 

❤ Cait

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Our Multi-Generational Home

The family car was packed to the brim. 3 kids, 2 adults, and all the belongings we could stuff in what little space remained. I sat between my sister and my brother in his car seat and twisted myself around enough to look out of the back window. My heart felt heavy as I watched our childhood home shrink from view.

Not only were we leaving the only home I could remember, the comfort of our neighborhood, the backyard with the grapevines, and my best friends who lived down the street; but the home still held half of our household. It would be the first time I could remember that we would live with only our nuclear family.

The Kitchen Sink

We live in quite a fortunate time in history in terms of modern convenience. Of the many modern conveniences I enjoy each day a dishwasher is not one of them. With a growing family that means visiting the sink often to stay on top of the ever present pile of mugs and plates. Sure, there are times I’d prefer to toss them in the waste basket but soon I found the menial task had become a welcome reprieve.

The windowsill above the sink once held all of the hallmark nick-knacks of a well loved mama; assorted bottles of sand art, heart-shaped rocks, small potted herbs, perfect pine cones and gifts from little hearts and hands. One gift was a small cross that reads “Peace, be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10” One day I was on a re-arranging kick and I decided to (finally!) clear and clean the sill. I was moving all my chotchkies into an old shoebox but when I reached for the cross I hesitated, deciding to leave it where it was.

When I went back later on to do the dishes (again!) I read the message over and over. I found myself thinking deeply, staring through the humble kitchen window at the trees in the yard where my pets and children play. Warm water ran over, soothing my busy hands as I thanked God for the opportunity to be still and rest in his peace. By the time the last spoon hit the drying rack I felt my anxieties drain with the suds and dingy water. The little cross which I barely noticed before served as a gentle reminder and the chore became transformed.

Over time I have added other meaningful things to the sill and it has become a sort of altar in my home; a special place I go to pray over my family, water my herbs, offer up the work of my hands, and set my intentions for the day. It just goes to show anything can become meditative, prayerful and intentional even simple tasks. We don’t need only to be in church or on the mountain top to grow in our spirituality. God’s extraordinary presence can enrich even these ordinary parts of our lives and reveal a deeper meaning in the mundane. Now don’t get me wrong, I may not completely enjoy doing the dishes every day (every mom knows the “angry clean” LOL!) but I do know that if I approach this and all things in love, myself and those around me are simply better for it! Let’s let go of our expectations and allow God to reach us exactly where we are.

What do you do to fit in time for quiet contemplation? Comment below!

❤ Cait