Moments of Peace

Cindy was a blogging maniac this morning. She blogged about how hard it is to parent children like ours. And she ain’t kidding.

I realized this morning how it is that we can survive our journey. Where as most people are canoeing on a placid lake with an occasional storm to fear, we are riding down a raging river. Whenever we come to a small pool of water off to the side where we can rest a moment, we are thrilled. During the 10-15 minute times periods that come along every once and a while where nobody is fighting, everything is calm, we know where everyone is, and everyone is healthy, we can breathe deeply and recharge.

Our lives are not ones filled with tranquility and loaning themselves to meditation -- they are lives full of meaning, purpose, chaos, tears, trouble, pain. But they are also lives filled with moments of satisfaction, pride, accomplishment, and joy.

So we ride the rapids, adrenaline pumping, careening from one crisis to the next, because we believe we have been called to do this, because if we don’t there are not enough others who will, and because our anger at what the system is doing to children moves us to action.

Bart has often said, “What society gives to children is what those children as adults will give back to society” unless, of course, someone steps in and alters that course. So even when it is HARD and I am stressed to the hilt, I will keep moving on.

I have edited this a little to fit my purposes so if you think you’ve seen it before, you have.

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body, mind and spirit thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"