**This post was written a while back and I debated posting it....but here goes**

This week (OK, this day), I've had to ask my family for forgiveness more times than I can count. I feel tired (always SO tired!), impatient, short-tempered, annoyed, inconvenienced, frustrated, and......OH SO guilty. I'm a little embarrassed to even write that, but it's true. Sometimes I think I really miss the mark. I'm thankful that God's grace covers all my weaknesses and that He (and my sweet family) forgive me so freely. You want an example?  OK, well a few hours ago we got home from church (which seems to make my bad attitude seem all the worse) and we were all starvvvvving (insert your best whiny voice here).  We have a bunch of food at home so we skipped grabbing drive-thru and just came home.  So when I started making plates, we realized that the can opener was no where to be found.  Well it just so happens that two little people like playing with it...enough said.  Of course nobody remembered when they had last seen it, so we went on a 30 minute manhunt around the house to find the lost can opener, with tummies grumbling and lots of little bickering.  As the minutes ticked by, my blood pressure started to rise- really??  it has to be somewhere!? Ok, if you know me very well you may know that my biggest (most humongous) pet peeve is losing things- my true confession. It drives me crazy! Asking the littles the same questions over and over did not produce any new leads, and I saw three empty plates in front of me, besides some cut up apples and a piece of toast. Even as I write this it seems like such a little silly thing (and it is), but for some reason it felt like a big thing.  Nonetheless, we eventually sat down at the table with full plates and lots of grumpy faces, and an outburst from Ellie: "I am just SOOO frus-ter-a-ted!". As we prayed and thanked God for our food, and our many blessings, I began to come back to reality- what a huge overreaction!  So I apologized, and my family was sweet to offer forgiveness.  William ate a couple bites and declared, "I'm done!" and threw his cup on the floor.  I went to put him in bed for nap time, only to leave him crying, "No nap!!!!" and throwing the blankets and stuffed animals out of his crib. I came back downstairs to see Daniel sitting at the table, blankly staring ahead with a look of defeat, the table covered in spilled milk, which had also splashed all over his shirt.  Oh. And Ellie in tears.....again.  Turns out Dan put his head down for a second, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples (in hopes of a moment's escape from the craziness), and then "splash!"- milk.  Ellie was "trying an experiment".  Needless to say, the experiment resulted in more tears, spilled milk, and a milk-soaked dad.  Just another day in the Linhart house :) 

After the kids were each in their bed taking a Sunday rest (well, sort of), I felt defeated. The words of “Hands Free Mama” author & blogger Rachel Stafford popped up on my computer screen.

Rachel writes (www.HandsFreeMama.com):

"Perhaps even on the days I don't get it right, my child is still learning valuable lessons about life, persistence, determination, independence, failure, compassion, grace, and forgiveness.  Maybe even when I am not getting it "right", it doesn't mean (they're) going to turn out all wrong." 

So, I decided to follow her lead and for a couple of weeks, I'll be looking for a little rightness- a little 'what-is-right-in-my-world'...in my day...in my moment.  Little things that are practically unnoticeable, and hardly noteworthy. I But I think I'll give it a shot.....

(note: Most of these things are hardly worth repeating, so feel free to skip reading this part.  It's a little long. I mostly did this for myself. Whew, I needed it!)

Here's what's right in my world: 

-I took the words of Kid President to heart: "I hugged more, and shouted less"! (if you haven't watched this, you have to!!!)

 -I encouraged William to wear real clothes today, but we ended up in spiderman jammies..."with wings!!"....in public...and I just rolled with it. 

-I encouraged Ellie to explore her "culinary gifts" in the kitchen :)

-Caleb encouraged his friend during a basketball game: "if you keep practicing, you'll get better! I know you can!"

I must be doing something right. 

-I wiped up the spilled milk (again), and shrugged it off this time, "It happens!"

-I wiped the tears after a sibling melt-down (sharing is just so hard).

-I wiped off my "scolding face" when Caleb didn't write his letters just right on his homework page.

I must be doing something right. 

-I put down my phone and talked to the kids face-to-face

-I put down the guilt from yesterday's failures. 

-I put down my to-do list long enough to have a cup of hot chocolate with Ellie and William at the YMCA today.

-William put down a book in my lap and said, "mommy, read it!", and I did...and again...and again :)

I must be doing something right.

-I took Caleb to the baptism celebration at church; we spent time with our church family and saw the gospel acted out. 

-Caleb took his arms and wrapped them around my waist and stayed there for the entire song- keep in mind, this is the boy who wipes off my kisses and gives me strict instruction to not give him hugs and kisses in public :) 

 
I must be doing something right.

-I gave up an extra loooong nap time to wake up the kids and surprise Caleb with an after-school visit to Bass Pro, to see our favorite catfish, 'Buddy' (yes we are on a first name basis with the aquarium fish)

-I gave a little grace when Ellie tracked dirt all over my kitchen floor, and then tried to "sweep" it up :)

-I gave Caleb his favorite dinner! (Tilapia and lima beans...no joke!)

-He gave me the sweetest compliment: "Mom, you're just the best cooker!"

I must be doing something right. 

-I offered extra snuggles at bed time.

-I offered to play a game of basketball with Caleb at the end of a long day.

-I offered to help the kids paint at the kitchen table... (this is in the same category as play-doh- *cringe*)

-Ellie offered to get me a glass of water (with ice) and asked Dan if he wanted some coffee with his breakfast- sweet girl!

-Caleb offered to give me 1,000 of his precious pennies to help buy a new can opener- oh, my heart!!!!

I must be doing something right.

I'll echo her words: "I'm doing something right.I'm doing something right.I'm doing something right.Tomorrow I'll do more."

When I say: I'm a failure, I can't measure up to this person or that person, I've got so many unmet goals, I thought I would have conquered "this or that" by now, if only I were more ____.
God says:

"...you are precious in my eyes, 

and honored,

and I love you. 

...Fear not, for I am with you;

...whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and I made."

~Isaiah 43:4-7

Ellie has a good handle on this :)  Last night at church her friends were calling her "tiny, tiny Ellie" and she was SO upset, and kept shaking her fist in the air and saying, "No, I'm BIG!" She has yet to embrace the fact that she is, in fact, tiny- and most likely will be tiny forever!  Anyway, I was talking in the car about how I think she's just perfect in the way that God made her, tiny and all. She still vehemently denied that she was anything but huge, but then she said, "God made me beautiful, mom! God gave me a smiling face, and blue eyes like mommy, and listening ears, a mouth that sings, a nose like a potato head (not sure where this one came from), and on and on".  Sweet girl!  We are truly blessed, and I'm thankful for my little (tiny) daughter who reminds me everyday.  

Can you accept God’s grace find a little “rightness” in your day today?