Just jump in!

Today was a busy day.  This week has been a busy week!  It is the first week of summer break, and lots of things are happening!  I won't take the time to share all the details now, since I have already blogged once today, but I wanted to share a small treasure from my day.  Maybe it will enrich your life as it did mine. 

After having a very long day, my head was really spinning, but the girls (mostly Clara!) really wanted to go swimming at our neighbor's house where we are dog-sitting.  I really didn't feel up to going, but Clara can be quite persuasive.  So, without much energy for cooking, and since it was just us girls, we made PB&J sandwiches for the second time today, and went down the street for a picnic dinner and swim.  The girls jumped right in, and I was quite content to sit on the edge of the pool with all of my deep (and a bit overwhelming) thoughts.  I gave myself a pat on the back for conceding to the swimming adventure, when really I just wanted to be at home so that I could try to get some things sorted out.  Of course, it is pretty much impossible to hide your feelings around Madeline, since she is a magnet for emotion.  If I am anything other than perfectly and blissfully happy and stress-free, she will ask me about it and try to make it better.  She wants everyone to be as happy and care-free as she is all the time.  She asked me what was on my mind, and I told her my thoughts.  She pondered for a minute, and told me she had some good advice for me.  She said I should pray about it and remember that we're not supposed to worry about tomorrow.  And then she said, "Mom, you need to just jump in the pool.  Go ahead. You'll feel better.  You're supposed to ENJOY your day.  Do it now...JUST JUMP IN!"  In that second, I knew I had a choice.  I could brush her off and know that surely she would understand, because she KNOWS how much I only like to swim when the sun is beating down its 100 degree heat (and it was after 7pm...definitely not hot enough for me).  OR, I could jump in...not just so that my daughter felt her advice was needed and heeded...not just to encourage her in her own spiritual journey by validating her faith-filled advice...but BECAUSE IT WAS WISDOM, truth for my situation in more ways than she knew.  First, I knew it was right because as soon as I jumped in the chilly water, I felt more alive...then I knew it was right because in the moments after, while I played with my daughters in the pool,  I was living in the moment instead of sitting on the sidelines merely contemplating life...and now,I know it is right because I know what to do in the situation that I was hoping to sort out during my sideline contemplations...JUST JUMP IN!