The days and the nights, they are sneaky creatures.
The way they show up in hordes before vanishing a breathy mist.
The people tell me it’s expected to sleep long each day and spend the mornings bruising one’s knees and losing one’s breakfast in the bathroom. All of this happens when a woman grows a human under her heart.
Some people send notes and mention gently that days and even weeks of excessive tears and too-deep thoughts is all… normal.
And yet somehow, this third time around, I’ve forgotten. So I rest and I throw up and I talk endlessly about everything and I cry over every single little thing.
Oh well.
There’s a human the size of a grapefruit currently kicking my belly button and here I am, living these days fully and reminding my mind to be gentle with my heart.
Because these are they days, you know? The days we’ll look to and say “remember that fall when I was pregnant and so sick and Troy started school and we had just moved to Virginia and everything was just happy and crazy all at once?”
This is then. These are the days that matter.
Grace is still good even when given to ourselves, you know?
So right now we’re living day-grace.
We see:
We sip:
We munch:
We craft:
We try:
We read:
We dance:
We grow impatient:
And we thrift broken wreaths:
And we decorate early:
Grace for living.
Grace for loving.
Grace for being quiet.
Grace for being crazy.
Living is fun and stuff, folks.
***
Heart and Earth Organics‘ facial products have made their way to my bathroom counter courtesy of my friend Rebecca. I’m loving them, as well as her lip balms. The cocoa mint is my fave. Merritt says it tastes like candy, of course.
***
I think “this is life” posts are just kinda the best. To read and to write.
How are you living today? Tell me, purty please?
lovely post, ashleigh. nodding my head in agreement
and realizing that the crazy wonderful exists also
in menopause – as freaky as that seems, it’s true.
i’m not a big fan. but i need a big fan.
a very large fan to put out the flames of my
inner child playing with matches.
crazy wonderful is happening to my life in general
as well.
family.
heart ache.
heart joy {for His ways are higher}.
not sure how i feel about it though other than i’m
truly and completely tired .. physically and emotionally.
truth be told…
I love you and your wisdom. You always inspire me. I wish I could hold a fan for you and let you rest. <3
The crazy wonderful stuff that life is made of…loved this post. And funny thing was that last night I was checking out Heart & Earth Organics and “favoriting” her stuff on Etsy. Cocoa mint lip balm…yum!
That lip balm is seriously awesome. My little Troy had uber-chapped lips last week thanks to suddenly chilly weather and Rebecca’s balms (I have three of them – they’re all great) cleared it right up.
Love, love, love this post of yours!! Yes, these truly are the days of happy and crazy and amazing.
I hope the wee one doesn’t keep you sick for too much longer. I know it’s a normal part of carrying a wee one but still isn’t much fun…
I’m living with hope and healing and learning how to “move on” from the grief and trials this summer brought. I’m fully embracing each season and embracing the fact that I have the choice to be joyful and thankful in every thing.
I think I’m ending the sick days. Finally, at about half way through.
I’m sorry your summer was rough. I love the reality of choosing joy… I’m learning that, bit by bit.
We need to order stockings for our two youngest. (Did you order yours or is someone talented?!
)
Today? Digging through “stuff’ and sorting and tossing and consigning and trying to simplify and celebrate the reality that less is more… All while walking over the messes little people make.
The needlepoint stockings (the boys’) we bought from LL Bean and mine came from Gingiber – http://gingibersnap.com. I absolutely LOVE the ones Maggie has for sale this year – http://www.shopgussy.com/category/christmas-stockings.
I want to sort and toss, too.
“living these days fully and reminding my mind to be gentle with my heart.”
“This is then. These are the days that matter.”
I remember when my kids were tiny and we were all taking a walk somewhere and an old man stopped us and urgently told us, “Don’t rush these days. Enjoy these days. These are the best days of your life.”
And we nodded and thought we understood what he meant… but now that my kids are mostly grown, I finally really get it. What a smartie you are for getting it now… while you’re still in the middle of “the best days”☺
Honey, I really love the way you write♥
A friend of mine who just recently had her eighth baby once wrote that “these are the good ol’ days” and it’s never left me. I tend to live in memories as it is, and I want to live today as the memories I hope to have (and I hope my children will have) in those later years. I’m not necessarily doing it right, but it helps to think about, you know?
So thankful our paths crossed. You have no idea just how thankful I am.
And I’m awfully pleased and thankful about meeting you, my dear:)
I’m expecting my second and feeling very similar … counting down the days until I hope to beat the nausea and fatigue, never mind the introspection and tears! From all your pictures, though, it looks like you’re more on top of things than you say
. Beautiful portraits of family life!
I take pictures of the good moments.
If you walked in my house rightthissecond, you’d see a living room full of Christmas decor all over the floor, a kitchen with a full sink and a carpet in serious need of a vacuum. The fatigue? It is maddening.
But you’re almost to the easier stage! We’ll both make it… I think.
I love your heart so much, sweet friend. The one right above that baby you’re growing.
I hope you can breathe in these days as much as possible, treasure them and store them up for cold days when you need a little heart-warmth. 
I’m not in those kind of days right now. I’m in the days I hope one day I’ll be able to look back at and say, “Remember those days, when everything seemed so dark, and look at all the amazing things God had in store for me that I had no idea about!” Holding on to that hope with all my strength.
Beautiful! My babies are growing all too fast and although I do not envy the sickness I do envy the heartbeat beneath yours. Our baby, who is 8 by the grace of God, was so sick when he was born that hubby said no more. I love and respect his strength because I know how bad he wanted 3 too. Be blessed friend from a far.
I love you. I love to visit with you here.
Even when I don’t always catch the pretty words when you first toss them out to the webbernet sea.
I long with all my heart for a soonly visit that includes your pumpkin roll on Pyrex plates and afternoons of dreaming outloud and painting your preggie toes.
<3,
C
I wish we could sip together. This is all beauty which you absolutely radiate in every thing.