Worlds Apart

brotherly fun, playing with water

As I sat in the shade and watched the tops of the tall pines sway and dance in the breeze I felt contentment wash over me like a warm bath.  My two boys were utterly enjoying the park that afternoon.  I sighed as work and ministry felt worlds apart, the chaos left behind for this moment in time as I immersed myself totally in motherhood.

boys and dirt

Some of my favorite moments of the day are spent with my little ones.  I relish lunchtime chats with my four-year-old.  His perspective on life is so fresh and new.  He finds joy in small things.  As he talks about his morning and laughs at silly jokes I find myself so thankful that my schedule allows me to spend lunch nearly every day with my little guy.  Watching my toddler discover something new, something I often take for granted (like belly buttons!) is fascinating.  It is easy to get lost in this world and totally forget that the other exists.

Yet as I sit here at my desk this morning I see beside me a spiral block of notes with a list a mile long of things I need to accomplish (preferably today).  Calling an interpreter to set up dates for a mission team, calling the bus driver, update the website (oh, well, I haven't gotten to that for 3 years, I am sure it can wait), update spreadsheets for the book keeper, fill out a 10 page form that the U.S. government wants for CCJ, file receipts for the accountant here in Guatemala, write thank-you notes, nail down details of mother's day event, make bank deposits, add names to the mailing list, a dozen more phone calls, and the list goes on and on....

Sitting here in the middle of a stack of paperwork it is oh, so easy to forget that my little bubble of motherhood exists!   I can feel the adrenaline begin to surge again.  My missionary side begins to yawn and stretch, waking up and taking over.  I remember something I saw in my Bible reading and I want to jot it down to share at a team meeting.  I begin to think about churches I will visit and what I will share on our next trip to the States.  It is all so exciting.  I love the ministry.  I love missions.  I love helping others, sharing the gospel, planting seeds of hope and eternity.

My two worlds, my two realities... at times they coexist in harmony and at times they seem at war with each other... tune in again to see what happens when two worlds collide!

a whole different world