January has almost escaped us

  January is often a down-time month for our family.  A bit of a rest from the hurry scurry that builds up from August through December.  I like having a built in "break" in the family schedule.  It's kind of like having a "sabbath month," if you will.  I do have another "sabbath" month, usually it's June or July....depending on the kids summer camp schedule.
   This morning, Mr. Man went to work to pick up a pager.  I have a rare couple of hours alone in the house.  Normally, this would be energizing, and I would be on a housework frenzy with music blasting...but this is January, and above mentioned man has been sick the last three days.   I am choosing to take this morning to dwell in the quiet, to find balance and restore my soul.
   Dwell in the quiet.  We all need time to dwell in our quiet places.  As a mother of six children, sometimes I almost forget what that is, because children are noise.  Most of the time, I love that noise.  I love hearing them play a game together, working out the rules among themselves.  I love to hear their laughter, the doors slamming in indoor games of hide-and-seek, and the puns flying across the dinner table.  I love the bustle and busyness of it all.  I love their freshness, their enthusiam for the day-to-day, whether it's the roasted brussel sprouts with bacon we had with dinner or that there's a new book or craft kit on the table.  I would not trade my life for any other.
    Even when I do find quiet, rarely do I have time just to dwell/or live in the stillness of the moment, for children are also motion.  Coordinating schedules for a family of our size is almost a full time job.   The quiet in the car after dropping them off is nice sometimes, but I'm still doing, still focusing on "what's next" most of the time.  From the time I pick up littlest man from kindergarten at eleven, the rest of my day is on "go!"  Go to the park so he can work out his wiggles.  Go to the store or the library.  Go home and get snack ready for when the big kids walk in the door.  Go pick up our sixth grader.  Go to rehearsals, scouts, ballet, or church.  Just keep on going.   By the time everyone is settled and my husband and I both have time to stop, it's often time for us to be in bed too.  He reads.  I play games on my phone.  We just relish the half hour or so of just being together.  We dwell.  This morning, I am alone.  It's just me and God.  I need to make more time for just "us" to dwell too.