What Real Life Looks Like

One of these pictures is of my den during my real life. Calm. Neat. Orderly. Quiet. To most of you moms, this sounds like a retreat not even Calgon can give. It's the kind that hosts Mozart and a cappuccino any time I want. A refuge to write, to pray, to be still. One of these pictures is of my den during Christmas weekend when six kids had full reign in it. A boat. A worm hole. A movie theater. A club house. Life. Imagination. The future. It was heaven to me. I know, I know... the grass is greener on the other side. But, I really did love when that room was torn up. I find myself fingering scratches on my table (from both children and adults) and places where my newly painted walls are marked... because they all mean that life took place here. Even for a just a few days. Friendship and laughter, crying and fighting and life.

With tears, I poured out my heart to my friends as they apologized for their invasion into my calm, perfect home saying how precious it was to have little voices and little messes strung around the house. And after they were silent for a while, one mom said, "Please don't ever forget that when you have your own kids, because I need reminded of it everyday."

Until then there's a little hand print on my French door in the kitchen that I just can't wipe off.