Mosaic Momma

As I was working on my Bible study homework this morning, I came across this drawing that Mercy Doyle made for me when I was visiting them a few weeks ago. At the time, it struck me that of all the things she could have drawn for me, she would draw this on the page. A rectangle. It reminded me of a door or an opening of some kind, but I didn't have much time to reflect on it...I was actually working on getting ready to catch my flight home. So I stashed it in my workbook so it wouldn't get wrinkled. But just now, I pulled it out, and I saw something profound. As I looked at it once again, I felt like God was showing me that it was indeed a Doorway. A doorway to Him. And I recalled a scripture in Hosea 2 that has meant everything to me. The LORD’s Mercy on Israel 14 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 And there I will give her back her vineyards and make the Valley of Trouble a door of hope ....

For the last several weeks my spirit has been in a bit of turmoil. Dear, wonderful, amazing friends of ours (and many) were suddenly faced with some frightening news about their 5-year-old daughter. Their daughter is only a few weeks younger than my second-born. As news of some of the loss of physical ability came trickling in, I was truly saddened for the family and all that it would mean for them going forward. I could not help but look at my own wily, stubborn, highly-active little girl and think, "what if that happened to us?" In that moment all the crazy day-to-day stuff that we moms go through paled significantly. I'm talking about the blankies in the toilet, poop on the rug, "she slapped me, mom" kind of stuff that we mothers face day in and day out. After awhile, it can really wear you down. Pretty soon all of it balls up and becomes this really big sigh that we collectively breathe out at the end of the day (or if you're like me, all throughout t...