Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife, mom of 5 under 9. She enjoys homeschooling, crafting, and reading books one sentence at a time. She has a Masters in Religious Education and tries to find God's presence in all parts of her day, be it cooking, cleaning or just the everyday ordinary. Follow her blog, (link: dailygraces.net) Daily Graces to join her crazy, adventurous, God-filled family.
Gotcha – I bet you assumed this post would be about the classic movie all parents are avoiding like the plague. Though I am able to recite the movie almost word-for-word, this post, thankfully for all involved, is not about Frozen.
Now that that’s out of the way, I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience to this one. Insert your own child or experience with children to the scenario below:
Child A is throwing/hitting/talking back/teasing or generally misbehaving. After repeated re-directions, talks, explanations and pleads, the child will not find something productive or positive to do. You start to lose it. After all, by now they know that they are doing something that they shouldn’t. “Time out!” you yell. The child’s reaction is expected but no less grating – scream, yell back and tantrum. At this point, you are both heated and you both need a break.
Have you noticed how for many kids, they legitimately seem to let it go (ah, now the title makes sense) when their time out is over. For the most part, both once through with their break in time out and after they’ve apologized for their actions, they bounce back in the room happy and ready to get on with their day. It’s amazing.
We have a small lemon tree in our back yard. As soon as we found out we would be stationed in such an incredible climate, I knew I wanted to have some kind of fruit-bearing tree in our back yard. After much deliberation, I decided on a lemon tree. I love the flavor and there are so many things you can make. From simple lemon water to lemon curt. Sunshine pies and lemon tarts. It all makes me happy!
The catch with growing your own fruit, in case you didn’t think of this already, is that the fruit has to actually grow. Not only does it have to grow, the tree has to have matured enough to even produce the fruit. Once the tree is old enough, you have to wait for the proper season for the fruit to ripen.
I was so excited for the first harvest, which took forever. The tree was a bit confused about what season it was in. Lemons ripen in the winter. It flowered for the first time in late winter and by March had a solitary lemon growing. I had to wait nearly a year for that single lemon to ripen. When it finally did, the tree had re-flowered and I had a whole host of lemons waiting for me. It was delicious!
Apparently the tree was so excited about this first harvest it decided to give a second a go, (mature lemon trees, especially in this climate, are capable of multiple harvests). Unfortunately, my lemon tree is not quite that mature. So, here I am again, this time with at least 15 lemons half-grown and green as grass (which I should clarify, green as grass in the Midwest, grass is pretty brown around here presently).
I promise they are lemons
Both last year and this year, I had so many people question me on these frozen-in-time lemons. “Maybe it’s just a lime tree.” “Are you sure it’s actually a lemon tree?” Even after a harvest of lemons, still I’m getting the questions. Just the other day, one of the neighbor boys was over and asked about the tree and why the fruit wasn’t growing. When I explained that it was a lemon tree, he looked at me like I was pulling his leg, chuckled a bit, and headed home.
All of this got me thinking about outside vs. inside and what kinds of judgments we make based on appearances. Part of our broken nature since the first sin of Adam and Eve is our tendency to judge one another. Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they walked freely in the garden, without judgment, jealousy or suspicion of one another. After their sin, they covered themselves, ashamed of their nakedness and I would infer also because, fearful of judgment from the other. Continue reading “What’s on the inside”→
Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a good week and are looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend that isn’t as hot as it will be here!
Thank goodness for my husband. Sometimes I’m not sure what he is thinking, but it usually turns out well.
We both have been complaining for more than 2 years, probably, that we needed a new printer. The printer we had was from Ben’s college days and he found it at a thrift shop. We had pretty much stopped printing anything because it seems to run on ink rather than electricity. Each time we had family come to visit we would have to purchase a new ink cartridge so that they could print their boarding passes. That’s about all the printing the printer would handle before claiming to be out of ink.
Instead of dealing with the root of the problem, we just stopped printing. Then, after a particular round of complaints last month (delivered by yours truly but without any real intention to replace the printer), Ben said, Let’s just go and get a new one this afternoon.
My new love 😉
Now, usually when Ben makes an electronics purchase involves a few weeks of reading reviews, comparing products and prices. But this time was different. We went, he compared the few in the store, read a review or two on his phone, and made a decision. I minded the kids, knowing that his knowledge base in this area was better than mine. Though I was concerned we were making this purchase a little hastily. When I spoke to Ben about it, he was so confident that this was the right time and the selection he had made would fit our needs and budget.
I am so thankful that I trusted him, rather than arguing. We are homeschooling both John (kindergarten) and Rosie (preschool) this year. When we were struggling with the old printer, I hadn’t thought of the possible need I would have while working on schooling for the kids. With this new printer, I’ve printed already probably more than we had as a family 3 years! Even some things in color (please insert a shocked sound here).
Now this may seem like a simple, silly little story. But it illustrates a very valuable thing about the sacrament of marriage. Catholics believe that the 7 Sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation) are specific moments of God’s grace. Grace is all around us and God is always extending the gift of grace. However, we understand these sacramental moments to be time of specific grace, grace designed for a certain purpose. At Baptism, we are welcomed into the Church and original sin is washed away. We are given grace for our new journey as Christians on the way to heaven. At Anointing of the Sick, the person receiving the sacrament is anointed with blessed oil, symbolically putting on the armor of God. They are spiritually strengthened to face their illness, be it physical, emotional or psychological. In marriage, each spouse is gifted with specific grace for the other. Part of the covenant of marriage is a commitment to help one another journey to heaven. Each person’s journey is unique, but in Marriage the spouses journey together, called to become one.
I personally believe that Ben has been given specific grace by God that is for my benefit and growth. I believe I have been given grace in the same way for him. Though my printer story probably wouldn’t show up in a slide show of defining moments of my faith journey, it was an opportunity for me to recognize and respect the strengths that Ben has been given and the insights he has. Looking back, I could have fought his decision. I’m thankful that I resisted that temptation. 1, because now my life is way easier with the new printer. But more importantly, it was an opportunity to practice looking beyond myself and allowing the grace Ben has been given to flow through him and into our marriage. This was just a small thing. Someday, I’m sure there will be something much larger and more significant. I pray I will be able to recognize God’s grace working through him and instead of pridefully standing in its way, I will have the humility to let the grace of our shared sacrament bless our marriage.
If you are married, have you experienced any moments like this? If you aren’t, do you have any memories or experiences where you felt grace from a sacrament? Looking forward to hearing from you all!
Daily Graces 