Author Archives: Melissa

Every night…

Posted in Basement, Deep Thoughts by

Every night they come. One by one. Hands full of tools. Full of supplies. Faces covered in smiles. Kind greetings on their lips. They come to work. Night after night.

Every night they leave their families. Their homes. Their responsibilities. To come here. To my house. Their families sending them off with their blessing. No thought to the sacrifices they’re making.

Every night is a new crew. No crew has been the same. Oh I see the same faces over and over, but the combination is always different, always a surprise.

Every night I hear them greet one another with joy; as if they haven’t seen each another in weeks rather than just days, or even hours. It’s a party! These guys enjoy one another’s company. They enjoy what they are doing.

Every night the laughter bubbles up through the floor. It’s contagious. Sometimes it’s giggles or chuckles. But mostly it’s full-on belly laughs. The sound of it is beautiful.

Every night they they work. Hard. They hammer things. They saw things. They paint walls. They use the gifts that God has given them. The talents. The time. They energy. They give out of the abundance of their hearts.

Every night they build my nest. They ask for my preferences. I answer their questions. I offer suggestions. They’re happy to oblige.

Every night I pay them with brownies, cookies, cupcakes, or other sweets. It’s all I have to give. There simply aren’t enough brownies, cookies, or cupcakes in all the world to adequately convey how deep my gratitude runs.

Every night they bring hearts overflowing with their offering. An offering to Him. For His glory. But first, their offering flows through my house. It floods my basement. It floods my heart.

Every night, when all is quiet, I go downstairs. I see their work. I marvel at their efficiency. I’m humbled by their dedication. I’m left speechless.

Every night my heart overflows in praise and thanks to Him. That He would bless me so abundantly.  And in such an incredibly tangible way. This is the visible evidence that He loves me. That He cares about me. That He hears me.

Every night they sow seeds. They work the soil of their own blessing. They water their dreams. They work confident  in the knowledge that God loves them. He cares about them. He hears them.

Every night God loves you. He cares about you. He hears you. If He will do this for me, what more will He do for you?

Thursdays are the new Friday

Posted in Deep Thoughts, First World Problems by

Thursdays have always been our Fridays here at The Ball Room. The Music Man is a pastor which means Sundays are the start of his work week. I also try very hard to stick to a Monday through Thursday school week at The Ball Room Academy.

Fridays are sacred. They’re special. And I guard them with my life.

Fridays are for fun. They’re for field trips and shopping excursions. They’re for playing at the park and eating ice cream for lunch. They’re for family and reconnecting after a long week going in different directions. They’re laid back and relaxing.

Because Fridays are so special, Thursdays have become special too. They are the Friday night. They’re made for pizza dinners, movies, and staying up late. They’re the kickoff. The start to our weekend.

A couple years ago, the only dance class available for The Girl was on Thursday nights. Oh, we fought that one, hard! But in the end, she went to dance every Thursday night for two years.

I saw our Thursdays change during that time. They became more like the other nights of the week. Hectic. Rushed. No more pizza dinners. No more movie nights. Bedtime was still late but not because of fun family time.

Last fall, dance was moved to Friday nights. We got Thursdays back at the costly price of Fridays. Now I’ve had to watch our Fridays disappear. The Music Man has more and more weddings, projects, and commitments that take him away from us on Fridays. The Girl often has school work to finish up. It’s a rarity that we go for fun excursions anymore on Fridays. And always if we do we need to be back in time for dance. Rush. Rush. Rush.

It’s Thursday today and we haven’t really started our day yet. We’ve eaten breakfast, of course, and all are in various states of being dressed. We’ll get to school soon. But it feels a bit laid back because it is Thursday after all and that means its our Friday.

I still feel the same excitement on Thursdays that the weekend is here. Then I remember that our life has changed. Our family has had to adopt a new normal.

We have no plans for tomorrow other than to finish up some science and dance of course. (We do have a recital in just a few short weeks.) The guys will be here in the evening to work on the basement. We’re getting so close… But I still long for those carefree Fridays on Thursdays. The giant brunches and leisurely strolls around the mall. Road trips for fun field trips. A trip to the beach. A big relaxing dinner out and a movie on the couch after the babies are in bed.

I don’t know if those days will be a part of our lives again. Perhaps it was ours for just a season. Life has gotten so crazy and busy. I feel the need to slow down growing stronger each week. To stop and play outside more. To laugh and tickle The Baby. To soak up every moment. To live our days of family fun in slow motion.

Am I the only one who feels this way? Who feels this strong sense of urgency to stop and savor each moment?

Because if life has gotten this busy and crazy in such a short time, what does the next year hold for us? Or the year after? What will happen when we have three children involved in extracurricular activities rather than just one? Will The Music Man’s commitments continue to require more and more of his time?

Will it ever end? The busy-ness?

How do I make it all slow down?

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Posted in Basement, Uncategorized by

You know that feeling you get when you are so tired you feel like you are going to fall asleep if you blink too long?

Yea.

That’s how I feel right now.

A recap of days four and five is coming tomorrow or the day after. It’s too much to do right now, but I will say this much… It is incredible to see the transformation from day to day. Every morning after breakfast I take the kids down to see what was done the night before. I’m amazed at it all myself, but to see it through their eyes is precious!

Tonight Doug (the man with the plan) asked me what I thought. I looked around searching for the adequate words to describe what I was thinking. I was speechless.

When he came a few months ago and put five, FIVE, just FIVE outlets in our basement (we had one previously) I cried. Over five outlets. I reminded him of this and said, “how do you think I feel about all this?” He got it.

 This is the crew from last night. From L to R… My Music Man, Paul M., Michael, Doug, Rodney, Paul F., Jefe, Ewing (back), Dougie (front), and Jerry.

These guys are awesome and I owe them a debt of gratitude. However ALL glory and praise goes to God. HE is the reason this is happening. I am ever mindful of that.

To God be the glory.

GREAT things He has done!