9.16.2013

the seventh day

This is how Sundays make me feel now.

{Instagram post from a few weeks ago.}

Yesterday was particularly hard. Asher made it okay through the three hours of church (which is a lot of church even for adults, much less for an almost-toddler who isn't yet old enough to attend the nursery), but then he crashed during lunch. His nap was okay, but earlier than usual, meaning that he woke up five hours before bedtime. That's a long time to be awake for a one-year-old. And that's a long time for his mama.

So mid-afternoon when I was ready to implode from physical and emotional exhaustion, I proposed that we all take a sanity walk. We walked around Wilsonville for about an hour, and it was bliss. The sky was overcast and the air was a pleasant 65 degrees. I pushed the stroller while Josh walked beside me, and we talked about the Sunday battles and why they are the way they are and why moving to a different congregation has been hard for me (for Mormons, the congregation you attend is determined geographically, so when we moved, we moved into different boundaries). We talked about fall and ventured to say that Oregon falls are our favorite. We laughed as Asher pointed at all the dogs we saw, and we swooned over our boy's winning smiles.

{Instagram post from yesterday's sanity walk}

That sanity walk was exactly what we all needed. Church is good, and attending is a high priority for me, even when it's hard. On those days when it is hard, I think that God gives me some compensation in the form of sanity walks, in the smiles of my babe, and in the hand of my man.

4 comments:

Jill said...

12-18 months is the hardest time of all as a mom at church. I remember feeling like there was no point in being there. Maybe it's part of opposition in all things, because when he starts going to nursery you will be euphoric!

Unknown said...

This is definitely a difficult church phase with little ones; I feel your pain. Hang in there!

And I absolutely LOVE his pointing finger in the photo. It's just the best.

michelle said...

I remember those days well. Good idea on the sanity walk!

Ande said...

Yeah. We give up lots at church. We hang out in the mothers lounge or an empty classroom with the Ensign a lot. But as hard as church can be, it's the rest of the day that's really hard. Glad you found a few things to keep you sane.

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