Jen over at Praying for Aviana had a great post today about the importance of putting your baby on their tummy because, well, it’s just natural. Stop over at her place and give it a read.
While your there get to know her amazing daughter Avianna and their super strong and super beautiful family.
A friend of mine came over for lunch this week and while we were reminiscing over Eva’s baby book she asked me a very simple question “Do you miss having a baby around?” It seems like a simple question but I was dumbstruck. My mind told me that I was supposed to say “Yes YES I want her to be a baby again!” but my heart said “No…NO…I love this age!” And I do I really do. Whatever age it is that she is currently at, that is the age I love. Every day she is one day older and I tell you every day she is a different child. That is my FAVORITE thing about being a mom. Seeing her grow up day by day.
One day…when she is “too old” to sit on my lap with her blanky and cuddle after her nap…then I might miss when she was a baby. But perhaps I will be so in love with her pre-teen self that I won’t want her to be any other age. (Before I had a daughter I would have told you that was impossible but now I’m not so sure.)
So my very long answer to a very simple question is “No, I do not miss Evangeline being a baby.”
This week my almost 3 year old mastered the art of cutting paper, being completely independent in the bathroom, making up a story in a picture book, and doing the hokey poky. I ask you how can life get any better then that?
During the holidays you probably saw and heard the word Peace many times. So much so that you might not of given it a second thought.
I’ve been reflecting on Peace al lot lately and I often think 
The Bible talks about Peace a great deal.
Luke 7:50
Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Luke 24:36
[ Jesus Appears to the Disciples ] While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
Acts 10:36
You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
Romans 5:1
[ Peace and Joy ] Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
1 Corinthians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Numbers 25:12
Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him.
Judges 6:24
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
- I find it interesting that many believe the Peace sign is meant to be an upside down broken cross
Wikipedia says that Peace is:
- a quality describing a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously. This is commonly understood as the absence of hostility, or the existence of healthy or newly-healed, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political relationships and, in world matters, peacetime; a state of being absent of any war or conflict. Reflection on the nature of peace is also bound up with considerations of the causes for its absence or loss. Among these potential causes are: insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism, and acute racism and nationalism.
- Perhaps what is more of interest to me though is Inner Peace
Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy homeostasis and the opposite of being stressed or anxious. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness.
Peace of mind, serenity, and calmness are descriptions of a disposition free from the effects of stress. In some cultures, inner peace is considered a state of consciousness or enlightenment that may be cultivated by various forms of training, such as prayer, meditation, T’ai Chi Ch’uan or yoga, for example. Many spiritual practices refer to this peace as an experience of knowing oneself. Finding inner peace is often associated with traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
This past year I’ve noticed that I am more at Peace with myself and the world around me than I ever have been. Even though there have been events this year that have sliced into my Peace their effects have been lessened from what they would have been before.
This is what Peace means to me…
Peace is knowing that your actions reflect the person you are.
Peace is being able to live with the decisions that you make.
Peace is knowing that you did your best, even if your best is different than someone else’s
Peace is being comfortable with who you are and not trying to change that.
For one person it may be standing up for yourself for the first time.
For another it may be letting something slide when you normally would have lashed out.
Peace is something that many promise but it is not something that can be provided by someone else.
Only you can provide yourself with peace.
And to that I say…
Peace
Today I am working on a piece about Peace. However, it somehow seems wrong to feel Peace when so many are not…
We’ve been busy busy busy around here and I haven’t felt much like writing. I’ve sat down to write a post once or twice but the words just don’t feel right so I walk away and never come back to it. The words still don’t feel right today but I’ve decided that I am going to force myself to sit down and actually post something.
How were your holidays? Ours were great. Filled with family and fun and presents.
Then a week long vaca at the Happiest Place on Earth and when I say that I mean it. It is our favorite place on earth. Which is why we spent five straight days at Disneyland and California Adventure.
It is good to be home though. I never thought nine hours of laundry followed by two hours of washing cars would actually feel good but it does in a masochistic sort of way.
There were many happy memories made this week but one that sticks out as so so special is our Build-a-Bear experience. Evangeline received a gift card for B.A.B. over Christmas so I put it aside to use at Downtown Disney because they have an awesome two story B.A.B. and I wanted to check it out. I wasn’t so excited about the regular ‘ole bears and bunnies downstairs and it was packed like a can of sardines in there so we trekked on upstairs where they had Build-a-Dino. An ecstatic Eva picked out a Pteranodon just like on the show “Dinosaur Train” and named it Tiny.
I have never seen her more excited about shopping. She had her arms full of clothes and accessories for her little dino. I wish I had taken a picture. We had to pry half of it out of her hands of course.
It was just a truly delightful experience to see my little one so happy and about something that I thoroughly approve of. I don’t like her to watch too much TV but Dinosaur Train is a great new show on PBS which also touches a bit on adoption.
Now that the holidays and vacation are over I can get back to school and start working on my goals for this year. One of which is losing the 5 pounds that I gained during all the glutinous festivities.
*And no none of these business are paying me to write great things about them. I wish they were….but they’re not.
