Dirty stables.

It's been quiet around here. We are at the tail-end of a very busy four months. In March, Matt and I moved to the Portland area (that's a nice way of saying Vancouver) to be near my family. At the end of May, we welcomed our sweet Taylor Matthew into the world and enjoyed a few quiet weeks together as a new family of three. Then, we enjoyed three months of visitor after visitor, trip after trip, diaper rash after diaper rash. It was a whirlwind of a summer. 

At the beginning of September, we moved! I knew it'd be an adjustment with a newborn, but we were ready. Three days later, we got a call from family in Alabama telling us that Matt's aunt lost her battle with cancer. We dropped everything to fly out there and jumped into funeral-planning, eulogy-writing and morale-boosting. 

Two weeks later, we came home to half-unpacked boxes, bare walls and a few very thoughtful house-warming touches by my parents. We settled in a bit more (plugged in the record player) and unpacked the necessities (the coffee maker), but focused our energy on my best friend's wedding that we were both heavily involved in. 

Life has been wonderfully full. But I'm tired! Breastfeeding, moving, starting a new (very part-time) job, traveling and matron-of-honoring has worn me out. But most of all, our messy, distraught house is driving me crazy. 

This morning, over coffee and a pumpkin poptart, I read this proverb: 

"Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for large harvest." 

I feel like we have so much stuff and I'll never be able to manage it with a busy calendar and needy baby. I want order. I want the sink to stay free of dishes. 

But when you have ox, you have stables to clean. It's a mark of being blessed. But it comes with work to be done. I'd rather have a busy calendar, a cluttered home and my hands full than be bored and alone. 

I also really like this verse because it implies that there's cleaning to do. Yes, that's part of it; part of having a large harvest. Dishes are the result of having a meal to eat. Loads of laundry are from having a full closet. Heaps of diapers are from having a healthy baby. Having my needs met is a huge blessing that I too often take for granted. 

As we adjust to this season of life, my hope is that I'll manage my time well. But I also hope that I give myself a little grace, and remember that a list of chores and to-dos is really, quite a lovely gift.