Cat on a Curtain

One of my favorite images of the past year has been a cat on a curtain. Random, I know, but I feel like I’m the cat and the curtain is hope and perspective and joy and purpose and Kingdom-mindedness. And every morning I wake up, I start with all ten claws into that curtain. But, throughout the day, I engage in this clawing battle to hang on to that curtain when a million little things are pulling at me to fall off of it. And, its a gritty fight sometimes–in my own attitude, in my communication, in my thoughts, in my words, in parenting, in relationships–especially on mornings like this one, when we went to bed too late, were up with two of the three kids in the middle of the night, got up too early, and got into an argument before 7 am. Not good odds for making it throughout the whole day on that curtain. Thankfully, I can say life finds me at this moment during naptimes with at least a whole paw still hanging on, not that I haven’t fallen completely off countless times over the past few years of mothering small children. And I have no answers or quick-fixes. Except to say that I can curtain-hang a lot longer when I have had time to read the Word and pray, when I choose to think about the positive, when I prioritize, when I make the time to get away and exercise, when we go on dates. But, even if all that happens, daily life can still be this raw, intense brutal, minute-by-minute battle not to fall into the pit of depression and discouragement. Again, no real easy solutions–just know that I can commiserate with the hardness of it.

So, if its one of those days for you, hang in there–literally. If you can make it to bed with at least one claw still on that curtain, that’s a victory in itself.

Tagged as: attitude, family, inspirational