"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

Monday, October 17, 2011

Martha in Cracker Barrel...

The other night we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  I sat in my chair looking around, taking in the decor, listening to the the mix of chatter throughout the restaurant.  We had just come from baseball practice.  At practice, I sat on a curb watching, checking emails & facebook, trying to stay "current."  Ray on the other hand was asked to pitch to some of the boys in one of the batting cages.  Of course he accepted. 

Now... back to Cracker Barrel... I sat there looking around.  Carson was bored (of course) so Ray said "let's play tic-tac-toe." For a moment Carson's eyes lit up.  Then, he says "there's no tic-tac-toe game on the paper."  Ray, not missing a beat, tells him that they can make their own tic-tac-toe board.  Carson was satisfied with that, gave Ray a crayon and they started playing.

I was reminded that Ray always "plays" with the boys.  I'm learning that is how boys communicate.  They don't have to talk about their feelings for three hours.  They can simply pick up a ball and play catch.  I thought back to the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).  I seem to always be the "Martha."  I am so consumed with making sure that homework is done, food is prepared, house is cleaned, baths are taken, that I miss "the moments."  The moments of just sitting down and playing tic-tac-toe with my sons or grabbing a ball, or wrestling around on the floor.

Ray is leaving on Saturday for a month.  I know that I still have to get all of my Martha duties done, but maybe the cleaning can get done later, maybe they could have a sandiwch instead of a cooked meal one night, maybe they could get off schedule every now and then, maybe we can play more, maybe I could be a little more like "Mary" for my boys' sake. 

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