Finally - A Good REASON to get back to the BLOG

Well, note the time that this is being posted. I can’t get back to sleep (a true rare event for me). Celeste called about 2:10 and Kindra’s water broke. Her and Trevor are on the way to the hospital (TG) and Bob & Celeste are on their way to K&T’s house to pick up their dogs (tricked you – you thought I was going to say that they were also on their way to the hospital – I bet that little side trip caused Celeste a bunch of anxiety) to take them back to their house and then they are going to the hospital, too. Lucky for me I’m going to the hospital at 7:30am. Oh, wait – I’m going for a two hour meeting. Dang. And, can I just say that I’m getting my boxing gloves warmed up as I type because of the fight I’m going to have on my hands when Ryan wakes up and 1st realizes that we didn’t wake him up in the middle of the night to tell him and rush him to the hospital for the birth(s) and 2nd because I’m actually going to make him go to school in the morning. He’s been telling us every night since mid-April that we have his permission to wake him in the middle of the night if we get the call. He’s also been trying to carefully craft the plan/chain of events the day “it happens”. I think he might be a bit excited to meet these little ones. As we all are……………. But, we’ll have to wait until this afternoon – lucky for all of us (except Stuart) that we have Wednesday afternoon off. We can wait and give the parents and grandparents some room to breath – and fully experience the miracle.

But, even with that said, here I sit at 2 in the morning because I’m so nervous/excited that I can’t get back to sleep. So, I decided to email my friends and then post - for the second time ever - on my blog.

This is a good day. It is truly a miracle in so many ways and I ask each of you to please take a moment and ask for blessings of health and happiness on this new family, but even more that you thank God for the miracles that he gives us big and small – this being one his Biggies.

Today is truly one of my Reasons to Believe.

First Post

Here it is ~ first blog entry. And, Diane, since you are the only one who will know about this, consider it personally done for you. :) Today I felt especially inspired to go ahead and get it moving. Not good timing considering that I have a to-do list about 12 hours long, but when inspiration strikes we need to listen right?

So, what's behind my blog name?

REASON TO BELIEVE

Not only is Reason to Believe the title of my very favorite Springsteen song, but I feel like it is the phrase that I have been living by each day. Many days I let the Reason run by me without a thought, but today it struck me pretty hard in the face, and, well here I am online.

Last night at our PTA general membership meeting I was awarded the Golden Acorn Award. I am humbled to have been given this award. Humbled is an understatement. Never did I think I would even be nominated. The Golden Acorn (in case you don't know) is the highest honor that a PTA can award a volunteer and represents service to the greater good of the school that goes 'above and beyond' the call of duty. Me? I certainly didn't think so. But, apparently some people did, and I got the award. I was floored and it was amazing and I am so thankful.

Well, I've been thinking about this all day today. Why me? Who nominated me? Do I really deserve this, because there are probably other people out there who are thinking "Why Samantha??". But, as I was driving on my errands just a little bit ago I realized that this honor is a message to me to appreciate my gifts - and I'm not talking about awards and iPods and stuff like that. I'm talking about my intangibles. The things that give me a reason to believe in myself, my life, my family, my purpose.

When Katie started first grade I cut my hours down at work so that I could be home each afternoon when the kids got off the bus. It was a hard thing to do and I still struggle with feeling like I'm 'giving enough' at work to get my full time workload completed in 30 hours a week. I worry and fret about it all the time in light of the fact that my reporting relationship is changing soon and I'm not sure if my new boss will be as supportive as my current boss has been. Coupled with this is the fact that I overcommitted myself this past year in a gargantuan way! I have been the PTA newsletter editor at school for three years, am on the PTA board, chair the Children's Council committee at church, sit on the church council committee, teach Sunday School, assist as a leader in the planning of our Vacation Bible School program, participate in an intensive 32-week bible study with daily reading requirements and a 2-hour weekly meeting, take Katie to dance once a week, attempt to write a memoir, etc........etc.......etc......

I'm not complaining ~ although recently I have been. I turned down my seat on Children's Council for the next year (my term will end in June) and I'm looking for a new newsletter editor for PTA. I have decided that it's time for the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction and for me to get time for me. THAT'S ENOUGH has been my motto!!!

But, I feel like it's time for me to step back and remember my reasons. I cut back my hours for my family and I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life than I have been since I did it. I do the newsletter so that I can be involved at school even though I can't physically be there. I have been on Children's Council at church so that I can be an active participant in the spiritual education and growth of my children. I go to bible study to keep myself grounded in the reality that my life is a gift from God.

I have so many reasons to believe. The most important reasons give me kisses every night before bed. Other reasons fade in and out of my life but are always there to smack me in the face when I need a hefty reminder.

I am so blessed. I need to believe that, and remember it, and appreciate it. I am thankful that I received that award. And I appreciate it.

Now - I must get on with my 12 hour to-do list. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm so not. Tomorrow I'm off to Wenatchee to pick up Krisann, who is one of my most wonderful reason to believe, so that we can go to a scrapbooking retreat in Chelan until Sunday! Yippee! Time for me!