The Busy Signal

So, I have been wanting to write this all week and just haven't been able to sit and do it!  Such a dilemma when one of your passions is writing!

On Monday, starting at 8am, I was on the phone calling and recalling a local camp ground to make reservations for a weekend trip for us and another family.  We went camping together last year and had a blast!

 Roasting marshmallows, cooking hotdogs, playing baseball, swimming, CAMPFIRES!  Ah, camping.. I love it!  It's such a nice way to get away, unplug from the world, and not have to spend a ton of money in order to have family fun!  

OK, back to "the busy signal", I would love to see my phone bill from Monday alone and see how many times I called the camp ground before finally getting a ring tone!  While I was in the middle of the "busy signal" (About an hour and a half) I found myself getting more and more frustrated.  Every time I called and heard the sound I just wanted to throw the phone!!  I just wanted to give up and not call back because I knew, more than likely, I would hear that annoying sound again!  I spent 2 hours of my life persistently calling ONE number... hoping and praying that I would get through.  And then once I finally did get through would they have space for 2 families to camp next to each other.  And it's not like we were trying to just get a tent campsite.. we were fighting to get 2 of 5 camper cabins.  So the longer that I waited with this busy signal I felt our chances dwindle.  I am happy to report that we did get two cabins next to each other... but not until the first weekend in September!

I tell you all of this because I had a thought occur to me while waiting.  How many times are WE that busy signal?  We can be a busy signal to our kids that just want our attention.  They want to show us a picture they drew, play a game, read a book... But instead we say "Hang on one second honey, I just want to pay this bill, write this email, check Facebook (I am ashamed that I have done this), or get this stuff organized for school tomorrow... (All of which I can do once they are in bed for the night)  Or, how many times do we feel that knock on our heart from God saying.. "Hey, I miss you!  Come back and talk with me... Spend time with me by reading my Word... Pray with me and tell me your struggles and triumphs..." And we come back saying "Yes, Lord I will.  Just give me a minute to finish.... **insert excuse**"  And then a minute passes, an hour, a day, week, month.. and we still haven't gone to Him.  I find myself longing for the day before technology overwhelmed every aspect of our life.  It was so much easier.  We didn't feel the temptation to sit and just stare at a machine for 5 minutes (but in reality is actually 45 minutes).  We gave our attention to the things that mattered!  We gave it to our family, to our friends, to spending all day outside, to our imaginations taking us on adventures, to reading or writing, and to spending time with Jesus.

I challenge myself to stop being the busy signal so often!  I challenged myself last week to embrace the chaos of everyday life and I feel like I did, but could always improve.  Here are some pics of me enjoying life and not being the busy signal...

 Here is my Mr. Man helping me make tacos.  Great helper, but what you don't see is he missed the pan and the taco seasoning went all over the stove... embrace the chaos! (And just for the record... the taco seasoning is still all over the stove... I just haven't cleaned it up!  I'm horrible)

 Here is my willow tree angels arm that broke off and while I was going to find something to clean up the taco mess (Which didn't get cleaned because I got side tracked from the Mr.) Mr. Man decided to stick the lantern into the butter... Embrace the chaos...?

 And here is the perpetual state of my basement.  I ask the kids to help clean and they say... "What should I clean?" Well let's just start with what we see shall we?  Embrace the chaos!  Or else the chaos will embrace you and you will want to be a "busy signal" :)