Tooting My Own Horn

As I mentioned in my last post below, our church just started a MOPS group last fall. I've been attending & having a lot of fun with it. It's been a great way to connect with other ladies in my church.

One of things they started is an essay contest. The first theme was "24-hours alone." You were to take that subject & write an essay - funny or serious - about what you would do if you had 24 hours alone.

Well, I found out today that I won! ::grin:: So I thought I would share it with you all here.

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Twenty-Four Hours Alone

It’s the quiet of the morning that wakes me. It’s such an unusual sound at my house. I have twenty-four hours alone, completely alone. No children to care for. No noses to wipe. No diapers to change. I have a day to indulge in me.

First I have the chance to lie in bed until I am totally alert. Most mornings I become a “mom sandwich” between my hubby and my youngest son. Perhaps that is a nicer way to wake up. I seem to be a bit chilly today.

After breakfast I head out for a walk moving at more than the snail’s pace my children demand. I return forty minutes later out of breath and thankful to have managed a walk today. Then I realize all the leaves and rocks and birds and nature I have missed seeing along the way. Perhaps having my boys with me to see all the wonders of God’s creation is a nicer way to walk.

I then pull out my photos and scrapbooking supplies to work on family albums. I love indulging in my hobby. As I begin to sort photos I chuckle at the expressions captured on film of my children. Memories flood back to me as I put my first page together. I want to share them with someone but the only one watching is my dog. Perhaps it is nicer to work on the albums when my family is nearby.

My final plan for the day is to curl up on the couch and watch a movie – a girly movie. After all, I live in a boy’s world where football, Legos, and bodily noises rule. As the film starts and I watch the story unfold, I realize that as much as I do enjoy and cherish my time alone, I wouldn’t want it every day. I love my family too much to not want them close and building more memories together. Perhaps it is nicer to have them home where they belong.