An Open Invitation to be Loved

I want to start by saying that I fall short time and time again, but my heart is to love more, to love bigger.

When your heart aches, mine does, too. When you celebrate your new job, your kids' accomplishments, your good news, I'm cheering you on.

The amount of struggle, heart ache, and bad days that we all face is more than I can count, but I want you to know I'm pulling for you. If we went to high school together and haven't spoken since, you're on my heart.

If your daughter is having friendship challenges, I'm hurt, too.

If you long for love, for financial stability, for health, I want that for you.

If your heart is broken, I've been there.

Should you ever, ever, ever need an ear, a hug, a soft spoken prayer, or someone to remind you that you are loved, and not alone. I'm here.

This is an open and inclusive invitation to be loved bigger. It's not a burden, it fills my soul. My heart to yours!

~Janelle

One of Those Days

Today, it was another "day". I actually remembered the stop at Mrs. Kelly's after work, before heading to Wal Mart, for the one thing I needed later that day. I had already stopped at a grocery store the night before with no luck. I then tried to order it from Wal Mart on line so I didn't have to lug my 400 lb baby and his car seat into the rain, but the pickup time would be too late.

So, I did it. I schlepped L all the way to the big box store, got him and his car seat into a buggy, and went to grab my wallet.

No. Wallet.

I left it at work. I then called my husband, met him back at work to pick up his debit card, and drove to another grocery store. After all, I was not going all the way back to where I had just been.

Did I mention that it's raining?

My baby has now missed his routine feeding, fallen asleep, and I'm pretty sure gained another 100 lbs.

I lug him out of the car, into the store, and find that this store doesn't carry the one thing I need, about the time my sleeping baby begins to emit a pungent stench.

I. Go. Home.

I change L, feed him, and quickly change my plans for the afternoon while he finishes his nap.

It's time to go back to the school. I manage to transport a sleeping baby into his car seat, the back of my car, the car seat carrier, and into the school without him waking. I am also carrying my husband's debit card so I don't loose it. I've not been 100% with it lately.

I pass L to my sweet friend, begin explaining to the sweetest group of girls ever about the day I have had and why we are not doing the planned activity, and it happens.

I look to my sweet friend, holding the most precious baby in the universe, and they are both marked with baby poop. She laughs, I laugh until there are tears, and it spreads even more onto her white shirt.

It takes two of us to get him clean, complete with being hosed off in the sink. She finds a shirt to change into, and we continue with the activity. The girls are delightful, my heart begins to lift, and I lug my 400 lb baby home. My husband is making dinner, an attempt to let me breath, and asks for his debit card...that I left at school. With my wallet.

Tomorrow is a new day. It cold be worse, much, much worse. But, if your day didn't go as planned, you were covered in poop, literal or figurative, and all options to access your finances are locked in a brick building, you are not alone.

We are in this together. Feel free to share your story, it makes me feel better. That, and a hot shower.

I'm Loosing My Mind, Too. You Are Not Alone

So, today L is 6 months old. And, today I drove all the way to work without dropping him off with Mrs. Kelly.

I pulled right into the parking spot, was thrilled I had made it on time, and realized it's because we didn't stop to drop him off.

I share this because I see you.

I see you who are trying to do it all, send in field trip money due yesterday, get the outfit ready for chorus, figure out when the chorus performs, plan for the band performance, figure out when the band performs, decide if it is a waltz or a tango you need to choreograph for your son to dance with his blanket in the play, coordinate schedules for a ride to and from football practice, and the laundry list of everything else you are trying to do.

When you loose your mind, and forget to return a call, an email, a library book. You are not alone.

When you send your child to daycare in the outfit he slept in, you are not alone.

When your dog has a funky smell and you don't want to breath deeply around her, you are not alone.

When you cook your family meal and forget your son won't eat it so his separate meal isn't ready when everything else is, you are not alone.

Sometimes we just need a reminder that our crazy life may look different, with different lists, and different missteps, but we are all in it together.

I see you. You are not alone.

Has anyone else recently lost their mind? Please let us know as a reminder that we are not alone.

~Janelle