Lesson(s) Learned

Hey. Okay. Say, you just meet someone new. What’s the first thing you usually ask them? ….Usually, it goes something like, “Hi, I’m so-and-so. What’s your name?” Their name. You’re usually concerned with a person’s name because it stands for the entirety of their identity. Think of famous people you know, and as soon as you think of their name, you think of something associated with them. The same thing is true for family members, close friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. A name holds a lot together, so you can be especially sure that I began to have difficulty when my name and identity began to get mixed up. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning. Hello. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Rosemary H Hazard. But for some reason, the hospital got it all confused. To them, I was Rosemary D Hazard. Many times over, I told them, “That’s not my name!” But for some reason, the bracelets, tags, stickers, etc. all said the same old thing. “ Rosema...

Messy Homes. Let's get real. We all have them at some time. You know how I know this to be true? Because we live in our houses. And life, well, it gets messy from time to time. Messy homes are far too easy to obtain. Have you ever noticed that things in your home - no matter how hard you try - tend towards disorder, disarray, and chaos rather than neatness, organization, peace, and tranquility? And all the moms of toddlers just said, "Amen." But seriously, in order to get a messy house, it's simple. Simply do nothing. Do a lot of nothing. For a relatively consistent span of time. And voila! Messy house status achieved. The other thing about messy homes that gets me is that cleaning a non-stop endeavor. Like, seriously, Non-stop. One night (or maybe it was a weekend?), when my husband was home from work, I was busily rushing around trying to complete everything on my cleaning/chore to-do list, so I could enjoy myself with the family (knowing all things were in ord...

While We Wait for Hope It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve given any thought or attention to my blog and my writings, so I figured today (while we wait for Hope’s arrival onto the scene of life) was as good a day as any to pick it back up. I hope and pray my scattered words and thoughts are an encouragement for someone out there who’s taking the time to read this. Lately, as I’ve been awaiting the arrival of my second born, I’ve been somewhat reflective and pensive. I’ve been releasing my seemingly control of events and circumstances and embracing the fact that all is spiritual, purposeful, and a part of a much bigger plan than the one I’ve got developed in my little mind. God has a reason for everything. Every moment. Every instance within those moments. And that’s a neat thing to realize, embrace, cherish, and surrender yourself to. It truly is a beautiful thing.  Not only that, but I’ve also been thinking and reflecting on the importance of names and their m...

This time of year, I’m reminded, actually flooded, with memories of my growing-up-years-Christmases. Daddy would always set up the mammoth-sized video camera (one big enough to hold an entire VHS tape inside of it) upon its rightful place on a tripod in the corner of the living room, turn it on to record mode, and just let that thing take in whatever came across its path.  Oh, the stories that thing could tell.  Oh, the America’s funniest home videos competitions those VHS tapes could win. Oh, the embarrassing-etched-forever-in-time-moments that thing has recorded. (Will, am I right? “Getty up, getty up, getty up, let’s gooooo.”) While Dad was setting up the video camera, Mom was always busy baking the southern staples of Christmas “breakfast,” aka cinnamon rolls and probably pigs-in-a-blanket. Somehow, in the midst of all that, one of my parents corralled all five of us kids and convinced us to eat breakfast and watch a parade on tv or something before all the...

Being the mom of an almost 16-month-old little girl makes each day come with its own set of challenges, joys, surprises, messes(!), and a variety of experiences and moments that just make my heart smile and then melt to pieces, as these moments and experiences become all-too-fast-fading-into-memories. I remind myself nearly daily that I should take time (make time?) to record each and every one of these little moments, so the memory will last long after my little 16 month old has turned 16 years old. Before I blink twice, I'm sure she'll be married and have her very own 16 month old to nurture and fill up baby books full of similar memories. With that said, one cute little instance happens nearly daily between the two of us, my sweet daughter and me. (Needed background info: I used to sit on the floor with a full-length mirror and put on my makeup every day. My husband saw this, thought it looked uncomfortable, and promptly bought, assembled, and surprised me with a brand-new...

Recently, I read a quote that read something like this: "Parenting is all about teaching your kids how to live without you. The difficult part is accepting success." Man, is that quote so true! Now, granted, there are tons of aspects of parenting that are difficult. {Not *just* accepting success at the end of all your efforts.} Perhaps, the most difficult right now for me is the realization that time is short & stops for no one. Parents must pour into little (growing!) ones as much and as fast and as intentionally as possible in the short amount of time that we are gifted with the presence of our children in our homes. As any parent will tell you.... On any given day, this is not an easy task. Most days are messy. Some days are downright difficult to navigate. But what's important to note is in the midst of it all: Everyday is a gift. And the joy of the Lord is and should always be your all-reliant strength, especially when it comes to raising kiddos. Co...

This morning, I was reading I Samuel 1, and these thoughts came to mind. Hannah's husband, Elkanah, gave her a double-portion of food out of his lavish love for her, but she was unable to eat because of the taunts of her rival. Our Heavenly Husband has given us so very much out of His lavish love for us. What are you unable to feast on today because of the taunts of a rival, the comparisons of a companion, or the whispers of our Enemy?