My Portion And My Cup: A New Beginning

Well, here I am a year after my move from Georgia and I can honestly say the time has flown by (well, maybe not the winter months). But that has all faded now that the BIG blue Iowa sky has opened up to billowy white clouds and streaming rays of sunshine giving way to the constant breeze that reminds me of being on the east coast. This time of year is beautiful here and filled with so many possibilities. I have found so much joy in great abundance here in Iowa. I know I've said this before but there is no doubt that God brought me and my family to this place for a very good reason. I have so much joy that I almost wait for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Can I really enjoy life this much? The answer is yes. Why? Well, because God has given me a new beginning.

Take this passage from Joel Osteen’s book Your Best Life Begins Each Morning. On page 184, he reminds us about new beginnings in Psalm 16:11

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

His Devotion for this day reads:

“Friends, God is BIGGER than your past, your disappointments, and your problems. You may have made a lot of mistakes, but God can turn those things all around. People may have hurt you and done you wrong, but if you’ll leave it up to God, He’ll pay you back. He’ll make your wrongs right. Start focusing on your possibilities. Let hope fill your heart.

No matter what you’ve been through, God is saying there are great days ahead for you. Say to yourself, “I’m not going to be a prisoner of my past. I’ve had enough. I’m going to stop focusing on my disappointments. I’m moving on with my life, knowing that God has good things in store.” If you’ll develop that kind of attitude, God will give you a new beginning.

Friends, I cannot tell you how true this is. For me, this move has been all about attitude. It doesn’t have to be something as big as a move across 4 states though. It can be any type of change large or small. It’s the attitude of finding joy and keeping the faith. It’s a choice. You have to get involved. There are good things in store for you.

Recently, I was asked by a special group of people that I deeply respect to be a contributor for a Mommy Blog that will keep my mom’s group connected during the summer. Finding my church and renewing my faith has opened so many doors for me to share in "community" and "do" life with others. What an honor and a privilege to be able to speak of my experiences as a mom to help others. I plan to contribute my first blog this week. Here is my rough draft. Moms, enjoy!
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Moms,

As the school year comes to an end there is such a sense of relief! Well, for some us anyway. No more homework, book reports, projects due, late night runs to Walmart for cupcakes for school the next morning. Finally a break from dance lessons, sports and strict schedules. For others of us, there is a sense of “Oh no! No more schedules!” Your school age kids are HOME for the summer (as if your preschoolers weren’t already enough to entertain all day). I’m not sure about you but I have mixed feelings about summer home with ALL the kids. I’m thinking it will be nice not to have to grapple with my 11 year old to take a shower every morning and maybe there will be a little less eye rolling because we won’t be yelling at him to stop stalling and stay focused on his homework at night. But then, I’m thinking about how he loves to push the buttons of his 3 year old little brother just because he can. Even though there are eight years between them, when they are home together at the same time it’s like an instant explosion! They feel like they MUST be physical with one another, rolling around like bear cubs on the floor, pulling off sofa cushions and running through the house like wild Indians. Then there are those Nerf guns, ALL OVER the house with those foam bullets constantly flying past my head sticking to windows and walls. Long gone are the days when my little girl (who is now a big girl at age 19) played sweetly in the corner entertaining herself with her Barbie dolls or wrapping up her little kittens in blankets and pushing them around in her little doll stroller playing “mother” for hours. Sigh… So, it’s time to TAKE IT OUTSIDE boys! Now that spring has sprung and summer is just around the corner, there are so many ways to make the best of your time home with the kids.

Just a few days ago my 3 year old and I sat in patio chairs outside and talked about bugs. He remembered that he had received a little bug jar with a magnifying glass for Easter and quickly ran in to find it. With high intensity, the search was on. We talked about bugs for an hour. Oh the wonder in a little person’s eyes. I can say this now because I worked outside the home with both of my other children. You DO NOT want to miss these sweet little opportunities to experience life through their eyes. Listen up! My daughter graduated from high school last year and is now in college. Sniff! Sniff! Where did the time go?

Try not to hurry past God’s creations today. Simple activities can be spiritual experiences for you and your children. God wants you to approach life like an innocent child with no barriers. Let your guard down, moms. Find joy in these experiences before your little ones grow up and learn to bridle their laughter and stifle their expressions. You might even learn a little something about yourself. Be thankful that God chose you to be their mommy and let peace rule.

Here are some fun things for the little ones and some for the big kids too. Keep in mind, I’m not suggesting that you go out and spend money. Some of these items you already have lying around your house.

• Bird watching (with feeders) - There is a book at the bookstore called Birds of Iowa Field Guide by: Stan Tekiela. The pages are color tab coded according to the color of the bird you see. When you see a Robin, flip to the orange page and learn about what they like to eat, where they build their nests and what their eggs look like).

• Catching bugs in a jar – count their legs, talk about their colors

• Toddler sprinkler – Use a gallon milk jug, poke holes in the bottom and let your kids help you water the flowers and grass. Talk about nature with them.

• Bigger kids - Target Practice! Instead of shooting each other, take those Nerf guns outside. Get 5 or 6 empty plastic soda bottles or water bottles, fill them with just a little water to weigh them down, place a ping pong ball on top and let them go at it with the Nerf gun or with water guns.

• Frogs In the grass - Hide those little sticky frogs or snakes that come in those little packages (I know I have these all over the house including the ceiling) in the grass and have a hunt. The winner gets to choose what the others eat for snack time.

• Kid’s car wash - Set up a small container (plastic bowl) with water and soap (CAUTION – no large buckets of water without close supervision or drowning could occur) Have your kids wash their toys. Big kids can wash bikes or better yet, wash YOUR car! What kid doesn’t like water and bubbles?

A happy heart makes the face cheerful…the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

~PROVERBS 15:13,15

Choose to have a happy heart today.

With love,
Dana Moersfelder

Dear Lord,

It's such a hectic day,

With little time to stop and pray,

For Life's been anything but calm,

Since You called me to be a Mom,

Running errands, matching socks,

Building dreams with matching blocks,

Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes,

And other stuff that children lose,