She Wasn't Granola When I Married Her: Life with Granola Mom 4 God

This coming June will mark the end of the first decade of my marriage to Granola Mom 4 God (GM4G). There is a picture of the two of us on our wedding day that hangs on the wall of our closet. As I get ready for work every morning and as I get ready for bed every night, I gaze into that picture as if it is not a picture at all but a window, a window into a life that seems both as familiar as yesterday and yet as distant as a childhood memory. I see two people staring back through that window with intense and optimistic eyes. They are looking into that window as if they are looking into the future at me, but I know the window is only a mirror to them for it is impossible for them to really understand who I am… who we are after ten years together.

Ten years have gone by very quickly and yet the people in that window appear so different then they did on that perfect day when their covenant began. I scarcely doubt that anyone that knows us today would have any difficulty identifying our former selves in that picture. We look mostly the same now, just a little older. Our core values have remained largely unchanged, but maybe slightly more pragmatic. There have been no major unanticipated life changing events that have diverted us from the course we set out on when that picture was taken. We are still running the race of living a life fully committed to Jesus. Yet I know that the people looking back through that window could never have imagined the exact course their life has taken. I know the people in that window well enough to realize that they have no comprehension of the continents they will traverse nor the oceans they will cross, the valleys they will descend nor the mountain tops they will climb, the life they will create through their bodies nor the death that will be required within their bodies. While many of our experiences these last ten years have shaped us, none have been as impactful as the life we have seen created among us. In one sense, we have seen that life come from our bodies as it has been powerfully manifested itself in the lives of three very precious boys. In another sense, we have seen life enter our bodies as we have grown in our understanding and practice of eating foods that are full of life. This practice has been affectionately nicknamed, “granola living.”

It is true… she wasn’t granola when I married her. Nor was she a mom. The women looking back through that window was “4 God” just as she is now. Her “granola-hood” and her motherhood have profoundly changed the woman in that window in ways I never could have imagined, all of them for the better. Granola-hood has caused her to rely more fully on God by trusting that His ways are always better than our ways and that no part of His Word is without purpose and meaning for us today. How she ended up in granola-hood is not entirely clear to me. If you ask her, she will say that I got her into this. But I know now that whatever part I played in it has long ago been overshadowed by hours of her own study and experimenting. Her path to granola-hood has been a process shaped by the influence of good friends and a call to embrace food and life as God created it. If you ask her, she will say that I got her into this. It is hard to imagine living any other way now. What would our home be like without fermenting and sprouting? What would our backyard be like without a garden? What would meals be like without meticulously prepared whole foods?

How she ended up in motherhood is much clearer to me but I’ll refrain from sharing the details of that. As with granola-hood, she often reminds me that I got her into this too. While we may sometimes be weary from the life we have created, it is impossible to imagine life any other way now. Being a mother has forever changed her. It has allowed me to see the very best in her come out. I knew very well the day I married her that she was kind, patient, nurturing, and self-sacrificing. As I look back through that window today however, I am sure that I did not fully comprehend the depth of her kindness, her patience, her nurturing, or her self-sacrificing. So while it may be fun to gaze into that window and think upon the people we once were and the carefree life we once lived, I am certain that I am now living on the best side of that window and I wouldn’t ever trade this life, or the woman who shares it with me.

Lactation Needs Hydration

I'm a little miffed with myself. It started with the fact that on the Tuesday night before Mother's Day I realized that my day to shine and to honor both my mother and mother-in-law was this weekend (today, in fact). I thought it was over two weeks away for some bizarre reason. The Hot Husband and I created an intricately scheduled day to honor both of our moms. (The Hot Husband also worked on ways to honor me, too). We finally devised a plan and put it into action.

But I messed it up. You see, when you lactate, or nurse, you have to drink water. And the amount you drink the day before affects the following day. You would think that after the third child I would make sure to drink water. Well, I was pretty busy yesterday and didn't drink enough water. I woke up this morning with a screaming headache, nausea, and some other issues that really don't need to be discussed.

The table was set, the casserole in the oven, everything looked beautiful. I opened the door to my parents ashen and fresh out of the shower--totally not ready to celebrate but to pass out. I was in bed for the entire celebration. I missed church, too. I missed the Mom carnation that we get every year. I never knew how much I enjoyed getting my flower at church.

So to all of you lactating moms, here is a word of advise to you on Mother's Day, my gift to you: Stay hydrated.

Afterthought: Here is a picture of the boys after returning from church. Mr. Easy made me an apron in Sunday School (bless his teacher) and Mr. Smackdown handed me my annual carnation.

Proverbs 31

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you to the two great mothers in my life!

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family

and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

A Flood of Emotions

Due to all of the rain, the animals are moving to higher ground.

"And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living
creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy
all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember
the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that
is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which
I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Genesis
9:15-17

Granola Mom is sad today. Actually, only this past hour. Maybe it is the continual rain. The lake that never leaves our backyard. The weeds that are strangling our grass. How busy things are and the decisions that need to be made. The changes in loved-ones lives. And one other thing. But it is so trivial, that I am not going to mention it. I just need to grow up.

www.random.org chose the Nature's Providence Giveaway

And the Winner of my 3rd Giveaway from Nature's Providence is Heidi! I have never met Heidi but we have connected in the blogger world and it has been fun! Check out Heidi's blog!

For the Laurel Hasner giveaway, I actually put every one's name in a hat and drew John Hancock's from said hat. This time around, I assigned the 5 contestants a number in the order that comments were received. Two contestants actually had three entries each. Then, I used a random number generator from http://www.random.org/. Number 8 was the lucky number!