Things are gradually evening out after adding a new little one to our family. Our previously youngest little girl has the biggest struggles. She is figuring out how to be a person of her own and at two has mastered a tantrum. I honestly worry about her sometimes, but building an atmosphere that helps her to feel safer and calmer is a thing that takes time.

If I think about it all at once I am quickly worrying about all the problems she’ll have as an adult if we don’t do everything right right now. Because I just want my little girl to grow up whole and healthy and happy. Like every mama before me.

But sometimes thinking about it all at once leaves me feeling incapable of helping her at all, when really I have all the moments I need to build her strong and whole – as I can, because only God can really give her that wholeness.

So I’m claiming the little moments back.

A smile here.

A tickle-fest there.

An upside-down ride to nap-time.

A game of chase around the kitchen.

A bite of chocolate in secret.

Cuddles with blankies.

A trip to the store without her siblings (eventually).

The little special things that add up.

Because when I choose these little moments instead of worrying about the whole I get to see her smile from the middle of who she is. That joy-light in her eyes. And the whole will build itself around the happy chosen moments instead of only on the hard necessary moments of parenting.

Hopefully she’ll know she’s loved and that is what she’ll remember even amidst the mistakes young parents are bound to make.

I am blogging everyday this October on the theme of Soul Calm. I want to take the dust of the day and sift it through my fingers. I want to see beauty, drink peace, and rest in calm assurance. Let the dust drift away, seen and unseen, beautiful, maybe, but not mine to keep. I hope it blesses you. You can find the collection of Soul Calm posts here:

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