A Creative Work

I have been trying for the last month or so to write a short essay or article each week about what the Lord is teaching me through motherhood. Here is today's effort. I haven't figured out what to do with my writing, so I thought I'd start here. Enjoy!

A Creative Work

It is a summer evening, and the warm sun still glimmers, low on the horizon, as I close the door to Elisa’s bedroom. Through the open window in the hallway a lilac-laced breeze flutters inside. I breathe in the sweet fragrance, reviving my weary heart.

The living room is strewn with toys; the dinner dishes are scattered over the sticky oak table. There is dry laundry waiting to be folded, and my fingers trace a line through a layer of fine dust as I lightly brush them over the banister on the way downstairs. I sigh. Where did my day go? How can there still be so much work to accomplish? Quietly clearing the table, I think through the day: the meals prepared, the stories read, and the tears dried. I sang at naptime, and recited nursery rhymes while pushing Elisa on the swing. I helped build a block tower and stirred a pot of make-believe soup. Sadie’s diapers were changed and rinsed. Elisa was lifted onto the “big girl potty” a half-dozen times and propped against the sink to wash her hands with lots of vanilla-scented soap. I played peek-a-boo. I searched for – and found – Elisa’s special flower blanket. I pushed a double stroller down a dirt road and stopped to stare at the horses. A thousand small moments form one long, simple day.

There is nothing tangible to show for those fast-paced hours of caring for children and my home. The still-crumpled laundry and messy kitchen are the only souvenirs from the day’s journey. My spirit feels rumpled, restless, and uncertain. Is this all there is? What am I doing with my life? I want to honor the Lord by using the gifts He has given me. I want my life to bear fruit that will last. And this – this hodge-podge, messy day – doesn’t feel fruitful.

Or is it? I felt called to leave my career as a nurse and stay home with my babies. But what is it that God means for me to accomplish in the razzle-frazzle of child-rearing? For a few moments, I ignore the mess and curl up on the couch with my Bible. I’ve been reading slowly through Galatians, in a contemporary version that makes me smile. In Galatians 6: 4-5, it reads “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”

I read those words again. How does God do it? How does He breathe fresh life into words that I’ve read so many times before? The words are familiar, but they wash over me as if brand new on this quiet night.

This is who I am! I am a mother. A nurturer. A wife. A caregiver. And this razzle-frazzle, hodge-podge crazy, messy life is the work I have been given. This is what God has called me to do. I need to sink myself into my work, doing the “creative best” I can with my own life. Maybe at the end of the day I have little to present to the world. There is no completed product, no artistic masterpiece except for Elisa’s construction paper drawings.

But someday the hours of life that I pour into God’s children will bear fruit in their small hearts. As I teach them, train them, love them, and show them Christ, their molded hearts and lives will bear witness that I have been faithful to the work God has given me.

Closing my Bible, I lift my hands to the Author of my life. With a smile on my lips, I pray, thanking Him for my children, for my husband, and for the simple, seemingly mundane duties He has given me to accomplish.

And then, humbled, I ask Him for wisdom to faithfully and creatively complete His work.

Seven Months of Bliss

Little Sadie Pearl turns seven months old today. Here are some facts about her life...

- She says "da-da-da."
- She scoots herself in circles (not forwards, not backwards, just in circles).
- She sits up sturdy and strong.
- She has no teeth yet.
- She is incredibly patient with her often rough and wild big sister.
- She makes us smile.
- She has a great laugh.
- She looks a little like her Boppa.


We have not started solid foods yet; she is content with mama's milk and is sleeping well... we'll wait until one of those things changes before we introduce any other foods. She breastfeeds four times during the day, and I slip into her room at 10:00 to feed her as she sleeps one last time. I think I will miss that time when we stop that feeding... it is precious to have the dark quiet just to relish my baby girl with no distractions...

We love you, Sadie girl!

Shave and a Haircut....

Well, or maybe just a haircut. Here is Elisa with her new 'do, courtesy of our sweet neighbor, Mrs. Gaertner.




Here's a picture of the process. She did great holding still!





Erik skiing in June! For Father's Day, he headed up Jackson Peak with two buddies, carrying a pair of borrowed tele skis... They had a blast careening down the steep slope with lots of fresh, heavy snow. Kind of crazy, because in the valley it was well over seventy on Sunday.

Father's Day

A couple of days ago, I stood in front of a card display at the grocery store. I found a card for Erik from the girls, then chose one for him from me, then turned automatically to the section filled with "To Daddy from Daughter" cards. As I realized what I was doing, a sob caught in my throat. Oh, how I wish I could mail a card to Heaven! Wouldn't that be great, if we there was heavenly mail service? Like - the Angel Wing Express or something?

I am so blessed. My husband is an amazing dad. I love watching him play with our two daughters; I love watching his face light up when Elisa runs to hug him in the evening, or when Sadie giggles at his peek-a-boo game. I love his patience as he trains Elisa in God's ways, as he teaches her and disciplines her. I love him with all my heart, and there is no one in the world I would rather be partners in parenting with.

My dad was an amazing dad, too. There is no one in the world I would have rather have had for that job, either! I miss him so much, today. A weekend where we are supposed to remember and honor our fathers... and I can't tell him how much he means to me. We ate barbecued ribs tonight in his memory; that was Dad's traditional Father's Day dinner on the houseboat at Lake Powell. (Erik loves them, too.)

I realize these two amazing men are such wonderful fathers because they are led by their Heavenly Father. They turned their lives and their hearts over to God, and He taught them by His spirit and His word how to love their children. Thank you, Dad, for allowing God's love to flow through you to us. And, thank you, my sweet husband, for doing the same.

Happy Father's Day!

Six Days After Surgery

I just checked Craig and Valerie's site, and our friend Ethan is not doing well today. Please take a moment to pray for him! It sounds as though he may have an infection (his chest cavity is still open) and his kidneys are not functioning. His little body is battling so much, and as a mom, my heart just wrenches as I imagine what he is suffering and what his parents are enduring.

One Snowy Saturday in June

Yesterday, Erik and I loaded our girls into the car, packed a picnic, blankets and warm snow clothes, and braved the elements for a Grand Teton adventure. We drove into the park and followed a bumpy dirt road for an hour until we came to a picturesque fishing spot. It was snowing lightly, flurries of fine cottony flakes... the sky opened as we parked and we were able to enjoy a pocket of sunshine as we ate PB & J and drank hot tea. A strange sort of summer afternoon, bundled in our down jackets... but the girls enjoyed getting out. Elisa has learned to go potty outside, and she thinks it is great fun. We saw a buffalo up close; Elisa has learned all of her wild western mammals and can say "buffalo" with amazing clarity. She also, by the way, knows the caribou live in Alaska with Grandma and Grandpa. :) Sadie is so easy-going; she did great tucked in her fleece suit. She doesn't sleep well in the car, though, so her normally 2 hour nap was only 30 minutes, and we had one tired punkin by the time evening fell.





Erik holding Elisa's head up over the bumps. It kept bobbing as she slept, so he supported her forehead and she stayed asleep most of the dirt road with Mommy driving.


Mr. Buffalo!

Dining Al Fresco along the Snake River. Snow gear in June!


Visiting the park always makes me miss my dad with a fresh fierceness. I have so many memories of summer afternoons spent on Jackson Lake.... I never understood how you can physically ache for missing someone until I lost my dad this year. It hurts. It really does. He was such an incredible man! I am reminded of his character and his legacy every day. And as I miss him and long for my girls to know him, I also hurt because there are so many things I wish I had done or said differently... so many times I was selfish... so many times I had opportunities to show love and I didn't....

Two weeks before he died, Elisa and I (and Sadie in my bulging mama belly) went with he and Mom to Lake Powell. I remember having Elisa nearly asleep in the hotel room when my dad innocently walked in to use the restroom. And I snapped at him. It's funny how those moments haunt me and I wish I had been more deserving of the kindness he gave me all the time.

I had the opportunity to present our memorial scholarship in his honor a couple of weeks ago at an awards night at the high school. I stood up and said, "My name is Colleen Wachob and I am proud to be the daughter of Dr. Alvis Forbes." Before I had finished the sentence, a scatter of applause began that soon grew into a standing ovation as the entire auditorium of several hundred people applauded his memory. I was flabbergasted, and yet I shouldn't have been. Dad touched our family the most, certainly. He loved us so well. But he also touched the lives of countless others... I am so proud of him.

It may not be the best doctrine, but as I was driving through the park yesterday, I thought of how I am comforted by the knowledge that, even though I can't tell Dad all the things I want to tell him, I can talk to Jesus. And my dad is sitting there, worshiping at Jesus' feet. I hope - and believe - that every once in a while, Jesus leans over and tells him, "You did your job well. You are loved. And you are missed." I hope He passes on those messages to him, that Dad knows about his new granddaughter and grandson, that he knows how thankful we are for the time we had with him, knows about the people like Mr. Overly who have expressed how much Dad's loss spurred them to life and heart changes. And maybe, just maybe, Jesus can give him a hug and say, "this one's from Colleen."

Hello, Dolly!

The house in green!

And the barn.



Riding bikes in the rain!

I realize it's been a long time since I updated you on the adventures of our little family. We acquired a horse from Erik's parents (until she sells) and Elisa has been enjoying trips to the back pasture to feed "Dolly-girl." She is a pretty docile horse and comes running from across the field whenever we shake the magic blue bucket of alfalfa treats.








This is Elisa looking savvy and sunshiny. I think she's all ready for our family trip to Maui in August, don't you? She's getting so grown up. We have been doing preschool with buddy James Tolson, and yesterday she learned about the migration patterns of artic terns. :) Not that she'll actually remember, but it has been really fun to sit down for some structured story time and crafts. The stories are classic children's literature, and I love introducing my daughter to those time-tested tales. I can't wait until she's old enough for Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Little Princess, Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan.... Elisa is such a little lady. She doesn't like being dirty, and she loves to prance around the house in her dress-up clothes, especially hand-me-down flower dresses with flouncy skirts. She is a firecracker, too, with a confident spirit and a strong will.

Sadie is our happy-go-lucky girl. She is six months old now, and she weighs 17 pounds, 8 ounces, exactly what Elisa weighed then, although Sadie is a full inch longer. She has an infectious laugh and a great, gooey grin. She is a delight. I couldn't have asked for a happier, sweeter baby.

Thank you so much for your prayers for little Ethan. He is stable at this point, although still requiring assistance from a "VAD" in order for his tiny heart to pump properly. You can read more about his surgery on Craig and Val's blog (see the link on the right). It will be a long journey for this sweet family.