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Hey everyone, thanks for listening in on my 1st Podcast!! WooWoo! and if you're reading this from my blog thanks for taking the time out of your crazy schedule to join us!
My name is Connie Lynn and I’m the CEO of 6 kids, I always include that count as my husband being number 1, my 4 awesome kids, ages 15, 11, 10 & 8 and my dog, ORSO… woof, woof! Ha ha just kidding, he’s next to me sleeping away! Everyday's a party at this house whether I want one or not and like most parties we have days that are completely off the wall and a few days far and in between where we get some down time together. We are in the heat of crazy sport, school and church schedules and I felt it on my heart to start a podcast knowing very well I’m not the only one in this crazy season of life. So thanks again for joining us! I hope you come back and listen in on more of what’s to come but mostly I hope a few minutes of you listening in on each podcast can fill your heart with a bigger smile and a little more love each day!
I have to start with a funny story of when I was a teacher’s aide, one of the best jobs! Well, I was in the classroom and Mrs. L was working with a few kids when two little cuties stopped and stood in her doorway, one with a pile of napkins in her hand and the other a little boy carrying a dish of mini cupcakes. They both looked a little nervous but caught our eye and Mrs. L smiled and told them to come on in! Mrs. L has a high energy way of teaching and puts her kids love and learning first and foremost so visitors at her door were very common. She builds a relationship with each of her students and is one that goes above and beyond doing more than “Just her job”. So I’m pretty sure with her reputation, these two wanted to come in the big 4th grade class and share this treat they carried in. They slowly walked in both looking at each other and she asks, is this a birthday treat? They look at each other again both waiting for the other to reply. Instead they nod their heads yes. She tries again to make small talk with them, “well is this a treat for me?” they again look at each other waiting for the other to speak and again, nervously nod their head yes.
I have to start with a funny story of when I was a teacher’s aide, one of the best jobs! Well, I was in the classroom and Mrs. L was working with a few kids when two little cuties stopped and stood in her doorway, one with a pile of napkins in her hand and the other a little boy carrying a dish of mini cupcakes. They both looked a little nervous but caught our eye and Mrs. L smiled and told them to come on in! Mrs. L has a high energy way of teaching and puts her kids love and learning first and foremost so visitors at her door were very common. She builds a relationship with each of her students and is one that goes above and beyond doing more than “Just her job”. So I’m pretty sure with her reputation, these two wanted to come in the big 4th grade class and share this treat they carried in. They slowly walked in both looking at each other and she asks, is this a birthday treat? They look at each other again both waiting for the other to reply. Instead they nod their heads yes. She tries again to make small talk with them, “well is this a treat for me?” they again look at each other waiting for the other to speak and again, nervously nod their head yes.
Mrs. L and I at this point just wanted to gobble up all their cuteness. She says to them, “which one should I pick?” and the 3 of them are all staring down at the cupcakes while I’m observing this timid nervousness or shyness of the little cuties and how Mrs. L is doing her best to put them at ease. All of a sudden, a timer goes off. Startling all of us, the little girl reaches under her handful of napkins at the small white timer their teacher must’ve set for them, they both look frantically at it, then at Mrs. L. “Oh! Does that mean you have to go?” she says. They again nod their head yes. Ok?! Mrs. L then you better get going! And before she could pick out the treat they originally walked in to give her, they had turned around and frantically headed out the door back to their classroom! We both laughed and said, “Well, I guess it was time’s up!? And from then on we had a little inside chuckle with one another saying “Times Up!” every time there was a moment of decision making.
How many of us everyday live by a timer! Never finishing one thing, running from one place to the next. A timer for when to leave, when to be there by, when to pick the kids up, what time they need to start eating in order to get to the next appointment on time. How many of us our running as if Time. Is. Up!?! It’s a crazy chaotic schedule right?! And you. Are. exhausted! I’m exhausted! With 4 kids all in a million different things, a husband working long days, I’m completely exhausted! We started our own Non Profit, Dibbs 17, I teach CPR classes, speak at different women’s groups, volunteer when I can at my children’s schools, and work part time with the Girls on the Run organization! I filled my own calendar let alone keeping track of everyone else’s! But that’s the season I’m in, maybe the season YOU are in! Maybe a new mom just wanting to catch up on sleep or even have the energy to shower! Maybe just getting back to work after being home with little ones running around enjoying their quick years of toddler life!? Maybe you are working non stop and just keeping your head afloat working through challenges that you feel are endless each day!
Whatever TIMER is keeping you from pausing, taking a breath and running forward without a cupcake, its OK!
This is the season YOU are in.
This is the season YOU are in.
People ask you about your schedule for upcoming week and your response is just let me get through today. Pause your timer, pause it a minute, take a breath and look around you. This moment is a moment you’ll never get back again. So just “BE”. Be in the moments that you are running everywhere and in your head instead of waiting for the next timer to go off, think about the time. You. are. In. These moments are long moments to some that they would do anything to get back. These are moments people pray for to -live again. These are moments that it’s all about YOU. You are not alone, you are doing everything you can, you may feel like you are barely keeping your head above water each day but YOU ARE! And one day at a time, you will see how fast these moments are flying by. It’s easy to say slow down, stop and smell the roses, take a breath, but guess what?! It's HARD to do and nothing easy has great rewards. Your child will remember the conversations you had in the car on the way to school, the moments of excitement when you picked them up and listened to them talk about how practice went. The moments that you say with them and looked at their homework together or maybe just a few moments right before bedtime when they just wanted you to lay right next to them. These are moments they will cherish forever and you will never get back. Learn to say no, learn to say yes, which way do we go? Yes or no? All the media with different strategies on how to raise your children and manage your time… yes or no? We… I say just BE, be in your moment, set the timer for the first time in your life to remind yourself to just be. Put it on post its in your car, on your mirror, reminders on your phone. JUST BE. Your list will always be forever long! If you had 6 more hours in the day let’s be real, you’d use it to squeeze more time in! We all have 24 hours, we all value our time in different ways so let’s just all “BE” and fill the little moments with what we need to value most, and that’s US, YOU, ME, US. Set your timer, to BE in that moment, take that cupcake, enjoy it, savor the flavor and when the timer goes off, you know you filled that very moment with a smile, a full heart and you cherished YOU.
