Balance

This word has come up a lot in the past two days. Mamoune uses it to brag about how we are finally a "balanced" family -as in three boys, three girls. Nathan explained to me that Isabella learning to walk will be no problem; "she just needs to balance, Mom." And Isaiah learned the hard way that being off-balance, especially on a trampoline, can lead to a busted mouth. Even as I type my daughter is calling for my attention because she has balanced the baby's bottle on the back of her hand. (We have high hopes for her circus career.)

Balance for me means that I will attempt to work on sorting piles for every minute that I stand in the middle of a room and stare blankly at the wall. Have you ever given your computer too many commands at once only to have it freeze up on you? This is what happens to my brain. When we moved to NC from GA eight years ago, it was the same story. I would pack two or three items then lay down and fall asleep for an hour. I'm certain that it's some built in defense mechanism for handling emotional and mental overload. So, if this post ends abruptly in mid-thought you'll know I've dozed off.

Anyway, back to balance. Life is a balancing act. And on calm days it's not so bad. But some days there are external (and internal) forces working against you. Imagine the little guy to the right in the middle of hurricane season. Probably not so easy.

Scripture speaks about balance, too. Proverbs 30 says "give me neither poverty nor riches." With too much comes arrogance, with too little, thievery. "Feed me with the food allotted to me," that's balance. And in Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns us not to be overly wise nor foolish. That it is "good that you grasp this. And also, that you not remove your hand from the other."

It feels like we have done this. Grasped the one thing -Haiti and all that it brings, but not removed our hand from the other -our church and family. I think it should be this way though sometimes the traction between the two directions just makes my arms tired. And in the meantime, there is a messy house to clean and children who are probably feeling pulled and torn as well but don't have the platform to express it like I do.

Off to love them through their favorite activity: chores! (insert three pair of rolling eyes here)