Celebrating Groundhog's Day

For years, each morning I was greeted by the sound of a baby crying, the smell of dirty diapers, and the sight of a house that desperately needed a maid. Blurry eyed and foggy minded, I stumbled down the stairs with a toddler on my hip, a preschooler clinging to my leg, and the baby balanced over my shoulder. Upon arriving at the kitchen table, after managing to let the dog out and the cats in, we would shove the previous night’s dishes out of the way and begin our morning with breakfast, in hopes that more food would end up in little tummies than on the floor.

And this is how it went,
     day after
           day after
                  day after
                         day after day…….

During this period of my life, which I like to call the groundhog years, I was desperate for adventure. My days went by in a blur and felt pointless. While mopping spilled kool-aid, I would dream of feeding aids orphans alongside my husband while being a missionary in Malawi. When I sat on my country porch watching the kids play in the field, visions of my family and I sharing Christ with the neighbors in our high rise apartment in Leipzig, Germany floated through my head. I spent hours re-living mission trips to Mexico, church camps, and weekend retreats. I begged God to let me live on “The Edge” again. The Edge, where God invites you to throw over all logic and anything else that you might be holding on to. The Edge, where He is at work and He allows you to be a part of and witness to, amazing life changing events that can only be explained as supernatural.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being a mom and I treasured my time with my little ones. It was just that I craved a little excitement. I knew God was still working and using me. Raising my kids will likely be the most important thing I do in my lifetime. However, when you’re up to your knees in drool and sour sippy cups it doesn’t always feel like it.

God used my groundhog years to show me that He works just as much in the little moments as He does during the big adventures. He has always been here, loving, teaching, molding and making. It’s silly but I get a kick out of Groundhog’s Day because it reminds me that living moment by moment can be just as much of an adventure as living on the edge.

On a personal note, many of you know 2010, was nothing even close to a groundhog year for our family. Instead, it was the year God gave me what I asked for. Life on the edge. It wasn’t the way I imagined it. We didn’t go overseas or re-live our glory days leading a youth ministry. However, 2010 did bring the Clancy’s endless adventure, teach us crazy love, and develop rock solid faith.

I am going to skip the details of the entire year for the time being, and fast forward to December so I can catch everyone up on what is happening now.

After I left the Class Christian Writers conference, I had big writing plans. I couldn't wait to just park myself at my computer and write. God, thankfully had plans too and decided the Clancy family had waited long enough. It was time move us out of my parent’s house and back into the workforce. Whoo hoo!

It makes me sad that today is the first day I have been able to write in months but, I have gladly put it on hold in order to start our new life.

So, for now, the Clancy’s are done with winter……..

We are now living in beautiful Georgetown Texas, which happens to be only an hour from my family. Dan is the Children’s/Family Pastor at First Baptist Church Georgetown. The kiddos are settling in at Ford Elementary School and spend their weekends playing basketball. We absolutely love it here. God has blessed us in ways only He could think up. After 14 years of living all over the country, I am finally home.
I am no longer a mis-placed Texan!