mama:monk

I love evenings. I love eating with my little family. I love reading or watching way too much TV (Last night? Guilty.). I love the freedom of rest after a day of completing tasks.

But packing never feels completed. And I have a difficult time resting when I could be packing boxes. I’m not really sure why, but I have moving monster who takes over my body for the weeks prior and after a move. I can’t stop till its packed and/or put away in the new place. So, as I type this, I’m trying not to stare at the hangers strewn about on some boxed up books in the living room. Why, I’m thinking, did the hangers make it into the living room in the first place? I’m also wondering why I haven’t finished boxing the books. Everyone knows that packing the books is the first and most fulfilling of the packing tasks. (You don’t have to wrap anything. They’re easy. And you feel like you’ve accomplished something profound.)

But Monster Packer Boyett-Hohorst wants to stop for a moment and tell you that today at Mom’s Group, a woman prayed that as I fill these boxes I would be aware of God’s presence and that I would be grateful. It’s easy to ignore (especially when monsters are taking over my insides) how every box I fill is a reminder of how much I’ve been given. I want to be aware of that, even in times that feel like chaos. (Did I mention that I just heard four croupy coughs in a row from August’s room? Great.)

So, I will now leave you with a prayer I found in my new favorite, The Celtic Way of Prayer. It’s a prayer for nighttime. And I know most of you will be reading this in the morning, but I’m writing before bed, and I promise it’s worth remembering for the next time you need a bit of nighttime peace.

The sacred Three
To save,
To shield,
To surround
The hearth,
The house,
The household,
This eve,
This night,
Oh! this eve,
This night,
And every night,
Each single night.
Amen.