Good morning.

It is a wonderful morning when one can rise to the sound of children giggling, their little feet pitter pattering about the house. Older children seen in the kitchen with little ones laughing and singing and cooking breakfast together. Everyone clean and shiny and happy.

*wake up*

Someone hollering down the hall for Mom because their fort has been torn down by a sneaky older brother. The sound of the always on dryer clinking and clanking as the clothes tumble dry yet another load. The smoke alarm beeping as the pancakes that were supposed to be for breakfast are becoming charred as they sit on the griddle a bit too long. The dog yelping for attention and his morning potty run. The baby just stirring in the cradle and before you can rise to attend to everything, lets out a cry telling you that it has been 8 hours since his last meal. That is more like it! As much as I would love to believe in the existence of the first fairy tale, it is not my life. My glorious life is filled with normal, everyday noises that remind me that we are all human, sinful and part of a large family. Yes, our dryers run almost non stop. But what a blessing that we are able to dry our clothes rather than leave them outside to freeze. Yes, the smoke alarm does occassionally go off (usually because of some food left inside the oven and not cleaned up before the next pre-heating), but isn't that a sign of our being provided for that we have food to cook? And that I can clean one while cooking in the other oven? All of our noises are ours, and I hope that when my children grow, they will fondly remember the noises they grew up with. I love the fairy tales and Bible stories read endlessly, along with the little kiddie songs and clapping games. How many times in one day have you sung pat-a-cake? How many times have you read Green Eggs and Ham or the story of David and Goliath?