The "in-betwina" times

There's a joke going around our house these days (prepare yourself--it was created by a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old):

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Betwina
Betwina who?
(and the two jokesters collapse in laughter)

Wanting to figure out what was so funny (and who Betwina is), we discovered they were trying to say "Katrina", who, apparently, is a character on the tv show "Oswald". The name itself (and their inability to say it) became the punchline. After about a million and a half repetitions one day, I turned to John and said, "Betwina you and me, I'm a little tired of this joke!" So my clever husband suggested the title for this post.

I spend a lot of my life anticipating what is to come. You know, that magical time when the demands of life slow down and I have free time to relax and enjoy life. Surprisingly, that time never seems to come! I know that part of it is my own unrelenting drive to get everything done and to do it all to a standard that often leaves me frazzled, exhausted, and somewhat crazy. It also sets me up to wish my life away in a sense. Instead of appreciating the beauty of my life now, I dream of a day when the kids are a little older, a little more self-sufficient, and my schedule has a lot more flexibility. And yet, I realize that when I get to that point, I will miss my sweet little babies who so desparately wanted my time and attention.

So much of life is spent in the "in-betwina" times. In the church calendar, this is appropriately named "Ordinary Time" (the seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost, or time that is not Advent, Lent, Easter, or Christmas). When we look too far ahead to the momentous occasions (or developmental milestones), we miss the joy of the daily journey. Although the daily tasks can be onerous and unending, this is the stuff of life; messy, exhausting, miraculous life.

Living life in the moment and truly appreciating how blessed and fleeting it is can be a spiritual practice in itself. This is one I aim to practice more these days.