The Dolly Mama

Celebration, Family, Grief, Marriage, Motherhood, Thanks

Kitchen Table, I Will Miss You Most of All

Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019 by Esther Goetz

Kitchen Table,

Here I sit on one of your chairs, spending some much-needed time with you today. What a mess you are, strewn with apples just bought at the farm stand, my purse, books I am reading, an open cereal container, a dirty plate filled with the remains of eggs and toast, my phone, some unpaid bills and a piping hot cup of tea.

You couldn’t be more perfect.

I am so sorry that I am not bringing you with me next week when we move.

You have been such a strong, yet inviting friend to me. Out of everything I am leaving behind, I will miss you most of all.

I will miss choosing you at the furniture shop over 28 years ago, my thoughts of the future with you swirling in my head.

I will miss decorating you for every.single.reason. From apples to pumpkins to snowflakes to birthdays to easter eggs to whatever tickled my fancy.

I will miss babies being pulled up in their high chairs next to you, surrounded by faces of those who love them.

I will miss the spinning lazy Susan in your middle that holds napkins, salt and pepper, the standard balsamic vinaigrette, butter and some spicy seasoning I refuse to try.

I will miss dogs licking up all the crumbs off the floor beneath you.

I will miss spaghetti-faced toddlers “coloring” you with red sauce.

I will miss sheets turning you into a fort for Dad and his little ones.

I will miss the small missing piece on your leaf where one of us dropped something hard and you paid the price.

I will miss your chairs where each one of us sat in our “assigned” places.

I will miss dishes being set on you for large family gatherings where you became the “kid’s table.”

I will miss laughing and crying, listening and talking, whispering and yelling, all of it.

I will miss nails being painted, pumpkins being carved and homework assignments being mostly finished on top of you.

I will miss the dreams shared, the scoldings given, and the “you have to try it” mantra being repeated every single night.

I will miss friends throwing purses on you and coats on your chairs as hearts were shared in another room.

I will miss birthday parties with cupcakes crumbled in your crevices and balloons tied to your chairs.

I will miss Thanksgiving soup being prepared as veggies and turkey were chopped into tiny pieces on your very sturdy, formica (but wood-look) top.

I will miss the way you endured beer-sampling, game-playing and appetizer-eating on all those crazy extended family holidays.

I will miss arguments, raised voices and quieter apologies with you right there in the middle of it all, holding us together.

I will miss how you held Easter baskets, babies, fondue sets, games, legos and gingerbread houses, displaying for everyone to see.

I will miss flowers, invitations and decorations scattered all over you as showers and weddings were being prepped.

I will miss normal family dinners when someone got trouble for poking the person next to them. (NOTE: It was never Dad.)

I will miss how you watched from afar as silly pictures were being taken on the computer only a few feet from you.

I will miss Friday pizza nights when you were sprinkled with paper plates and plastic cups filled with everyone’s favorite drink of choice.

BUT what I will really miss is the way you stayed with me through six kids, four houses, one marriage, lots of hellos, many goodbyes, and all the celebrations and sadness that made up our family. You stayed with me.

How good and precious for me to be alone with you right now, just the two of us, saying our goodbye to each other. Thank you for being with me as tears sneak down my cheek, a lump forms in my throat and I not-so-secretly hate leaving you behind. I couldn’t be more grateful to you. Thank you. Thank you. You have held my heart well.

You have been a mess in the past. You are a mess right now. But you have been perfect. You couldn’t be more perfect.

I will miss you most of all.

Esther

Faith, Family, Grief, Motherhood, Uncategorized

Two Babies

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Esther Goetz

I wasn’t good at listening to pain in those early mom years.

I was good at getting things done.

I wasn’t good at facing loss in those early mom years.

I was good at never looking back.

I wasn’t good at sitting in grief in those early mom years.

I was good at looking at the “bright side.”

I lost two babies in the middle of all the other pregnancies that bore children and never skipped a beat. I got things done. I never looked back. I looked at the “bright side.”

This morning, as the reality of moving away from our family home in just a few short days, along with my grown-up children sleeping in homes far away,

I choose to skip a beat.

I choose to listen to my pain. I choose to not get things done. I choose to remember those babies whose names I will never know, who didn’t get to live in our family home and who are not now sleeping in homes far away.

I choose to face my loss. I choose to look back. I lost those babies. I am losing my home. I am losing my heavy-duty, active mom years.

I choose to sit right here for at least a few minutes with this gentle friend called grief. I choose to look at the shadow side. Those two precious souls who live with Jesus in heaven makes this mama heart sad. The truth that I will never sit around my beat-up kitchen table again with my kids makes me sad. The memories of little ones clutching my pant legs and teenagers sleepily coming down the stairs on Christmas morning makes me sad.

I choose to not rush to joy this morning. It’s really good in this place.

Faith, Health, Sabbath

Giving Up Normal (Part One)

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Esther Goetz

***I’M THE GUEST ON THE “GIVING UP NORMAL” PODCAST…20 MINUTES…DON’T MISS IT***

Are you a workaholic? Are you constantly on the go? Do you have very little space and margin in your life? Do you struggle to stop? You are not alone. Many of us are living 24/7. We live in a constant state of doing and producing and we can feel it as it impacts us physically, emotionally and spiritually. The 24/7 life puts us in a danger zone that can lead to burnout and is not the way God created us to be.

In today’s episodes, Jen talks with writer, podcaster and leader Esther Goetz as she shares her own journey of being forced to stop the 24/7 life and embrace the gift of sabbath by living 24/6.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

Charity, Faith, Family, Friendship, Thanks

LOVE is Still Winning

Posted on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 by Esther Goetz

It can feel like HATE is winning. Fear creeps into our skin and buries deep within us, tearing our souls in shreds. Despair tangles her knots around our spirits, attempting to blow out the tiny flickers of hope we carry inside.

Hate is NOT winning. It will never win.

LOVE is winning. LOVE will always win.

LOVE WINS WHEN A…

…mommy and daddy hold their newborn and shout, “We are so in love!” on social media and then take 1,345,428 pictures for the next year.

…married couple look deep into each other’s hurting eyes and say, “We will fight for each other. Let’s go to a counselor.”

…toddler giggles at the sight of their aunt coming in the door, arms filled with gifts that only she can get away with giving.

…friend texts in the middle of the day and says, “I’m here. Call me day or night.”

…teacher pulls her “spicy” student aside, and says, “I believe in you.”

…top executive makes his way to an inner city soup kitchen on a Friday night in the pouring rain.

…garbage collector rings your doorbell to remind you it’s Tuesday because your trash cans are still in your garage and then waits until you go running downing the driveway in your jammies with said cans flailing behind (#personalstory)

…gangly middle-schooler takes a risk to befriend the new kid who moved into the neighborhood.

…hospice worker cares tirelessly, going many extra miles, for the victim of a dreaded disease.

…person on the “other side” shares these words, “I hear you. I see your point of view.”

…boss reminds a new and confused worker that failure is part of eventual success.

…grandpa plays “peek-a-boo” for the 48th time in the last 10 minutes.

…customer in the grocery store line steps aside and says, “Go ahead of me.”

…Savior sends a gorgeous rainbow to remind us of his promise never to leave us or forsake us.

…mechanic takes the time to help a stranger in need in the middle of Kansas on a cross-country trek (#anotherpersonalstory CLICK HERE)

…victim chooses forgiveness over revenge

…knowing smile that says, “me too,” sneaks to the lips of a stranger across the room.

…doctor takes the extra minute in the room and says, “I’m here to help. You will not fight this alone.”

…roommate utters the precious words, “I’ll do the dishes tonight.”

Overwhelming peace quiets our desperate souls. Hope is lit brightly again far down in our fledgling spirits.

It’s everywhere. It’s all the time.

LOVE is winning. LOVE will always win.

Faith, Sabbath

Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Esther Goetz

I am overwhelmed by the deep deep love of Jesus this morning.

It’s the kind of overwhelmed where tears have reached my eyes and I cannot prevent them from leaking out.

It’s the kind of overwhelmed where these salty drops running down my cheeks are a very GOOD thing.

I share this two-minute song this morning. Soak in the love of Jesus. Rest right there. There’s nothing better in the world to do.

From my heart to yours,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUhwyjdk8A

Family, Motherhood

Sometimes We Just Need to Be the Mom

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Esther Goetz

Sometimes we just need to be the mom.

Not the teacher who makes sure they have all their facts straight.

Not the coach who makes sure they have all their moves right.

Not the pastor who makes sure they have all their acts together.

Not the mouth that speaks, but the ears that hear and arms that hold.

Sometimes we just need to be the mom.

Faith, Family, Marriage, Motherhood

This Felt Almost Creepy

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Esther Goetz

This felt almost creepy when I checked my TimeHop earlier this week.

I dug deep inside my cerebellum, to no avail, trying to recall what was going on 10 years ago to make me write this (especially as a Facebook status).

My kids were 17, 16, 13 and 9 at the time. My husband was working in New York City, commuting about three hours a day. Enough said. I needed a lot of trusting God.

I still do.

Some days, I march into the beautiful mess of my life, fully alive and filled with hope and peace. Trusting God comes almost eerily easy.

Other days, I wake up with my heart racing. Getting out of bed and facing the challenges in front of me seems daunting. Trusting God feels impossible.

This little reminder (thank you technology) stopped me in my mental tracks. WOW! God was worth trusting for the last 10 years. I am living proof.

He’s shown up in ways unimaginable then. He’s guided and guarded our family (through our own crappy choices and circumstances). He’s walked beside me, holding me in the darkness and cheering me on in the light. He’s been worth trusting.

Today, my kids are 27, 26, 23 and 19 and live in four different cities. There’s now a son-in-law and toddler in the mix. My husband works in Pittsburgh, commuting on an airplane three days a week. Enough said. I need a lot of trusting God.

So TimeHop, I know 10 years from now, this post is going to come up on my screen (or whatever we have then). Another gentle reminder to keep trusting God for the next 10…

(yikes, I will be 63)!