Success

I over heard a conversation the other day while standing in line at the grocery store and wanted to interrupt so bad but couldn't.  I was shocked, taken back a little you could say. And yes this post may even offend some of you who read it.

An older man was visiting with a younger man, obviously they hadn't seen one another in quite some time.  And the younger man was going on and on about his new house he built and the new truck he owns, and the cabin at the lake, and the boat he enjoys.  The older man than followed up with how successful the younger man is sure doing, and how glad he was for him.  He mentioned the word "success" or "successful" numerous times it was making me sick.  I wanted to interrupt so bad, and ask them both "is that truly how you measure success?"   Is it truly in what people see from the outside??  The big fancy new home, the new vehicles that have endless car payments, the boat in the garage, the holidays you go on???  I really wanted to know, because society now, sure seems that's how people are measuring there success these days, by all the material things in there life.

As I stood in line, I know both guys glanced at me more than a few times, probably because I had 4 kids with me, or could it be perhaps the number of times I repeated myself, "no Boedy you don't need a chocolate bar", "Aubrie put the Easter egg back", "Allie you don't need gum", "no, No, NO!!!"  I wanted to so stop right there in all the chaos, and say, "you want to know how I measure success??  I don't measure success by the money in our bank account, or the house we live in, or the vehicles people drive.  To me that's not successful. I measure success when I look at these 4 little monsters who rule my life.  I measure success by the moments each one of them learn something new, learn to walk, smile, read, ride a bike.  I measure success by the chaos in my house each day, and how beautiful they look when I go look at them after they have fallen asleep.  I measure success by the way they look up to me and daddy right now like we are there everything and all they ever need.  I measure success by the toys scattered through out my house, and the laundry piled high, and the dishes in the sink, and the movie nights we have, and how excited they get when we all are together as a family just watching a movie, or the family bike rides, or walks in the evening, or the soccer ball we kick around and the Frisbee we toss back and forth.   Nothing else compares to these 4 beautiful kids who have stolen my heart... no house, no money, no vehicle."

I left the grocery store, loaded the kids in the van and the grocery's.  Sat in my front seat as I watched that young guy walk to his fancy truck, get in and go.  I sat there, looking in my rear view mirror and choked up a bit.  I was proud of what I had in that vehicle with me, proud of the angels that were given to me.  And not a day goes by where I don't look at them and think about how successful Iam!!