About the time that my oldest child was reaching those toddler years, I heard about Susannah Wesley.  She had not only given birth to nineteen children, she had faithfully and lovingly discipled them through some very difficult circumstances.  Of course, the world remembers her as the mother of John and Charles.  Read more about Susannah Wesley here.

Anyway, as the story goes, whenever Susannah needed some quiet time in prayer, she would put her apron over her head.  She trained her children in such a way that they absolutely would not bother her if that apron was on her head.  While I thought this was amazing, I found myself longing for something a little more sound-proof. 

Well, today the children and I loaded up in the van for Kate's library program, and before backing out of the driveway I put in a Todd Agnew CD.  From the backseat, I hear this sweet little voice say, "Mommy, are you in a bad mood?"

I answered, "No, honey, why?"

"Because you always turn this CD up really loud when you're in a bad mood."

Yikes!  LOL!  And that's when I realized that I did have an apron of sorts.  Todd Agnew's CDs have a quality in them that just allows me to let go, to focus in on what's really important, to get my priorities straight again.  True worship at it's best.  (Not to mention that playing it really loud blocks out all the other noise!)

So we talked a little about taking time out to focus on how important it is to not lose your temper when you got frustrated.  And how in families we tend to take our frustrations out on each other just because we're there.  And then I took all three children into a library program with dozens of yelling and screaming toddlers and their siblings....

On the way back home I rolled down the windows and turned up Todd Agnew.  The kids didn't make a sound.