Timeless. Even if it was written about a year and a half ago…
Exhale…kids to bed, dishes washed, laundry going…wow…a never ending cycle, right??? As I finally sit to rest my weary bones, my mind drifts, my eyes close, I completely melt into the silence…melt into the comfy chair, melt into the warmth of what’s right here in front of me….
My mind travels to earlier when we were outside enjoying the sun. I was just sitting on the back deck, watching my two and four year old play. Their innocence bouncing around…From the pile of leaves, to the swing, to the slide, to their bikes, to the trampoline. Completely content, completely happy. Not a care, not a worry…
Wow. Wrapping my brain around this, I’m intrigued, I’m captivated by their pure hearts. They are entirely happy with what they have right now, right in front of them.
Somedays, in all honesty, I feel like I’m never enough, never finished. Like I’m never going to have a spotless house or all the laundry folded or all kids bathed before bed, or dinners planned for the week or bills paid on time. What do I think I am? That lady with the cape and an S on her chest? I have lost it.
From time to time, I feel like super woman. Bring it on. Try me. Don’t you know I can wipe boogers and count to ten and tie a shoe all in the same instant? I sell myself short most of the time. So easy to get caught up in what I’m not doing, instead of what I actually pull off on a daily basis. From taxi to baseball to time outs to lunch to homework consultant to banker, chef, janitor, doctor, counselor, secretary, cheerleader….No wonder I don’t put on makeup most days…No wonder my sweats are worn and my shirts stained.
Then I think about my children. Are they happy? Are they fed? Do they thrive in their environment? Am I a part of their lives? Are they kind? Responsible? Patient? Use their please and thank yous? Say their prayers? Know they are loved? Are they loving? I could go on. Forever. You get my point.
Our work, our heartaches, our days when patience is hard to find, our days when our self esteem is at an all time low, our days when we function on coffee and a prayer, our days when we wonder if it will all pay off someday…
Someday? How ’bout now? Our reward is now. This day, this moment. It is paying off daily. Our sacrifices, our bad hair days, our mismatched socks, our tears as they walk themselves up to the door, our broken hearts when they don’t achieve a goal, our sleepless nights when they’re away. Daily, we put aside our own needs, wants, wishes, desires for what??? What?
Those beautiful, innocent, pure-hearted children that deserve every ounce of ourselves we can give them. I only want to love as they do. Relentlessly. Fearlessly. Openly. I only want to be as patient with myself as they are with me, as they easily look past my messy hair for a hug. As they don’t care what I look like. As long as I bandaid the boo boos, kiss the hurt away, scare the monsters out of the closet and do it all out of love…
So if you’re going to bed exhausted, waking up the same, sleeping with that two year old sideways in your bed, calming temper tantrums without throwing one yourself, squishing squabbles, wiping drool, making countless trips, preparing meals no one likes, setting curfews, making rules, praying you’re doing something right….
You are. Hang in there. Exhale. Inhale. Breathe. You are enough. This too shall pass…I’m afraid, too quickly…Stop. Enjoy the moment, sip the Kool-aid with them, have a pillow fight, have ice cream before dinner…You are creating memories. You are filling them with the love they need to be gracious, caring adults…
While it definitely puts us on our butts time and time again, it will be so worth the time and effort we invest. They definitely don’t stay kids forever. We sure as heck ain’t getting any younger. But we are constantly striving to do better, and there is nothing wrong with that. But maybe for a minute, a day, be happy with the job you’re doing right now. Give yourself some credit. Relax for a second. It’ll be ok if the dishes sit dirty an extra night or the floors go unmopped. Maybe you can sleep longer or read a book or snuggle on the couch. Go to bed with confidence that your children are loved, prayed for and taken care of…
That I’d say is plenty enough…
Rest easy sweet Momma.
Give grace.
Give Grace A Hug❤️
1 Corinthians 13:13Common English Bible (CEB)
- Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.
