The Mom Struggle

I was touched by a blog entry my friend wrote last week. Read it here. The lines that resonated with me were "Motherhood is the hardest kind of service...[it is] not glamorous service, but humble, often thankless service." I couldn't agree more. And like my friend, I often find myself trying to fill my life with lots of things that are wonderfully fulfilling distractions from my mothering job.

Of course, this is nothing new. I think some women are talented at embracing motherhood and finding great joy in that role (I admire them!). And while I do LOVE being a mom, motherhood is a constant tug for me between things I'd like to do with my time and life and things I should do.

But with my friend's words of encouragement swirling around in my mind, I woke up today committed to embracing my mothering responsibilities. I made homemade pancakes for breakfast which I haven't done for a couple weeks. Oh the elation and resounding "thank yous." Then instead of starting a painting project (which was my original goal), I sat down and played doll house with CJ. We acted out a birthday party for "Daddy."

For lunch we had an indoor picnic lunch. I spread a blanket on the floor and we dined on left-over pizza, apple sauce, and cantaloupe.

CJ loves cantaloupe, and I captured this moment of her enjoyment:



And you know what? Happiness came. It just spilled out like a tipped cup. As simple as that. I found myself laughing and enjoying the moment.

This morning with my daughter made me more happy than any novel-reading/writing could. It was equally satisfying as a long run :-). And had much more far-reaching importance than a painted room (which I'll still have to do).

I am blessed to be a mother. And I'm blessed to be able to spend these years of my life taking care of my children and enjoying them. This is what I need to remember.