Life Lessons

It's been a while since I just wrote. Wrote about me, or what I was thinking, or feeling, or going through. I used to just write a lot more on here and I stopped. I don't know why I stopped, I just did. Other things felt more important, more share-worthy. More fun too, I guess.

We've been dealing with rivers of runny nose, cough and fever lately. I thought we were safe, past the point of no return when BAM! we got hit with a second round of it. Not me this time, but 2 of the kids. And now I find myself getting medicine, another pillow, blankets or making a cup of tea about every 3 minutes.

I want to feel sorry for myself. I want to cry. I want to be mad that everyone isn't better and that things aren't back to normal with my happy, healthy kids. I want to be short-tempered and cross.

But I won't be.

I won't be any of those things because I have no right to be any of them. I have a job to do, a job that was given to me by someone of much higher authority and who am I to tell him no? Who am I to say that I am too tired, too stressed, too worn down? I'm doing my job and I'm finding myself flourishing in my role of mother and caretaker. I find myself looking to make my family comfortable before they know they are uncomfortable. I'm anticipating their needs before they know they have them. I want to soothe and reassure the sick child without them knowing.

I read an amazing article this morning about not counting the hours anymore. Don't count the hours until breakfast, or dinner, or nap time or until you wake up. That just makes you resentful of anything that takes up precious time you have earmarked for something else. Stop counting the hours and listen to your inner clock.

It will tell you it's time to rub your toddlers back.

It will tell you it's time to play Lego's when you have a full sink of dishes that need done.

It will tell you to read that story one. more. time.

It will tell you to tell the people you love "I love you" right now.

And when you listen, you'll do it. And you'll find out that it only takes 5 minutes and that you have 5 minutes to spare. When you get done blessing your family by doing something to show your love for them, you feel satisfaction and love in return.

I'm not one of the folks who think housework and chores should all stop and be ignored so that you can play with your kids. No, work needs to be done. Without clean dishes, or laundry, or a clean house you can't properly play anyway. But I do think that putting them off for a few minutes, an hour, or an afternoon isn't going to hurt anyone. Learning to love the mundane chores and un-fun cleaning is how we learn to better love and better serve our families.

I'm a work in progress. I have to force myself to do the chores that I don't like but I do them because they bless my family and show them that I love and care about them.

This is my JOB as a wife, mother and woman. This is what I was made to do, this nurturing and loving and caring and work. Yes, work. Hard, thankless never ending work that comes with motherhood and family. It's so much more that I have ever imagined it to be and yet it gives me so much more than I thought possible in return.

Life can be hectic but if you always have an eye towards the comforts of your family, the rewards your will reap will be many.

Just a thought as we go into the weekend :)