This blog is no longer going to be about MY family...but about the idea of family. It's about being a Mom and finding support from other moms. I've had too many conversations that made me realize that Mom's need some encouragement and support. So that's my idea. I'll start the conversation...but my dream is that everyone else gets to chime in to keep it going.
So to start I'm going to post something I wrote recently while I was away on a trip for my writing. If you're my friend on Facebook and you don't believe in God...please don't give up on the idea of this blog. I had to start with this post, because truly when my life gets crazy and when I'm the most hard on myself...the idea below is what I always come back to.
But before we start I have a few ground rules about the comments.
- Respect where everyone is coming from belief-wise, family structure, lifestyle. This means that people who believe in God have to respect the opinions of people who don't...and vice versa.
- I'm not doing this to fix anyone: If you're posting a comment offer compassion and empathy with abandon.
- Be gracious to yourself. Speak kindly about yourself
Being a mom is hard work. It’s not helping that us mom’s are incredibly hard on ourselves. I daresay that if we were our own bosses, our performance reviews would be abysmal. Moms commiserate on weight issues, child behavior issues, housework, stress, the crazy overachieving mom next door, or the lazy mom who never does anything with her kids. None of us are living up to the super mom expectation, yet for some reason we continue to hold it up as an example of who we want to be. We are overly critical of ourselves and each other. And we are making ourselves crazy and tired and just plain unexciting.
So why are so many of us doing our task without passion? Where is the fire, the inspiration, the contagious joy for motherhood?
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Mothers spend so much time caring for those around us that we lose sight of who we are. We lose sight of the woman that God created, the woman God loves.
If you’re like me you just zipped right by those last words and kept reading. I want you to stop now. STOP! Take a deep breath and pull your shoulders back. Sit up a little straighter because this is important. Now…God loves you. Yes, God loves you even without your make-up. Even after you’ve eaten one too many candies out of your child’s Halloween bucket. He loves you even when you snap at your daughter while she’s getting ready to go off to school. He loves you just the way you are and he will keep loving you…No. Matter. What.
As a mother, have you ever looked into the tear streaked face of your child, held that round face in your hands and said “I love you”? Have you ever sat in a room with a petulant child while you were ignored by him and said “I love you”, even when he won’t look you in the eye? Have you ever insisted your teenager hug you, just to be sure that she knows how much she’s loved? That is how God sees us. No matter what we do to him.
I don’t know about you, but just hearing that adds a little light to my step.
Okay...now it's your turn. What cheers you up? What can make a bad day turn around? What inspires you and brings you joy? And how do you make that a part of your life?
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