Happy Mother's Day

In my home, today is a day of rest. When God said that Sunday was the sabbath, and we were to break, that must have been directed at the men and children. My typical Sunday involves a frenzied several hours of preparation/cooking/sorting laundry, all that leads up to nearly two hours at our church. We arrive home at approximately 12:30PM, which means lunch, a little TV, and bed time for the kiddos. The husband and I take several hours to get things accomplished, those which are more difficult with our two year old underfoot. My non-napping three year old usually has "quiet time" with a video and her blanket. I bake cookies, start dinner, make foods for lunches, and of course - do laundry. I also prepare the kids' materials for the week, make sure the house is clean...blah...blah...blah...

This all boils down to the fact that my only time for me might come on Saturday. Sunday really doesn't have a chance. So, when contemplating Mother's Day - I only wanted one thing: A break. I have a loving husband who is willing to let me have it, but the reality is that I am still Mommy. I still orchestrated getting out of the house for the early church service a full hour before we are normally out the door. I still managed the kids, what they needed, not coloring the pews, etc. We got pictures of our daughter's Sunday school performance, then home to make fresh blueberry pancakes. I meant to make them last night, but just ran out of hours. When they were done, and my husband and I grabbed our breakfast (at 12, 4.5 hours after we woke up), I finally sat down to enjoy my coffee and news paper. The rest of the day should be easy enough. Yesterday, I managed to finish my share of the laundry (all the washing and drying, only the kids' folding). I deep cleaned our dining and living rooms, cleaned up part of the kitchen, and wiped down the bathrooms. All I have left today is making the kid's lunches, a task I'm hoping will be easy after grabbing Mother's Day dinner from a local gourmet pizzeria.

In doing all my "duties" and still managing my household even on my "day of rest," one thing is painfully clear: I can't shed the title of "mommy" for a second.

Before I became a Mom, I had no real understanding of what that meant. You cannot comprehend how all-consuming motherhood is without experiencing it. Mom is your title, whether those kids are with you or not. At the grocery store I think about what foods are best for them and what they would like to eat. At the mall yesterday, I spent the entire time finding some shirt perfect for my daughter, or shoes for my son. I can't look through a magazine or walk through Target without seeing some toy that my kids would be crazy for, or a movie I would love to grab them. While I'm at work, I think about how I want my kids to be proud of me, and how important it is to me that my daughter sees that women can take care of themselves. When I drive, I try to be extra cautious, so I don't rob my children of their mother. Everything I do - goes back to them. Yes, motherhood changes a person. We've all heard that. However, the reality of that statement is much greater than one can comprehend.

I know this will continue on for years to come. I will trade my late at night "checks" for waiting up until curfew. I will trade my curfew nights for drives home from their college. I will trade college for weekly phone calls. I will trade my children for adults. I won't worry about SIDS, but I will worry about STD's. My greatest concern won't be a bully on the playground, but an attacker on my childrens' way back to the dorm. I won't have to stress over my daughter finding out her crush has his own crush on another young lady - but I will have to worry about her losing the love of her life.

This reality of motherhood only makes me appreciate my own mother more. Those hours that she spent tending to and caring for us. How she made us healthy food and kept our environment natural. How she always taught us to fight for what was right, and made sure to model just that. How she taught me right from wrong, good from bad, polite from impolite, moral from immoral, Godly from unGodly. I learned that women could do anything, should do everything, and never depend on a man to take care of her family. Education was a necessity, and it was never too late to accomplish something new. I learned that a woman had high expectations on her - but those high expectations were a blessing. A blessing because, when done right, the rewards are about as consuming as the responsibility.

So on this day, as you shuffle around your kitchen, mutter under your breath, and wonder why you can't have just ONE DAY, look at your kids. You are creating adults. Adults that will (likely) become parents, and celebrate their own Mother's (or Father's) day. Adults that will mutter, and stress, and feel overwhelmed, until a light bulb goes off. Suddenly they will realize exactly how hard you worked to raise them, and although the role has changed, how much they still need you. Parenting does not deliver constant rewards for output, nor are they equitable in frequency or duration. Regardless, the rewards are worth every second.

I love you, Mom!