Mom Visits

I think I should rename this blog, "Every Month Delights" instead, with as often as I get back to it :0)  But it doesn't have quite the same ring to it...

My mom was here last week, for a whole week.  I loved having her around!  Who doesn't like to double themselves when there are four children to tend to, and a house load of work on top of that?!  I think the thing I loved most about her visit, was just being able to bless her in lots of small ways.  The fun part is that she is soooo appreciative of every little thing, that she makes it such a joy to think of something else to do together to "make a memory" (a phrase she likes to use).   I hope that I can be that much of both a blessing and a joy to my children when they are grown and in this stage of life.

feeding the fish

Breakfast brunch at Mimi's Cafe (the first time mom and I went, Marcail was only a couple of weeks old in Colorado- now she is almost SIX.)

At the neighborhood park

The Air and Space Museum

Tea time!

Doing Marcail's hair- she liked to do this almost every day she was here.

On top of these things, we did several StarBucks runs (there are NO Starbucks in the town she lives in!), we took a relaxing drive into the countryside, and did movie nights complete with fine chocolates and wine.  She also sent Andrew and I off twice for date nights!  Woohoo!  

Significance

I always love catching up with old friends.   Isn't it so refreshing to reconnect with a kindred spirit and talk about life as of late?

 Except when I get that awkward feeling as I realize I really don't have that much to elaborate on.

 "Yeah, I changed poopy diapers 6 times today, can you believe it?  Six times!   And today I made breakfast.  And lunch.  And dinner.  Actually I did that yesterday.  And the day before that.  And the day before that.  Isn't that interesting?!  Today was laundry day.   Yep.  It sure was.  Tomorrow I need to go grocery shopping.  We totally used up THREE gallons of milk in 3 days!!!  Crazy!!!  Uh- huh.".

 Am I the only one who can't wait for the other person to talk because there isn't anything too jaw dropping about my life?   Doesn't it come down to thinking its all rather insignificant at times?   Not really all that flashy and suave?

 This isn't about touting the heroics of being a mom.  Most likely whatever anyone does, they sorta get dulled out with it at some point.  At some point the excitement wears off and it just becomes day to day, whatever it is.  I sat down one day when I was in such a mood, and thought to myself, "If I wasn't doing this, what exactly would I want to do?" And I thought.  And I thought.  And I pondered some more.  Do you know what?  No matter what profession I imagined for myself, I knew that I would still want to be a mommy, spending my days with my children.  It was an inspiring moment as I realized how beautiful my life really is.  I am doing exactly what I would really want to be doing.

  For me, it can be easy to view my current role as not very significant.   I think that comes with the "job environment."  It's not as though after addressing my child's behavior, do I get a "Thanks, mom!!! I know that you addressing this now is going to impact me in a huge way in the future- thanks for nipping that in the bud!"  Or, after running to the store at 11 o'clock at night, the night before Easter, to pick up Easter treats - because our Easter plans with extended family got completely nixed because one of my kids just got sick and the rest of my kids have been so excited to celebrate Easter, so I've got to do something for them, but all the stores are basically wiped clean of Easter stuff so I have to go to 3 separate stores (yes, that run-on sentence was as crazy as it felt) - am I going to get any sort of recognition from them.   They were fast asleep in their cozy beds, absolutely oblivious to my desperate treasure hunt.  As they should have been.

 I'm just saying that my significance CAN'T come from them.  They are incapable of recognizing any of that.   Yet : )  And as much as my husband and other meaningful people in my life tell me what a good job I am doing, that void of significance can't possibly be filled by those warm fuzziness all the time.   This girl is like a bottomless pit, actually, when it comes to that sort of stuff.   But the more I talk with people, the more I see how common that is (so I'm not all that weird, whew!).

  I find that sometimes I can be busily but contentedly preparing dinner for my little family, and can truly feel God's pleasure over me as I do that.   I know that may sound so strange.   But I can honestly sense His joy and delight in me happily caring for the gifts of my family He has given me.  It is in those moments, and in clinging to the truths from that, that I find I feel truly significant.  He sees me.  He delights in me.   He knows my efforts.   He knows the struggles.   He sees my heart.  And me happily chopping up this and that to go into our soup for supper at night is significant enough for Him : ).

That just makes me smile!