When I was a little girl I remember my Mom as being always in motion. She NEVER stopped. She would move from one room to the next, picking up this, putting away that, closing a door here or there, wiping off the counter, sweeping the floor, folding clothes, putting clothing away, and on and on and on. The real trick was the way that it was just "her." She never seemed like she was just trying to get things over with. That was just the way that she operated, almost like a personality trait. She is still that way today. When Mom is around things are in order. I have often thought that she really ought to just "let it go" until tomorrow, or sit down for a bit and do it later.
Lately I have been pretty consistant in my house cleaning and straightening. I have found myself flitting around at night from room to room "putting the house to sleep" as I have heard it called. The closer thing get to being in order there is a stillness that enters my home and more importantly, my spirit. I feel calm. I am coming to realize that this is why my Mother does things this way. It is so much easier to do today's work today and it brings a sense of peace. I'm not talking about always having things mopped and vacuumed and deep cleaned. I simply refering to the kinds of messes that happen day to day; toys, backpacks, papers, dishes, etc. etc. So anyway, I guess I just want to say, "Thanks Mom!" You have taught me a valuable lesson all of these years and I think I am finally getting it. Love you!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Be Present for Your Kids
You will notice that in the title of this post I did not say be there for your kids, I said be present for your kids. I think that we are all there for our kids when they need us but are we truly present for them?
I think one of the greatest challenges that I face as a Mother is that of always being distracted. The world we live in now is fast pace. There is always something that can grab my attention, something that needs to be done, and even more often, something that I choose to do that seems more interesting at the time i.e. talking on the phone, checking my email, texting, blogging, facebook, etc. When we get tired of the monotony of every day life as a Mother there are a hundred things that we can escape to because of the wonders of modern technology.
Unfortunately, I think that we are being robbed. It is easy to see that our children are being robbed but you know what, so are we! I know that my children need me to care for their every need but sometime I think I overlook the simple fact that I NEED THEM. I need their innocence, I need their unconditional love and acceptance, I need their perspective as they discover things for the first time, I need their sweet words and their little spirits to remind me of what is important and what is trivial. I need to take the time to laugh with them, read to them, hug them, kiss them, tickle them, and PLAY with them not only because they need it but because they are a part of me, and when I give to them, I am giving to myself.
As I was pushing my babies on the swings, and reading stories in the grass, I realized that the simplicity is for me just as much as it is for them. There is one God given ability that women have that can be our greatest salvation or our great demise; that is the ability that we have to multitask. I think that we get in the habit of always doing at lease two things at once and we lose the ability to simply focus on one thing, our child. There are times when we can fold laundry and have a meaningful conversation with our daughter, or read out spelling words while we cook dinner, but there are other times when we need to be fully present and not distracted by any other task.
Simply pushing my kids on the swing, feeling the sun on my skin and the breeze through my hair, hearing their laughter bouncing off the back of the house, suddenly I notice, I can breathe, and breathing keeps me alive.
I think one of the greatest challenges that I face as a Mother is that of always being distracted. The world we live in now is fast pace. There is always something that can grab my attention, something that needs to be done, and even more often, something that I choose to do that seems more interesting at the time i.e. talking on the phone, checking my email, texting, blogging, facebook, etc. When we get tired of the monotony of every day life as a Mother there are a hundred things that we can escape to because of the wonders of modern technology.
Unfortunately, I think that we are being robbed. It is easy to see that our children are being robbed but you know what, so are we! I know that my children need me to care for their every need but sometime I think I overlook the simple fact that I NEED THEM. I need their innocence, I need their unconditional love and acceptance, I need their perspective as they discover things for the first time, I need their sweet words and their little spirits to remind me of what is important and what is trivial. I need to take the time to laugh with them, read to them, hug them, kiss them, tickle them, and PLAY with them not only because they need it but because they are a part of me, and when I give to them, I am giving to myself.
As I was pushing my babies on the swings, and reading stories in the grass, I realized that the simplicity is for me just as much as it is for them. There is one God given ability that women have that can be our greatest salvation or our great demise; that is the ability that we have to multitask. I think that we get in the habit of always doing at lease two things at once and we lose the ability to simply focus on one thing, our child. There are times when we can fold laundry and have a meaningful conversation with our daughter, or read out spelling words while we cook dinner, but there are other times when we need to be fully present and not distracted by any other task.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Too long
It has been too long since my last post. I have been a little lost in thought. A lot of things are changing right now in my life. My best friend is moving away, my sisters are going back to Utah and I just lost a long time friend yesterday to cancer. Years ago, these kinds of things would have me coming apart. Now, I just feel quiet. Life is about change. I'm trying to take it in stride. I will get back to posting soon. Until then . . .
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