This One

This One is a little different. This One, I'm going to talk about being a mom.

First, it's hard. When you're expecting, no one tells you how hard it's going to be. No one tells you that labor hurts and that when your sweet angel is 2, you will be in a state of constant motion. You will wash her face multiple times a day, pull things out of her ears, wipe her little fanny and pray for a moment of quiet. When she's 5, you'll be sad as she goes to school....then secretly dance around the living room, enjoying the brief time of alone-ness. When she's 10, you will be befuddled by her erratic behavior. Your sweet, unassuming girl has just become a crier, a yeller and a stomper. When she's 16, your heart will break when hers does. You will threaten to hurt that boy and you will cry with her and for her. You will yell at her as she yells at you. When she's 18 and graduating high school, you'll realize that although you knew this day would come, you never really thought it would. And then.....it just moves on from there.

Second, it's amazing. When your angel is 2, the whole world is new. Everything is worthy of inspection, every word a delight. You won't want to stop moving....or sleep. You might miss something. When she is 5, you will cry as she rides the bus for the first time, you will love the art she brings home....the way she looks at you as she discovers something new. When she is 10, your heart will break a little as you realize she's becoming a woman....and you'll celebrate with her. You'll enjoy this new girl, the one who looks at you as though you actually KNOW something. When she's 16, she'll cling to you a little more, and she'll realize that your hugs are the best. She'll laugh when you threaten that boy and she will know you mean it. At 18, she's technically a grown up. She carries herself with pride, knows the Lord and has grown so very much. Your heart will burst with pride.

Third, being a mom doesn't mean a child born of your body. There are so many women in our girls' lives that "mother" them...ie: LOVE them. And there are so many kids that call me mom....and I love each of them immensely. I don't know what my life would be without these teens. Good golly! One of them is a BOY! What a blessing he is in my life! And I didn't have to worry about any of his 'parts'....he came to me (almost) fully grown!

Being a mother is hard, it's work. Sometimes, I don't want the job. Sometimes, I want to run away, have a major melt down and just quit my life. Sometimes, I can't handle the eye rolling, angry word saying, stomping, door slamming girls. Sometimes, I look at God and ask Him why he thought I would be a good mom. And then He shows me.

I really wouldn't have it any other way. Can NOT imagine my life without these 6 daughters (and all the others I get the privilege of knowing) and all the moments that make me a mom. Without the pain, the tears or the sorrows.....it wouldn't be the same. All these things, the bad along with the good, are what make motherhood worth doing. It's all a learning experience....and I love it. I would go through every hour of hard labor again....for these same results. It's not always a picnic, and sometimes the bad things are REALLY bad...but God is good. All the time.

This One.....is good. Enjoy the mother moments, the not so great moments and the fun, fabulous moments. Remember to breathe, to hold tight to His hand and to remember that YOU ARE A GOOD MOTHER. He believes it....so should you.

ps....the moving on? Well, I am a grandma. That moment your daughter has a child.....AMAZING.