*I must have been really tired because I wrote this in February and never published it!
4:30 am and my 14-year-old daughter finally fell asleep on my shoulder. After having sinus surgery and tubes put in her ears, the first day home was a bit rough. After finally falling asleep on me, I dared not to move. My neck was stiff and my arm asleep, but I wouldn't wake her for anything but fire! I lay there thinking about how much I love being a mom. It's not easy and anyone who says it is must not be doing it right! I'm kidding, sort of. Rewarding, exhausting, fun, frustrating, sacrificial, and the best job ever, yes. Easy, no.
I'm no exception though. I thought about all the other moms out there doing the same thing: the foster mom sitting by the basinet of a newborn in the NICU so the precious baby is never alone or getting up nightly to calm a baby not fully hers, yet she loves him like her own. I thought about the step-mom who helps her children with homework and takes them to sports practice and kisses them goodnight every night because they were more than just part of the marriage "deal". I thought about the mom of a special needs child with hospital stays, doctor's visits, therapy sessions, and worries that most of us can never understand.
I thought about the stay-at-home mom who feels called to be at home with her kids but often feels lonely. I thought about the working mom who sometimes feels guilty and struggles to do everything that needs to be done. About the moms called to teach or be social workers or nurses or doctors or advocates for all children while still making sure their own children are priority one.
"Children are a gift from the Lord." Psalm 127:3. They will melt your heart and sometimes break it. They will make you laugh and sometimes cry. They will cost you years of sleep! They will make you grow up. They will make you see what's really important. Most of all, they cause more love to grow in your heart than you could ever have imagined.
Keep doing what you do Mamas! God sees your efforts and they are not in vain.
