Take heart, weary mama

Can you believe the first month of 2015 is almost over?! How did that happen? I'm still trying to figure out where 2014 went!

When I was a young mom, sometimes it seemed as though the days, weeks, and months dragged by. I didn't understand when older folks would complain about how quickly time was passing. Really? I thought as I struggled to make it to the end of a tiring day with two little ones under foot. The piles of unfolded laundry, the sink full of dirty dishes, the stack of unpaid bills, the toys everywhere except where they belong... no, time was definitely not flying by. But I always wondered how it was that nothing ever seemed to get done.

Sound familiar? Take heart, weary mama. What you're feeling is normal and it will pass. Far too quickly, unfortunately. Before long, it won't be a crying baby or teething toddler keeping you up at night, it will be a teenager out on a date or a 16-year-old out with the car. Then there will be romances and marriages and adult kids with adult problems. There will be bite-your-tongue moments (lots of them) as you watch your kids make poor choices. There will be swallowed 'I-told-you-so's. 

And, of course, there will be moments of intense pride and feelings of wonder as you watch your kids excel at adulthood. And, if you're lucky, there will be grandbabies. Maybe lots of them. And suddenly (yes, it will seem like it happened overnight), there will be toys everywhere except where they belong, and it won't bother you. 

Ahhh, the cycle of life. When you think about it, isn't it amazing that your own parents went through all of this, too? It's this commonality that bonds us as sisters and brothers in this thing called life. Be kind to one another, and blessed, weary mama, be kind to yourself.

You're my heroes,