I love my kids. And brownies too.

I heard on the radio recently someone say, “a mother is someone who, when there are 3 pieces of pie and 4 people, will say, ‘I never really cared for pie anyway.’”  While I know moms like that, I’m not one of them… yet. I mean, I love my sweets. And I’m a “me first” kind of person. We all are, or atleast, we all start out that way. I’d be more likely to think and maybe say, “get your paws off my brownie kiddo.” (I’m using brownies, because truth be told, I’m not really a pie person.) J Motherhood has been the continual event in my life that has caused me the most lay-down-my-life pain (but the rewarding kind of pain, like finishing a hard workout). The kind of pain that can be so frustrating, irritating, tiresome, and makes me want to throw in the towel… and then I’m suppose to give up my brownie too!? (that’s my whole motivation for working out in the first place- to eat sweets!) And yet, here’s the thing… while I may still be really selfish, I do know that I’m more willing now to give up something I love to give to one of my girls than I was two years ago. It’s not like the very moment a child is born a mother is perfection of laying down her life. It takes time and I think many forget that, myself included. I read recently from an older mother, “motherhood is a process, a journey. It was fraught with so many moments and days of failure, anger, stress, and exhaustion. Little by little, I have learned grace, joy, patience, and hope, and slowly my soul is being shaped into His image. I wouldn’t trade the journey… for any other life. But I couldn’t have known any of this starting out.”  (Desperate, Sally Clarkson, p.11, emphasis added- mine) I like her word choices; they resonate well in my soul: little. by. little. …  learned... slowly… If I’m honest, I got kind of irritated when I heard the quote on the radio… because it was just one more thing that made me feel like less of a mom because I’m not there yet. But I am a work in progress, I’m on a journey too; and Lord willing, as I continue to yield to the Spirit, I will be there one day… little by little as I learn grace, joy, patience, and hope, I’ll eventually say, “here you have that brownie, I don’t really want it,” but until that day comes I can delight in the process the Lord has worked in me thus far because I would atleast split it with those little boogers. J

Look! Two Teeth! =)

Say, "cheese!"