This is my baby girl... the one who made me a mommy for the very first time! I will always remember that mild, wintry February night... in the dark night hours between midnight and the dawn of day, she came into this world after a long labour that lasted for 27 hours.
As she was plopped down on my chest and I saw her for the very first time, I knew that being a mommy is going to be a wonderful thing... a grace-gift!
It was an indescribable moment... one that is etched in my memory for all time. She had a glimmer in her eyes; a head full of wild ebony-black hair; perfectly-formed, most-beautiful lips; rosy cheeks; and, she was already her chatty self right from the very beginning!
And, this is my baby boy... the one who made our family complete! He made his debut into our world one crisp and cool Summer evening in September after 16 hours of labour. It was Labour Day Monday! :-)
As I laid eyes on him for the very first time, I knew I was in love! He had a full head of jet-black hair, just like his sister {except his is tame}; big round eyes; chubby cheeks; precious little feet; and, a serious "I'm innocent" look that said: "Here comes trouble!" :-)
In a blink of an eye... fourteen Sundays of Mother's Day have been celebrated. The fifteenth one will soon come and go. My girl is now a 14-year-old teenager and my boy will soon turn 11. Time... it truly flows like a river, relentlessly... never stopping to wait for anyone. Today, as I reminisce, I am thankful for the precious memories and look forward to making many more!
Gone are the days of princess dress-ups and ballet lessons, of Barbie dolls and paper dolls, of imaginary friends and thumb-sucking, of poured cooking oil on the kitchen floor and bedtime stories, of Thomas the Tank Engine and VeggieTales, of washing hands in the toilet bowl and climbing the stove, of potty-training and bottle weaning.
As I step over the threshold and enter this new stage of mothering in the teen years, I embrace it with the same conviction as I did when my kids were first born... that I need to be fully here for them, to live fully {as their mommy} right where I am.
When I was pregnant with my baby girl, hubby and I made an intentional choice... that I will be a full-time mommy. As many of you know, I do work. But I work from my home, and only during the hours when my kids are in school. When they were very young, I worked minimal part-time hours and only when they napped and on evenings after hubby came home. This choice has enabled hubby and me to be their principal caregivers at all times... all these years, they've never been cared for by other people {on a regular basis}.
During those early years, a book by Jill Savage called Professionalizing Motherhood helped me to see the significance of this counter-cultural idea of a stay-at-home mom and how important it truly is if the goal is to raise kids for Biblical greatness. I highly recommend this book for young mothers! It was instrumental in cementing {in my soul} the principle of keeping my heart at home.
Now that my kids are older and are at school for most of the day, I have the ability to work more. But I am still at home. I am here to bid them goodbye in the mornings. I am here when they come home for lunch. I am here when they step in the door after school. I am here to drive them places. I am here to attend games, performances and competitions. I am here to listen, to counsel, to celebrate, to laugh and to cry with them.
As I am physically fully here, I also vow to be totally all here {body, heart, mind and soul}, to live fully in the now... to always be their full-time mommy, not only in theory but in reality!
It's not an easy journey, this path called motherhood... traveling it well is truly only possible by the grace that God bestows. A grace-gift (#576), indeed.
Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow mommies. May you cherish this journey that is motherhood... it truly is a privilege to be called Mom.
Unwrapping more of His love in this world.
Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!
I love Jill's book. Her words helped me a lot when I was really struggling with being a stay-at-home mom -- a choice we too, made from the beginning. I am so thankful that I have been able to stay home all these years, and I look forward to staying home for many more.
ReplyDeleteBy-the-way your words in this post brought tears to my eyes. It is just lovely!
The photo of your son in the dryer mad me laugh. Such fun!
Blessings!
Deborah