Welcome to the 31 Days of A Cup of Cold Water for Thirsty Mommas! I'm so glad you've been able to carve out a few moments to refresh yourself with me! I believe in you! I'm cheering for you as you "Momma" those precious little people!
You are giving yourself to one of the most significant pursuits you could every choose and I want to help you feel how noble and crucial your profession is.....to your little family and to our whole society. I'm inviting you to meet with me every day for the next 31 so I can pat you on the back, give you a chance to take a deep breath and then send you back with a little more courage in your heart and a lot more peace in your spirit.
Thanks for coming today.....I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!
DAY 1
For the first time in nearly 20 years....I. Don't. Have. A. Preschooler. Picking out gym shoes and putting a backpack on Ginger has put me in a reflective mood. It's obvious that she's ready to begin school .....the question is, am I?
You see, I believed my mom. She told me to listen what I've heard about women being able to have it all and do it all. She told me to dream about a career, dream about being a mom, dream about hobbies and volunteering and then dream about doing all those things well. Along with the dreams, my mom whispered the secret to making all those dreams come true. The secret is to be able to understand and live seasons. A woman who tries to be excellent at all things at the same time is setting herself up for failure and frustration....feeling like she's never giving enough or her best to any one thing.
A woman who is willing to live her life in seasons has the luxury of focus.Living in seasons means spring can just be a fabulous spring without pressure of trying to be fall and winter too. Spring understands that there's time for the beauty of fall and winter, they will have their place and their turn to be the main event.....but spring needs it's moment too.....time to bud and sprout.....time for the smell the new life and fresh sunbeams....time to be relished.
I am convinced that the title of Momma is quite possibly the way that I will leave my most significant mark on the world....my biggest opportunity for impact. I really want to do that well. I want to focus and know that I have spent the very best of myself and my talents on this most important task. So I have chosen to make being a Momma to preschoolers my spring (and my summer....who knew I'd end up with 8 kids!!).
The leaves are changing and I'm sensing fall coming. I'm adjusting to my daytime work being done without a cute little side-kick making me laugh and needing help tying her shoes. And I'm asking myself what's next.....what new passions do I want to pursue? Two answers have echoed louder than others and are giving birth to this blog series. I want to put more effort into writing and I want to put more of myself into sharing the lessons life has taught me with women a few steps behind me on the path.
And so.....31 Days of a Cup of Cold Water for Thirsty Mommas! I've joined a writing challenge with a group of great bloggers who are blogging about a single topic each day for 31 days. (You can find my button under "Family Life.") My topic is YOU! I'm just now stepping out of years of preschool Momming so the highs and lows are fresh in my mind. But I've also go almost 20 years of mom experience under my belt....this time around with a preschooler wasn't my first rodeo and I've been able to refine my approach each time. I find myself being drawn to you Moms in the store who are wearing one baby and pushing a toddler in the cart while you're struggling to focus and smile.....I've become that mom that wants to hug strangers and tell you how fast these precious years will go. But I know that in the middle of the check-out lane those words will sound more like Charlie Brown's teacher than anything encouraging.... because you're tired.... and those babies don't like the grocery store.
So, this is for you. It will be waiting for you each day in your computer.....waiting for that golden moment of naptime, bedtime or Dora time....whatever it takes to let you meet with me for a few minutes so I can tell you how important you are and promise you that what you have to offer your sweet babies today is enough. You are enough. You are precious and you are important because only you can be their Momma. Come back every day, sit down and let me hand you a cool cup of water to refresh you and help you be who you want to be.
I believe in you Mommas. I see what you're doing every day. I feel the pressure you put on yourself to do a good job and then to feel good about the job you are doing. I'm in the thick of it with you but I'm also looking back from the vantage point of having adult children who have become my friends......and I can tell you that it's going to be ok.
(Use the comment section below to tell me what you would like to hear about...topics, questions, strange ideas....I want to hear what you want to hear!!!)
This is the first one I have read, I'm already in tears!
ReplyDeleteI love your heart Brandy! Thanks for reading! You are exactly the kind of momma I'm writing for! Keep rockin' it.... You really are changing the world!
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