“There is a time to weep and a time to laugh,” (Ecc 3:4). I definitely do more of BOTH of those since I became a mother 12 years ago! Just this week alone…
?I laughed when my son ate 6 bananas in one sitting and was so thirsty that he drank from a straw in his cup while simultaneously filling it up! His boyishness is all a wonder to me since I grew up in a family of all girls!
?I laughed (as an aunt) when I went to get my two-year-old nephew out of the car and he was covered in blue stamps!!! He was also drooling blue, so I know he had been sucking on it. He looked like a little Oompa-Loompa!
But there were also some tears this week…if I’m being honest here.
?I cried when my 6-year-old daughter started to really read a book for the first time this week! Which was that odd motherly mix of joy/sadness tears! My last baby is reading. How did she get so old?
?I cried tears of anger and guilt too. My son fractured his foot goofing around last weekend and ended up in a boot. It was expensive. He was told over and over again that he can’t run around the way he normally does. But he “forgot” and went outside to play, coming in minutes later with a broken boot (did I mention it was only 4 days old?).
I was tired from a long day of substitute teaching on top of regular mom duties, and my anger bubbled up instantaneously.? Then after a bad interaction, I heard him crying in the shower and felt horrible, awful guilt. That is when the tears came for me.?
I knew I needed to go to bed and get some sleep at that point.? I think a lot of mom tears just come from being over-tired. Sometimes putting myself to bed the way I would when my kids are melting down is the smartest thing I can do.
But the next day, the Lord gently reminded me that things can always be made right again. A loving God who gives me second and third and 100th chances. And I do the same for my kids. After all, “Love covers over a multitude of sins,” 1 Peter 4:8. I like picturing a blanket, covering over my sins. ?
So the next day, we made an appointment and went in to the office. They gave us a new boot with no questions asked!? In the car, we talked about obeying and anger and taking care of things and self-control. Our mistakes became a tool for conversation.
So… What has made you laugh this week??
What has made you cry??
Know that whatever mistakes you make or your children make, God is a BIG God, and He can use it for good. He loves you, and He loves your children, that much.
?Anna
.
Truth: I have been feeling depressed and felt inspired to reflect on my week as well. Thanks sis.
-I laughed when my sister showed me my blue son right after I cried while on the phone with my co-worker trying to explain why I need more positives than negatives each day.
-I cried when my son kicked me in the face by accident and I had to disciphine him for it.
-I smiled when I heard my son and daughter tell each other they were each other’s “best friend!”
-I cried when I had to sign a paper saying my daughter is not listening to her teacher in school for months and has to be moved frequently from her friend.
-I smiled when I helped a fellow coworker remove a mouse from her closet.
-I cried when I couldn’t free the mouse from the trap
-I cried when someone hit my car at work and left no note.
And lastly: I laughed when a little boy asked me. “who’s hand and foot is on your arm.” I answered my daughter Ainsley. He asked me, “where is she now?” I answered with a smile in Heaven. He looked away with a puzzled but thinking look on his face then asked, “With Elvis?” I laughed and said, “yeah, I guess…..with Elvis.”