Adventures and Lessons in Motherhood...

Being a Mom has been the most amazing blessing I have received.  It has also been the most difficult thing I have ever done.  I guess that makes sense…I mean…I want to do this right!  I love my children more than I can even begin to explain, and I don’t want to mess them up.  Can you relate?

So...I will be real..and go ahead and admit it…I…worry…sometimes.  Am I doing this the way I am supposed to?  Why did I yell like that?  Will they become who the Lord wants?  Am I getting in the way?  Why the familiar “Mommy guilt” feeling?  Am I careful with my words?  Do I build them up?  Do I pray for them enough?  I could go on forever…really.

I spend SO MUCH time thinking and worrying…analyzing…that I don’t notice what God is using them to teach me.  Isn’t God capable of taking care of them?  He has shown Himself worthy over and over.  So…I have decided that I am going to do something different.  Instead of spending time worrying…over thinking…and occupying my thoughts with junk, I am going to thank God for the priceless, miraculous, life changing things I have learned from Him through them.  I don’t think I can possibly fathom them all…but I can certainly appreciate a lot more.

First…my sweet Gracie…4 and a half, biological…beautiful, freckled, full of life, little girl. 

• ·      Control does NOT belong to me.  Things can go wrong in pregnancy (and life) and there is not a thing we can do about it.  BUT, God is bigger than the human body. 
• ·      Trust that God will take care of His child.  Gracie is His first and on loan to me.  God loves her more than I ever can.
• ·      When my Mom smiles and says that God has a good sense of humor…she knows what she is talking about.  Strong-willed Mommy = Strong-willed baby…toddler…and hopefully it stops there.  J
• ·      Prayer changes things.  Our God is mighty to save.  If we give Him our life...He will use us.  Mold us.  Teach us.  Show us where to go.
• ·      Love isn’t really a word that can be explained…or described.  The love I have for her…is SO deep…I can’t even understand it.
• ·      Most Moms feel the same way as me and struggle with a lot of the same things…but don’t always talk about it.  Why is that???
• ·      Sometimes we have to go through hard times and so do our kids.  But, God is there the whole time.  I don’t always understand why things happen, but I trust that there is reason.  And I find it incredibly important to remember that it could always be worse.
• ·      It is SO VERY IMPORTANT to laugh.  On those days where you are counting down the minutes until bed time…laugh…it really does help sometimes.
• ·      Coffee is a gift from God.  Really.

And then there is Owen…just turned 3, adopted from Uganda…smile that could light up anyone’s heart, strong, inspiring, handsome little boy…

• ·      Boys really are different.  They dump things out, and crash things into other things.  They are loud and kinda smelly.  But…so gentle with Mommy and  those times are cherished that much more.
• ·      A child is not conceived only in the belly.  Owen has a Mom who carried him for 9 (or so) months.  I’ve never met her and never will.  But, I love her.  Without her…our family wouldn’t be right.  And he fits in OUR family perfectly.  Like he has always been here. 
• ·      Being a Mommy is about taking a deep breath, apologizing, and starting over sometimes.  It is OK to not be perfect.  It is OK to make mistakes.  We all do it. 
• ·      We have too much stuff.  It gets in the way and takes my focus off of what really matters.  A trip to Africa will teach you so much…but that is for another post.
• ·      Adopted children take after their adoptive parents.  My husband and Owen have the SAME sense of humor…from the moment we met him.  God is so crafty.
• ·      Life isn’t supposed to be easy.  It is actually kinda hard.  But, there is growth in those hard times.  It isn’t fun…but it makes us better.  And the gift is finding joy in those hard times.  Because IT IS THERE! 
• ·      Eye contact, feeding, touching your child’s face, telling them how much you love them, holding them, listening to them…builds strong bonds.  You would think this is a given…but it isn’t always.  There is no over doing it. 
• ·      It is OK to forget everything.  It is OK to be walking down the hallway and forget where you intended to end up.  This is normal when life is hectic and a bit crazy.  Happens to the best of us. 
• ·      Espresso…also a gift straight from above!

The list here can go on and on forever too.  Some things we learn rank much higher than others.  Some are funny.  Some are life lessons we can’t live without.  The variety is so perfect.  They are useless lessons, though, if we don’t stop and allow them to marinate in our thought life.  We have to appreciate them.  Thank God for them.  And then, live as if they matter.  What are you learning from your children?