Mother's Day Correspondence

Many mamas know that once you become a mother, sleep and physical nourishment go by the wayside for a very long time in the pursuit of providing these necessities for your young. Children seem to sense that you are not eating and sleeping as much, so they too choose to forgo these essentials during various growth stages (at least that's been my experience with all four boys). Once they hit adolescence, though, their compassion doesn't correlate as precisely; while you continue to lose rest over their life choices, they indulge in an exorbitant amount of sleep and food. Giving our offspring the fundamental building blocks to health and sanity seems indisputable, yet somehow they find a way to dispute it at different ages.
Even though the world marks out special days on our calendar to remember those who have given up their lives for others, we must remember them on the non-essential days because life doesn't always correlate to our calendars. Sometimes our kids are sick or tired on mothers day. Sometimes they are fighting overseas. Some women want to be a wives or mothers by a certain date that never comes. Some lose their mothers or never knew them at all. Some are sick, hurting, or alone this mother's day. But when life doesn't correspond to our wishes, we remember that life rarely does. I remember my mother telling me that "life isn't fair," and I hated that comment. I heard my oldest child restate this frustration recently. It SHOULD be fair mommy! he retorted.  To which I reminded him (and myself) that it should NOT because then Jesus should NEVER have died such a brutal death, and we would NEVER deserve to live forever in Heaven.
I do desire to "get up while it is still night; provide food for [my] family... and work vigorously" in hopes that "[my] children arise and call [me] blessed; my husband also praises [me]... [because I] fear the Lord"  (Proverbs 31:15, 17, 28, 30). However, this isn't always my motivation. I admit that mothering is more difficult, more death-defying, and more humbling than any other experience on earth. It was not until I became a mother that I could appreciate those women that give up themselves day after day without expecting a corresponding return on their investment.

To all the moms, especially my own, may you rest in the knowledge that you have given in so many secret places, and "your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Thank you for loving us well!

My sweet big boys wanted to get ready for Mommy Day with their own gifts...

 

But this sweet boy was just trying to recover from surgery.

Ro Ro has always been my sleeper and eater, but lately he's not done either very well. :(

But Daddy comes through these early years with simple sweetness that goes a long way!

Breakfast in bed is one of my favorite traditions

This was a sweet moment that lasted only a moment before the tired tears and bickering ensued. That's when I remember that the little moments throughout the days and months will be what I remember for a lifetime.

~Corresponding Buster