Wednesday, May 04, 2011

I had no idea motherhood would be like this...

I was in the dressing room at Target this week, when a mom and her son, probably 4 years old, entered the stall next to me. It was funny to listen to him talk about dinosaurs and cars...and then hear him say,with all sincerity, "Mom, you're so pretty!". Immediately my mind went back to the crazy years of trying to shop with small children and bribing them with McDonald's if they're good in the store. Even with all of the squirming and climbing out of the shopping cart and grabbing things off the shelves, there were those sweet, innocent expressions of love....they way they looked at you like you really were the smartest, most beautiful woman in the world.

They are too old for shopping carts now. Sarah measures just 1/2-inch shorter than her mother, and tonight at dinner the girls were teasing me about the uncool words parents use and needing some new "style". But even the teasing makes me smile. These beautiful, intelligent, comassionate little women amaze me every day. And the fact that my heart could be SO full every time I'm with them amazes me even more.

12 years ago, I had no idea what it would feel like to be a mother.


What would YOU tell yourself if you had the chance?

Maybe my sign would say "it's totally worth leaving your career for"....or "there is NO more important job"....or "you really will miss them one day!"

Happy, Happy Mother's Day to the moms in my life!!

2 comments:

shana said...

GRETCHEN!!! At church yesterday, we were asked to turn to the person beside us (Kenyan pastors LOVE the 'neighbor' thing) and to tell him/her about a woman in our lives - outside our mothers - who is important to us, a person who speaks love and encouragement into our lives. Without a beat, I named you. :)

So my 'neighbor,' an older man named Peter, is now very aware of how awesome you are.

Thanks for being a spiritual mother and friend to so many of us. You could have just been a mom to your 3 girls, but you didn't stop there. THANK YOU.

Lindsey said...

I read this post last night but today I thought of the perfect thing to tell myself before I had kids. Being one that likes a clean house and sometimes stresses if things are a mess I would say "Your house will never stay clean and that's ok"

:) of course I love yours about there is no more important job! thats a reminder I have to tell myself often :)

 This quote was part of my Lectio365 Sabbath devotion this morning, and as I considered what this day should look like, I began considering ...