Mother

My daughter had back surgery AGAIN last week.

My husband and I are staying with her and her family to lend a hand to the care of her young family while she convalesces.

I am so tired.

I find myself laughing--a lot--at the antics of the children.

I can't keep up, when we arrived the day before the surgery, the house was spotless, now there are games, shoes, homework papers, mail and toys scattered about.

This morning it was time for Eden to get ready for school, Grandma's suggestion of what to wear did not make the cut and Mom needed to be consulted.

The baby is secure when grandpa rocks her but when a boo boo shows up, only Mom's kiss will make it better.

The kids are used to my cooking, but always refer it back to the way Mom does it.

When we were out taking a walk, we knew which way Mom thinks is the best route.

We were looking for strawberries in the garden and stopped to pick out a few weeds, I was informed that Mom says the best way to rid a garden of weeds is to pull out the whole root.

Last week at church a friend gave a wonderful talk on motherhood that made me stop and think.  Motherhood is the hardest job and the rewards are not all immediate, though, that jelly kiss sure is sweet.

Now as I look back over my 38 years of mothering my own children I feel quite rewarded.  My house now is usually tidy (when I am not working on a home improvement project) or it cleans up easier and stays that way until I do something that messes it up.

I very seldom yell anymore except to find my husband who may be out in the back 40 somewhere.

After all of the preparations, dinner is now met with a smile and cleanup help rather than a judgement of "I don't like it" even before being tasted.

Being a full time mom is hard work.  Hard on the nerves, ears, back and brain.

Being a full time mom means no time off, no vacation from responsibility, no breaks.

I have discovered that it is easier to go to work and have someone else do the every day chores of wiping up messes and changing diapers all day long.

I raise my voice in praise and admiration for the women I know who have chosen to be full time moms.

I have 3 daughters and 3 daughters who married my sons who are all great mothers and wives.  They are women I admire.  They are women I am proud of.

They keep up their homes, nurture their children and support their husbands.  They stretch their single income to meet the needs of their young families.

A mother is the center of family and needs to be there to be sure things run smooth--plenty of clean socks, boo boos kissed and dinner on the table.

I am thankful for a good mother and my grandmothers who taught me about the important things in life--family love.

I hope I have taught my daughters well enough and can influence my granddaughters so they know that home and family is an honorable profession.