My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

It’s a good thing I thoroughly enjoy Jim’s company, because I got a lot of it this past weekend!  We left the kids with his parents on Thursday afternoon (thank you, Bubba and Pappy!!), flew down to Florida late that night, picked up an R.V. Friday morning, and drove the thing all the way back up the coast, arriving home at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning.  We both missed the kids, but it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with each other without three sets of tiny hands needing our constant assistance!  Our only extended stop during the drive was to camp in Hilton Head, South Carolina on Friday night.  The R.V. park was lovely, right by the water, and we agreed we’d love to go back there when we can explore more of the island. 

I didn’t go into complete child-withdrawal during the trip, thanks to a wonderful visit with one of my dearest friends, Jayme.  We went to high school together in California, and she’s now living in Orlando with her husband and newborn son.  So while Jim picked up the R.V., I got to spend time with Jayme and her adorable Ian.  What a blessing that was!

Throughout the weekend, I was once again reminded of how amazing Jim is, and how thankful I am to be married to him.  How many men can drive from South Carolina to Connecticut non-stop with nary a grumble, and still arrive home in a cheerful mood?  There’s no one in the world I’d rather be on a long road trip with, that’s for sure.  And there’s no one in the world I’d rather be greeted by when we returned home than our little munchkins.  When I was tucking them into their beds for their naps today, Susie snuggled into her pillow and happily sighed, “I’m back where I belong.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself!     

Both Susie and Jimmy love their “minky” blankets more than anything else, and never sleep without them.  Those kids are my inveterate thumb suckers, too.  One of these days I’ll tackle that habit, but for right now, it makes for happy kids – and a happy mom!

My climber (Becky loves to scale park structures and see how high she can get):

My diggers (Susie and Jimmy are happiest when they’re in dirt or sand, digging to see how deep they can get):

My favorite place to take the kids – the park!

Motherhood is more than a collection of tasks (wipe this chin, make that bed, soothe those tears), more than a way to fill my days (get kids up, changed, dressed, fed, repeat), and so much more than an important role to play in a young life (teach this concept, mold that character).  It’s a gift I’ve been given.  My children are hand-picked for me, whether they are biologically related to me or not.  My children are perfectly placed in my life at just the right time and in just the right way, whether they are pre-term, full-term, healthy or disabled.  My children are entrusted to my care for as long as God sees fit, whether they are with me for hours, years or decades.     

This gift of motherhood is one I must unwrap moment-by-moment.  I can’t fully appreciate my newborn while he’s screaming for a midnight feed, nor can I fully appreciate my preschooler while she’s throwing her third tantrum before breakfast.  It takes being present every day and noticing the little steps, the growth on a minute scale.   With each day, I can peel off a little more wrapping and get to see a larger glimpse of the developing personality beneath.  Sometimes I wish I could rip the whole package open and know what’s in store, both to steel myself for the inevitable trials but also to encourage myself with a view of the God-designed finished product.  But God doesn’t operate that way.  Sometimes He gives me a sneak peek, like when I see my girls tenderly and voluntarily sharing with each other, and I breathe a little easier knowing that toddler-esque selfishness doesn’t last forever.  Sometimes the gift feels heavier than I am capable of lifting, like when my children are sick, or when their disobedience tries my patience again and again.  And sometimes the gift feels so brief, as if the unwrapping is going far too quickly.  I look at the difference between my children today and my children a year ago, and it takes my breath away.  How much more will they mature in the next year?  What will the girls’ drawings look like?  How much taller and stronger will my son be?  What will my baby be doing? 

This gift of motherhood changes me, changes the way I look at my own mother.  I constantly ask myself, how did she do it?  How did she get dinner on the table every night?  How did she answer our questions for the umpteenth time?  How did she know just the right lullaby to sing at night?  How did she manage to always make us feel secure, appreciated, valued, even when she was tired or we were cranky?  How did she know that we loved her, even when we didn’t show it?  How did she know the perfect words to say at the perfect time?  How did she know we needed that extra hug or two or three?

This gift of motherhood is undeserved, and I am humbled by God’s grace in bestowing it upon me.  So I thank Him for His kind mercy.  I thank my mom for her endless care.  I thank my children for their sweet trust.  And I thank my husband for his constant support.  I am so grateful for this gift.      

Becky’s hair is finally getting long enough to respond to this Northeastern humidity.  Look at those weather-induced curls!