Tuesday 22 October 2013

To all the Mamas




Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.
Stevie Wonder





Hi Mommas.
 I've been thinking about all you mommas out there with young ones a lot lately. Wee little balls of juicy, kissable flesh, and belly laughs that make you want to weep, and sweet, soft sounds as they lay in your arms and look into your eyes with nothing but trust..........
ANNNNND the ability to remain awake into the night hours that make you so weary and bleary-eyed that you think your head could actually explode from fatigue, or the teething symptoms that transform your loveable cherub into a mini gargoyle, or the last roll of toilet paper shoved expertly into the toilet bowl as they happily lick their fingers with the left-over toilet water.

  Mmmmhmmmm; it's a really... Hard.... Job. Let's add the perpetual guilt that we seem to battle with as mothers: Am I raising them right? Will they remember how much I loved them; and not how often I yelled at them? Am I doing OK? Why haven't I lost all my baby weight yet? Am I the only one who needs a break sometimes from these kids?
 My WORD!!! There is a LOT of pressure to preform people!    

I just want you to know that you are doing awesome. I don't care if you have stretch marks, 20 more pounds to go to feel more human, haven't brushed your teeth yet today, or cleaned your toilets in a few weeks. I think you are AH -MAY- ZING. I love watching you hold your babies and gaze at them with love, or when you post a bazillion pictures of them on Facebook because they are SO CUTE(Hello, my name is Jenn, and yes, I am a baby vulture). It makes me so proud to see you trying the best you can with what you've got, and even then some. You are so beautiful right now. You inspire me, and make me proud to be a woman.

It's OK to cry sometimes and admit your weaknesses. I get that; with my first, I had post-partum depression so bad and cried so much and so often, I was dehydrated for a year.
It's also OK to make mistakes; I should know; I actually tossed my new, beautiful, soft, pink daughter, down a whole flight of stairs by accident at a week old. Oh, yes, I did. Ohhh yes.... I did.
You can give yourself grace in this season of life. I realized this after discovering ALL my gorgeous, luscious house-plants were crispy dead after three months into motherhood because I literally could not, COULD...NOT handle nurturing more than one living thing at a time, and I was pretty sure I wanted to keep my newborn alive and me sort of sane.



The greatest revelation God gave me during the early years of mothering was during a, why-do-I-even-go-to-church-if-I'm-just-going-to-chase-my-kid-around-the-whole-time, session. I was feeling that panicky and frustrated feeling like, I was OUTSIDE of the congregation, OUTSIDE of whatever supernatural amazingness was happening, and that I was going to miss it, and fail as a Christian. Or even worse, miss what God had for me. It was then, that I felt the Lord lovingly say that His arms could reach a lot farther than any congregation and any supernatural happening. That He could find me in my home, while I was rocking my baby to sleep, and impart the very same anointing and presence on me that he was to all the others folks seated peacefully in the sanctuary. That He, was gentle with those with young and lovingly visits us where we are at. You may be outside your norm; outside of your comfort zone, and may even be grieving the loss of your old life, but you are NEVER, EVER outside the embrace of God's arms.



Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young
.


I'm really REALLY proud of you and I'm cheering you on. Go Mommas Go!!!!
Love,
Jenn