Good morning! Happy Mothers Day. I'm a mom of four kids. I'm pretty excited because I get to the come to stage and look for my kids and wave!!!
Well last week, the speaker talked about "the cup of coffee before it gets cold". That is exactly the opposite of me trying to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee. First of all, as a mom, there is no sitting down; and second of all, there's no way that cup of coffee will stay hot! By the time I get to it, it's so cold enough to make ice coffee. Just add ice! But by the time, I'm done doing mom things each morning, that cup of ice coffee will be completely melted!! But why?
I think we are rushing are children here and there and doing too many activities, or maybe that's just me. I'm always saying, hurry up and eat your breakfast, hurry up and brush your teeth, hurry up and get your shoes on... Sometimes my youngest will say to me, I'm already putting my shoes on. If you tell me to hurry up, it doesn't make me put on my shoes on faster!! OK?! (mad face emoji) And then she moves slower and time seems to freeze and we move in slow motion, running to catch the bus. (Don’t worry, we’ve never missed the bus)
And the only thing keeping me from getting mad, and losing my cool, is that I've been mad before and regretted it, so it is better to engage my superpowers and stay CALM. I saw a mom with a motto on her Instagram page, "Calm is My Superpower" and I thought, wow she is my new Superhero.
But there is yet a better source of power. You all know what I’m going to say!! There’s a hymn I know, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” I’m not going to sing it for you. All the dishes, all the chores, all the messy toys, they’ll just disappear. Right? Not. But I know that it is important pray. Sometimes I forget to pray, but my sons pray every night, even when the night time routine is running late. The older one will say Thank You to God for every small thing or big thing that happens that day. The younger one will ask me to sing the Lord’s Prayer, either the classical Charlotte Church way or the Stephen Curtis Chapman tune. We’re in a hurry, but they always pray.
But that's just it, what's the big hurry. From my perspective, each day seems to repeat itself, over and over again - the wakeup, getting ready for school, work, going out for sports, coming back home, chores, falling asleep again, and doing the same thing again, everyday, just trying to be BETTER or FASTER each day. I think there's a movie about that. It's called the Edge of Tomorrow, by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. You should watch it, then you'll know what I mean, except that their movie is about fighting aliens and saving the world. Live, Die, Repeat. My movie would be like - Cold coffee, #MomLife, Sleep very late, Repeat...
Is that what motherhood is all about? Hopefully not. I only feel this way because the days are long, but the years are short.
My oldest just turned 12. She planned her own birthday party with her best friend! I just had to show up, at my own house, with pizza and fruits and vegetables and chips! 16 girls - they played foozball and piano; they made slime and squishy toys, dared each other to eat yucky jellybeans, and cartwheels on the grass. But I still remember it like yesterday, the day she was born, she was only this big (show: wrist to elbow length)... then her clothes kept shrinking and shrinking in the wash, and now she wears my clothes now, sometimes, because my clothes keep shrinking, and shrinking... I used to sing her lullabies. Now she can play them on the piano! They grow up so fast! lm driving her to all her hair appointments and parties, someday she'll be driving me!
But in all seriousness, there are times when my children want to talk to me, but I'm just too busy doing this and that to just slow down and listen. They want to show me this random piece of art or this worksheet from school that they're so proud of (but them I secretly throw them in to the paper recycling). Well I kept alot of them actually. My oldest used to give me lots of I love you notes and drawings everyday; the sons would draw robots and plants vs zombies too. But I have noticed, as they get older they draw less and less. My youngest baby is still little and she draws flowers, and princesses, and castles and houses and maps... But when she shows me things or tells me things, I know that I need to listen. I need to model good listening, if I want them to listen to me.
I have found a good quote that I can only aspire to achieve, to be the mom that God meant me to be.
Here's one that my friend Dori wrote, who's also a mom and professional artist - Children Need Love, Patience and Time. When guided by Love, it is easier to be Patient. When Patient it is easier to give your Time.
I'll say it again, because there might be some moments in a seemingly repetitive life, that you need to hear this again.
Children Need Love, Patience and Time. When guided by Love, it is easier to be Patient. When Patient it is easier to give your Time.
*If I had more time, I would’ve added this here*
Anyway when you start feeling that the days are too long, Moms use your Superpowers to stay calm; don't hurry so much because the years go by way too fast. May you always remember to pray, and that your children will pray for you too. Thank you.
*I’d like to include a few wise words my mom shared with me before I moved away from home, all the way from my hometown to Ontario. First of all, my mom loves plants, she has dozens of houses plants, some are even older than my sister. Second of all, she’s really good at transplanting them into bigger pots, that’s why she has so many of them! But that’s the secret, she told me that a plant has to be planted into a bigger pot to grow bigger. She told me that I wasn’t just moving away to do my masters or to start a new job, I was being transplanted into a bigger pot so I could keep growing. Sure, growing as in personal growth, or upwards in my career (or sideways too!) I miss my mom, because I only see her once a year, and she’s always travelling and going on trips with my dad. I want to talk sometimes, but they’re kinda too busy to listen… see!
