Today is the last day for the Thanks to Motherhood series, and I have to thank all of my guest posters. It has been an honor to host your words! Thanks to those whose posts were published and those whose weren’t. Thanks also to those who wrote and never submitted. (I wish you would have!)
Thanks to motherhood…and thanks to my own mom, my guest bloggers, my friends, my readers, my family…
These Walls
If these walls could talk, what would they say? About me? About my mothering? About my family? Our life?
I’m fairly certain these walls wouldn’t concern themselves with the petty stuff. No, these walls would know better.
My walls wouldn’t care whether my son sleeps with his pacifier until he is 12 months or four years old. Instead, they’d tell of bedtime stories and sing-alongs. Prayers and snuggles.
They wouldn’t report whether mama nurses her baby or gives him a bottle. Instead, they’d speak of the quiet, middle-of-the-night bonding between mother and infant.
They wouldn’t judge the decision to have the baby sleep in her own bed from the start or in the same room as her mama.
Or ponder whether the food on the table is organic or processed or even from the nearby drive-thru with golden arches (…ahem). Instead…they’d tell dinnertime tales of babies learning to say prayers and discovering corn-on-the-cob.
I think they’d skip the cloth or disposable diaper debate in order to tell the story of a baby who, upon being freed from the diaper, runs naked and carefree from room to room in giggles and squeals of delight.
And whether I homeschool these kiddos or send them to private school? Or public school? No, instead they’d tell stories of a mama teaching her children every single time the opportunity presents itself.
And when I lose my temper or jump to conclusions or choose lazy over love? These walls would tell of a mom and wife who apologizes and the family who readily forgives.
These walls of mine? They wouldn’t judge the decisions – our decisions – that, in the end, have no impact on the amount of love within these cramped walls.
I’d like to think these walls of ours would have an eternal perspective – not one based on the latest research or trend. And they’d see the whole picture – not just what we present to the outside world.
The point? No two families are the same, and there is no “right way” to do this thing.
When loving others is our primary goal, the only bad decision is the one made to impress those outside of these walls.
As a wise friend recently said, what happens within the walls of our own homes should be our focus. When that’s the case, your unique version of motherhood can truly honor the One who created the job in the first place.
So, love unconditionally, find something to be thankful for every day, ask for forgiveness when you blow it, and seek answers from your Creator not Google. Unless your friend’s two-year-old eats his brother’s poop and she asks you to Google the situation. In that case, definitely ask Google what to do next.
(What? Lorretta told us not to skip the poopy talk. And it happened, people. It happened. You’re jealous of my friends, aren’t you?)
Anyway…
Trust your mama-instincts, but openly seek advice from trusted friends when you need it. And at the end of this journey through motherhood, may your walls sing of the love that inhabited your home.
Because without love, it’s all for nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you – those celebrating with your children and those celebrating with your mom and those wishing you could celebrate with your children and mom.
And happy Mother’s Day to my own mom, who passed on a love of reading and writing, continues to love me unconditionally, and sacrifices for me without hesitation.
I love you, Mom.
So, tell me…how are you celebrating today? What did you think of the series? Would you like more guest series in the future?
