I spoke to my girlfriend who just had her fourth child and five years. I felt like I just needed to say, it’s going to be hard. If I could write a message to my young mothering self it would be that you will make it. The early years were so hard for me. You can grow where you are planted and THRIVE where you have landed. That does not mean it’s going to be easy, but like good seasons don’t last forever, neither do the seasons of struggle. The unexpected loneliness of mothering young children was shocking to my system. The unseen, never ending nature of crying-feeding-diapering-comforting was exhausting not just bone-deep but also to soul-deep.
I am in a moment of deep love for my growing children- and them for me. I feel the magic of these days where we desire to be with each other- huddled under the same blanket, sharing laughter or being still with a book in hand, scratching a back or playing cards around our dining table. I realized for the first time in my life since parenting three children that my most sacred moments of the day are in the presence of these people. My time with them isn’t depleting, it’s cup filling. Our family feels like a safe haven where we can all be comforted and recovered after accruing a day of battle wounds at school, at work or out in the world
They are a treasure I didn’t know if I would have. They are a holy moment I didn’t know was meant for me. I suspect these times won’t last forever and teenage hormones may be disruptive to this harmony, but that is not today. Today our family time is sacred. Today our presence is holy unto each other. I am living in the magic.
Practicing Yes 