This is Motherhood

Just moments ago my home was filled with my mama, my grandmother, my aunt, and my sister, as well as the usual suspects that normally live in my home. And as my grandma was about to walk out the door, she just turned to Peter and I and said, "You two are the ones we really should be celebrating today, you especially Malia. You're in the thick of it. You're living it daily. All of it. And you're both working full time. And you're doing a great job."

And I just looked at her with awe as her words went straight to the depths of my soul. And I just replied, "It's really hard, but it really is so good."

This is motherhood, so hard yet so good.

Lately, I've just been in awe at the women that have gone before me and the women who are walking beside me in this motherhood journey.

It is such an honor to walk amongst you.

And it's so true, one of the most wonderful things about motherhood is the other mothers. Those other mothers keep me sane. They just get me. And I'm so very thankful for them, for that instant connection, for their ability to look into my eyes and see my weary soul, for those who can just sit with me in the chaos or in the silence and be content, for those who extend so much grace and flexibility, for those who just get why I might be late, or what it's like to get 2 kids plus myself dressed for the day or in and out of the car, for what a fete it is to just show up anywhere, for those who get that motherhood is so hard, yet so very good.

And I'm left in awe at the fact that I've been a mom for four years now, and I can't help but reflect on just how much God has used these little people to refine me in ways I never could have dreamed. I am truly a different person today because of them, and it's all incredibly humbling.

No other job has pushed me to the brink of my being. No other job has left me so incredibly weary and yet filled my soul so completely. No other job has forced me to cry out to the Lord more than this one nor brought me to my knees more frequently. No other job has forced me to look in the mirror daily or examine my own actions or my own tone or my own selfishness more than this one. No other job has required so much grace and so many apologies, yet no other job has brought me so much joy.

And I'm just so thankful.

And in all the mess, the chaos, the tears, the laughter, the joy, the transformation, the lessons, I just think this is motherhood. This is what it's all about. So hard, yet so good.

And may I count it all joy as I know this is a hard day for some, whether you find yourself missing your mama today or yearning to be one. Know that I see you, and I sit with you in that grief. May you find peace and comfort in the Lord and may you never forget that His story is so much greater than ours!

And may we count it all joy, every trial and tribulation, every lesson learned, every mistake made, every tear shed. May we see His goodness and His grace amidst it all.

(You can read my other Mother's Day posts here, here and here. I love rereading them as the years go by!)