See the Delights of the Day
Two nights and three days were spent at my daughter's home watching my three young grandchildren. My little guy was along for the ride as well. So there were four of them, 8, 4, 3, and almost 2.
Suddenly I remembered the beautiful simplicity of caring for a young family. The day's activities are self-prescribed. Routine offers the delight of constancy, the comfort of the familiar. A story brings a smile, a cookie is pure joy. Your whole world is contained within four walls. Manageable. Simple. Lovely.
I remembered, too, the tedium - the day in and day outness of it all and the feeling that it will never end. The knowledge that what I do now will only need to be done again within a certain cycle can be mind-boggling, leaving one almost paralyzed with discouragement. The demand never quite ceases until they all fall asleep with heads on pillows, snuggled beneath the blankets. Even then, it is not for sure. You are still on call. And tomorrow it all starts again. Challenging. Tiring. Overwhelming.
What a flood of memories - the hard times and the good. As I laid my own head on my pillow and snuggled beneath the blankets, I smiled. I loved this. I cherished afresh the days I once had when my children were all young, and I cherished the opportunity to be with these special little people as well.
Let me say to you right now - the season is short. Truly short. I say this with absolute surety. So don't waste the days longing for something else. Give yourself wholeheartedly to this, knowing that memories are being made and little personalities are being forged. One day, much sooner than you think, you will find they don't need you quite so much. Their lives will have enlarged, they will stretch their wings and try new things. This, too, is good, but different. A season has passed away.
So if you are in that place where little children play while footsteps run down the hallway, smiles are won by a simple hug or cookie, Johnny still wants a naptime story, and your lap is filled by someone needing comfort, take heart. Yours is a precious job, a timely calling. Look up and see the good work before you. Don't miss the delights of the season you are in. They are wonderful.
Suddenly I remembered the beautiful simplicity of caring for a young family. The day's activities are self-prescribed. Routine offers the delight of constancy, the comfort of the familiar. A story brings a smile, a cookie is pure joy. Your whole world is contained within four walls. Manageable. Simple. Lovely.
I remembered, too, the tedium - the day in and day outness of it all and the feeling that it will never end. The knowledge that what I do now will only need to be done again within a certain cycle can be mind-boggling, leaving one almost paralyzed with discouragement. The demand never quite ceases until they all fall asleep with heads on pillows, snuggled beneath the blankets. Even then, it is not for sure. You are still on call. And tomorrow it all starts again. Challenging. Tiring. Overwhelming.
What a flood of memories - the hard times and the good. As I laid my own head on my pillow and snuggled beneath the blankets, I smiled. I loved this. I cherished afresh the days I once had when my children were all young, and I cherished the opportunity to be with these special little people as well.
Let me say to you right now - the season is short. Truly short. I say this with absolute surety. So don't waste the days longing for something else. Give yourself wholeheartedly to this, knowing that memories are being made and little personalities are being forged. One day, much sooner than you think, you will find they don't need you quite so much. Their lives will have enlarged, they will stretch their wings and try new things. This, too, is good, but different. A season has passed away.
So if you are in that place where little children play while footsteps run down the hallway, smiles are won by a simple hug or cookie, Johnny still wants a naptime story, and your lap is filled by someone needing comfort, take heart. Yours is a precious job, a timely calling. Look up and see the good work before you. Don't miss the delights of the season you are in. They are wonderful.
posted by Darlene Sinclair at
6:42 PM
8 Comments:
You are right. The season is short. Enjoy everything about it and breathe it all in. Now, as I relive the time of bringing up my children through my grandchildren, I feel truly blessed. These small, innocent little grandbabies love you unconditionally and the joy, oh the joy. It's absolutely heavenly. Kisses, hugs, big bright eyes that gaze into yours with so much love, it's absolutely so fulfilling. I love my season right now being a Nana.
Much Love,
Nancy C.
Thank you.
"the fast" Each year the elders ask us to set aside three weeks in the beginning of the year for fasting and prayer. We will have prayer and worship on Tuesdays and Thursdays together. This year it begins on Monday and ends on the 27th. It is a stretch for me to fast. I do, however, cherish the prayer time. And it is good to refocus on the King.
Your post is soooo true!!!
So true.. a good reminder.. thank you.
I was realizing how I'm settling much more comfortably in my role as a mom as I was happily cuddling and nursing my newborn for the 5th hour in a row yesterday(she tends to wake to nurse every hour for a 5-6 hour stretch each day). I remembered how frustrated I felt with my first baby with moments like this... that I was doing something wrong, or that it wasn't enjoyable.... now I'm aware of how quickly this phase passes and that babies don't work like clocks ;-) and I find such peace and happiness in just meeting those little needs.
wise words from a lady who has trod that long path!
so, when will you put all these gems together in a book?
I can help, you know!
So then, why do we sometimes buy into the idea that what we do is not an important or precious job, like you wrote?
It can be a horrible, crippling thought that creeps in even when you "know" the truth.
What an awesome reminder! Thanks for the inspiration!:-)
now present in your city
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