Fall Enrichment- Journal Entry
( I am so grateful for journaling! If I hadn't done this a couple weeks ago, I would have completely forgotten about this great night and just continued on in my "martha" (aka BUSY) life)
October 17, 2008
"An Inspiring Event"
I was so lucky last night! We had our fall enrichment which turned out so lovely and Jenet Jacob, our guest speaker, was just amazing. The topic was "finding meaning in the mundane". Yes, this motherhood/womanhood roll that I live. A few points that really stuck out to me-
1. Being a mom is a SHORT speckle of time compared to the premortal, mortal and eternal time I have to be creative, talented and work on my hobbies (for example- sewing, cooking, excercising, callings, scrapbooking, blogging..blah..etc.). My children will be here for 18 years each and thats all I will have to really teach, love, nourish, play and all that is longed for in being a mother. I need to put all of those other cares aside and really "focus" on this glimpse I call being a mom. Each day might be forever long but shortly I will look back and just wish, wish all that time didn't sneak away so quickly.
Story: Jenet's sister has 6 children. Picture this. Get the older ones up to the breakfast table and rush the others to the bathtub. Loud screams errupt from the kitchen so mom runs to find spilled milk everywhere, she rushes to grab towels and hears bloody screaming from the bathroom...oh, not to mention, she is 9 months prego-ready to POP...she heads back to the bathroom realizing that the LITTLE ones were left in the bath. Right then, a sweet toddler comes toddling towards her with poop coming from the mouth. She races the child back to the bathtub and come to find out the other is smearing the stuff all over the bathtub...PLUS...more milk spills. She raises her arms in the air and shouts, "I have a Masters Degree!"
We all had a great laugh. I plan on 6 children myself (I think) and oh, that scares me a little!
2. Being on the same level as a family. When we work together-dishes, cleaning, yard work, laundry, etc. the levels of hierarchy disappear. Walls come down and the simple mundane tasks are so easy to accomplish because they take little to no brain power. That is prime opportunity to really open up and communicate with one another.
Story: Jake wants a sleepover with Lily, both age 7. At the dinner table he announces his plans and is quickly turned down by his parents, "We don't do that in our family." His feelings were instantly hurt and he didn't talk much after that. It wasn't until his mother saw a great opportunity that she pulled up a chair along side her at the sink and invited him to help her do the dishes. His one on one time with his mom let him find the confidence to ask her why. It was a perfect time for this mom to teach with love and compassion as they found themselves on the same level serving one another!
3. Being a mom is so special! Picture strings attached between a mother and child's hearts and as I care for and love, nourish, teach, etc. the strength that those bands (bonds) will have. I need to focus on really letting Andie (and the rest) "know who there mommy is". My strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, actions...they want nothing more than to know their mom. (and DADs, they are not off the hook!) The bedtime stories they will want to hear will be about my childhood-now if I could only remember! I am so grateful!
What an inspiring night. I am glad I could hear her again. I had the priveledge last spring to hear her speak at our stake RS enrichment and was the only one from my ward in her class. I knew that others would love to hear her so I invited her to speak at this fall enrichment. I posted this just hoping that there were more out there that this could touch. Finding the real meaning of the craziness that we all take part in each day. My comment about being a "Martha" earlier was in regards to the story of Mary and Martha in Luke. Just a note on that. Mary knelt at Christ's feet and Martha was so busy hurrying about with her daily woes that even in her mundane she found frustration with Mary's "lack of" and complained to Christ. All he could say was "Martha, Martha". What Martha was doing was okay, as she had a lot on her plate, but what Mary was doing was not necessarily the better part but hath chosen the "good part". Priorities are so important in our lives. If we will just always make the "good part" be a top priority, things will all take their right places and we will find order and peace in our lives. Especially this season, I hope that as we take on the craziness we will first remember who has made this all possible and put him first on our daily tasks (whether it be studying, praying, serving), then our children to be taken care of and they will be if we keep it all in line.
I know what I do each day has meaning, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
