Two Sides of a Blessing...

I remember the very moment each of my babies was first placed in my arms, and the way I felt my heart would burst, I loved them so much. With every part of my being I was humbled and in awe that each precious bundle was gifted to me specifically, a loan from God Himself, to fulfill His chosen purpose in each of our lives. Wow! What a joy and what an awesome responsibility. I knew in that moment, I was changed forever, and being a mother would be one of the greatest privileges ever given me. Only minutes later, however, as my physical fatigue began to set in, I became all too aware of how limited my human capacity was and that I would desperately need help from outside of myself to care for these needy little beings.

In my experience, NOTHING will expose your weaknesses and shortcomings quite like your children. It seems we have an innate ability to love our babies when they are born and we feel it when we are holding them, comforting them, watching them sleep, enjoying their cuteness, or indulging in moments of pride. This is the part of parenting we like to share with the people we talk to or write about on facebook. The truth is, parenting is alot of work and so much of what is required is not fun at all. Just like in marriage after the honeymoon, you soon realize that love is a decision and more about the many choices you make in spite of how you actually feel.

I have three toddlers, a four year old and two year old twins. Yes, they are cute. They bring me much joy and laughter, and fill my heart with pride. They are also very selfish, loud, and destructive and more times than I'd like to admit, I have found myself crying, running to my Mommy for comfort. Thankfully, each day has no more than 24 hours. Some days my girls aren't asleep for as many of those hours as I'd like but there comes a time every night when I see them sleeping and the details of the day are no longer important and I long to hold them. I am reminded once again of how blessed I am and know that after a good nights sleep and a few cups of coffee in the morning, I will be ready to embrace a new day, challenges and all.