YOUR MAMA HEART

Today I spoke at my last MOPS (Mother’s of Preschoolers) meeting of the year. It has been such a ball exploring the outskirts of Dallas, finding these tiny and sometimes big churches in new places and meeting moms.

I remember last September when I scheduled five speaking engagements in two weeks time…and I couldn’t figure out how I had let that happen….although the hardest part was getting myself showered and dressed and make up on and making lunches and getting kiddos to school…it was so worth the somewhat craziness of getting to the meetings. Today, as I stepped into my last one for this semester…I sat at a table of fellow moms before I got up to speak. Just like me, I am sure they juggled and shuffled and threw on clothes in a hurry while at the same time getting their little ones ready for the day. I’m sure just like me, they had a somewhat chaotic morning getting themselves together for a hopefully sanctuary-esque two hours at MOPS with girl friends to chat with, yummy breakfast to savor, and a little nourishment for their mommy-hood journey.

Before I got up to speak, the MOPS coordinator introduced one of the mentor moms who would pass on some wisdom to us mamas who were still very much in the trenches of motherhood. This quiet-nature, beautiful lady stepped up to the microphone timidly. She admitted how speaking in front of a group was NOT her passion and that she was VERY nervous. Oh how I relate to those butterflies! I get them every time I step foot on any stage, whether it’s MOPS or dancing the Nutcracker! As she shared her story about raising her two sons…she shared that she lost one son  when he was a sophomore in high school. And these words that she spoke with tenderness and rawness, spoke to my soul…

“Be with your children.”

Plain and simple. Short and sweet. Just be with them. She didn’t pass on all of her parenting advice, her discipline advice, or even potty training advice, or dealing with the teenage years advice…it was just four simple words that spoke to this mama heart…be with your children.

And as I soaked in her wisdom, its delicate message stopped me in my busy tracks. And I thought….maybe parenting comes down to this simple message …just be with your children.

And as I’ve let that message soak in today…it struck me…my Savior looks down…and invites me to just be with Him…and in the being with Him….it helps me to really BE with them.

My priorities came to surface as I listened…and it occurred to me that BEING WITH my loved ones is more important than anything.

And as she finished up, the next introduction was for Sarah Beth Marr….oh wow! I had totally forgotten that I was the speaker for the morning…I wiped my tears, hoping I didn’t have mascara running down my cheeks…and my heart hoped my little boy was doing okay in the childcare that morning…and I couldn’t wait to hold his hand afterward….and I hope I brought those mamas some fuel for their weary mama hearts…

My oldest son still asks me to tuck him in bed at night and my middle one still gets out of bed after I’ve put him in his bed…just for one last hug…and the little one….comes and gets me after I’ve put him to bed…sometimes a half hour later….and asks if I’ll cover him up with his blanket. My mind and body are sometimes so ready for some “me time” and I’m pretty much ready to clock out of my mom role for the day…but today it hit me…I will gladly tuck them in, hug them again, and cover them up..for as long as they will let me.

I mess up in mommy-hood a lot…and in marriage…and in the whole raising a family thing…and I’ve had my ups and my downs and my good moments and my hard moments…but as year number nine of mommy-hood continues and as year number twelve of marriage rolls on…of all the things I want to do well…I mostly want this…

to really and truly BE with my kiddos and my hubby…all there, with them, cheering them through life…and on top of that…

I want to stay in the BEING by BEING with my Savior as much as I can…letting go of busy, of over-scheduled, of cluttered, of distraction…to get to the work of living out this very incredible and special role….

MAMA.

Thinking of YOUR mama heart today. Keep drawing close to your Savior…who will give you the strength you need when you feel like you are barely getting by. Just as He wants to BE with you, I hope your heart soaks in this…you can let go of striving, you can let go of perfect parenting, you can let go the perfect house, you can let go of expectations you put on yourself…and just focus on two things…

BEING WITH YOUR LOVED ONES.

and…

BEING WITH YOUR SAVIOR.

And if that’s all you get done today…it’s enough…in fact…it’s the best two things you can do today.