Guest Mama Blogger 2018 Day 5
CHALIE of GOLDNGRASSES
Today is our last guest blogger before I let you guys off to enjoy your mothers day weekend, and we are ending it on a sweet poetic note. Motherhood is challenging but it is different for everyone, everyone walks their own path, lives their own stories. Chalie is a sweet mama of 3 kids, an extremely talented artist, in many mediums – including writing. I hope you enjoy her post, Happy Mothers Day,
we are in this together.
A Risen Mother
Barefoot, milk stained, ruffled Mother. She looks in the mirror, defeat creased in her brow and sorrow weighing heavily on her heart. She’s been to war today. With herself, her kids and perhaps her husband as well. She can’t remember, she has been to busy.
It’s easy to put ourselves in this story. Why? Because we have all been there. But I’m here to tell you today that tomorrow can be different, and so can the next day and the day after that.
This last week was filled with harsh criticism of myself as I witnessed the softness of my mothering fade away. Anxiety, anger and selfishness took hold, and patience was nowhere to be found. Further and further I let myself unravel, and as bedtime finally came, I quickly tucked in my children and told myself tomorrow will be better. But why did I have to wait until tomorrow? What was causing this delay in my response to seek forgiveness from my children and reset my attitude immediately?
Pride with a side of pity. Many times it’s not until you near the end of the day, that you come to the realization that these selfish motivations not only furthered the chaos, but hindered forgiveness and healing. And when you’re having a challenging day it can be so convenient and easy to slip into this routine. But for the times that you are fully aware of the current state of your mind, I encourage you to take a full stop. A full breathe. And reset. So how do you do that?
One way that I turn around a day that’s got away from me is to become fully present in an activity with my children. Redirecting harsh attitudes to an activity that you can enjoy together, not only gives them some love that they are probably desperately craving, but some of the most beautiful moments have happened during this time.
Lately, our go to activity has been reading a novel. Yes, I’m reading a novel to my children, all under the age of five! Did they at first protest and question the lack of pictures? Yes, they did, but they soon realized their imagination could easily take the illustrations place. And as we further got lost in this world together, our energies became revived and or focus tuned into listening.
Today, I’m telling you it’s not to late. Your soft mothering ways are still there, and your beautiful children thank you for all your time and energy you put into their care. Don’t wait until your tucking them in to reset. Take a full stop. Take a breath, and give yourselves both the gift of forgiveness. Find a solution that works for you and your family to rise above the chaos. I’m sure you will find a creative way to show how much you love and appreciate one another…
Barefoot, milk stained, ruffled Mother. She looks in the mirror; defeat fading from her creased brows and a sense of confidence gentle lifts her heart and head. She’s been to war today, but she is deciding to reset… She is a Risen Mother. She is you.
