I don’t think we realize when we are young – the incredible power and purpose of motherhood. I know that even at 25 years of age, I had no clue. I have heard it said that a baby does not come with a manual.
We are often so focused on ourselves – our careers (or missed opportunities), our education (or lack there of), our financial situations or our relationships with ourselves, our husbands, partners, relatives and friends that we “check out” of the life of our child.
And, suddenly, our little baby has grown up. This little child that we thought life would raise and others would love too….is starring at us. This little child that we knew would grow up perfectly because they had everything any child could want (toys, house, money, grandparents, aunts, uncles) has become an adult. For the first time, we may see an emptiness within them. It’s a void that our career, our education, our financial situation and our relationships did not fill. It’s a void that our personal struggle with survival didn’t fill for them either.
It is an emptiness that could only have been filled by us. By their mother – or as we tenderly say – their mama. A mama that was focused on their growth, career, maturity, stability and joy. This void could only be filled by our mentoring, shaping, molding them into grounded and strong women and men. (Anybody can make a sandwich, clean up a room, drive to school and straighten up a house – but mama raises a soul.)
How do we start? You’ll start with the simple act of being present, watching and listening. You’ll start by showing up with unconditional love and by living your life the way you want them to live their life.
Are you insecure? Afraid? Angry? Inpatient? Are you stable? Grounded? Do you know who you are?
Our children see our physical appearance. Too often, they “see” our emotional appearance as well. What do they see in us spiritually?
Is it too late to make a difference? No! It’s never too late to start! (Just be sure you finish.) Simply stop and slow down. Be there. Completely. Ask God for help. He will lead you on this journey. You are not alone. It is written in the Word of the Lord “….He gently leads those who have young.” You’ll find this and so much more in Isaiah 40:11
I’ve decided to write a book. It’s for the mothers out there – who like me – just didn’t get it. Oh, I was home alright. I made 10,000 sandwiches, cleaned up buckets of dust, picked up thousands of toys and while I loved my daughter passionately, I struggled to personally survive.
Caught up trying to cope in a world without the manual, I was so immature and so insecure. My life had nothing to do with lack of love for my daughter. It was totally about the lack of love for myself. My life was about trying to find that love in all the wrong places. This book is being written to help and encourage others who may feel exactly the way I felt. I pray everyday and ask God to tell me what to say. To keep my purpose pure and for once put someone else before my own personal gain.
I pray that through the stories and by sharing my personal journey of finding peace and purpose, that one day, you will find your own.