blessed messes

 By Mary

"You will never have this day with your children again, tomorrow they’ll be a little older than they were today.  This day is a gift, breathe and notice, smell and touch them; study their faces and little feet and pay attention.  Relish the charms of the present.  Enjoy today, mama.  It will be over before you know it” – Jen Hatmaker

The first time I came across this quote, it was linked to another mommy's thoughts on it. She focused on the pressure of the sentiment, guilt she feels at reading something like that when it's just been one of those days and moments haven't seemed so easy to cherish--and really, do we have to make ourselves relish the exhausting, dirty, irritating parts of motherhood?

I can understand her point, but when I read that quote, it speaks so differently to me, about parenthood and life in general. I don't think giving thanks in all things means calling everything good and enjoyable. I think it's important to learn to discern God's goodness and the things that reflect Him and recognize the things in the world that are part of brokenness and sin.

I pulled out our fall decorations this week and in our little tub of seasonal decor there's just a few little things that were all Nick's idea, not mutually agreed upon items...and some of them are actually a little ugly to me. But I smiled when I saw them in that plastic tub and I put them up over the house anyway and somehow they're beautiful because they're part of us and our life.

And it's the same thing with parenting: I don't have to actually like washing diarrhea out of sheets or dealing with a tantrum out in public in order to cherish even those moments. It's all part of such a blessed life. How can I be anything but thankful?