“The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right.
Next to faith this is the highest art –
to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.”
– Martin Luther
The wind ruffled the lace curtains that covered a somewhat dusty window… I walked my little ones upstairs for their afternoon rests after a long day in the sun so far. Summer days are delightful,warm, wonderful and full of memories, but they are tiring on little bodies who need more rest than older children …
Armed with a washcloth, I wiped off the remnants of a cookie and sandbox play on the little ones faces and tiny hands and promised them they would see their daddy when they woke up after their naps … tired and happy from play, it was not long before the boys were sleeping; the little girl simply played quietly with some tiny toys on her bed, enjoying the break from the noise of large family living. With three little ones resting, I proceeded to make my way downstairs to finish canning another batch of rhubarb ketchup.
Just a regular day. Eight children around me, dirt between toes, laundry folded and being put away … dinner in the crockpot and a canning project on the outdoor kitchen stove …
Nearly done, I thought, as I ladled the last of the sauce into some jars. A new and dear friend at church had given me two large batches of rhubarb and for this, I was extremely grateful. Among other treats, it makes a wonderful ketchup and will fill a pantry shelf quite nicely. I have already given away quite a few jars as presents to neighbours and friends.
A fresh batch of homemade bread was cooling on the table … quiet music played in the background as I wiped up the last of the canning mess and placed the jars into their water bath.
These days at home – working on projects at home, gardening, weeding, watering the vegetable garden, baking and preparing meals … it may seem monotonous to others, but it is truly something I enjoy. Perhaps I have trained myself to enjoy it. Sure, other adventures might seem tempting and alluring, but keeping my eyes homeward bound is my focus.
I enjoy being at home, I enjoy keeping a home, I enjoy being with my children and I enjoy being a mother and a wife. I feel very blessed to have this calling in my life. Seeing my older girls grow so quickly makes me realize motherhood years are so short and full – I don’t want to waste any of my days blinded in thinking this ‘motherhood journey’ is too much work or too much stress … this calling of motherhood is wonderful and amazing, tiring and so rich.
The afternoon passed quickly. When my little ones woke up, Lavender helped me plant some more rose bushes around the porch – flowers for mommy, she said, as her little shovel tried to help me dig some holes.
“This one is my favorite,” she said, her little girl voice warming up my heart. Of course, we planted lavender in between the rose bushes … for her … we shall see how well they all grow together … in time …
As I watched my five year old freckled girl study the rose bushes, I caught myself wondering how motherhood can be considered boring to some people? If your day is not going well, stop and pray and start again. But you are in charge of your day – mostly – and you can find ways to enjoy it. The girls have been helping me plants all sorts of flowers around the home … blue lupines (which will not bloom until next year, but we are still hopeful for things to come!), deep pink foxgloves, sweet-smelling roses, lavender bushes, cheerful Morning Glory, richly-scented lilac shrubs, stunning Rose of Sharon plants and of course, the ever happy and delightful sunflowers.
The fields around us also bring flowers our way – for free … we love collecting flowers from the roadside …
Perhaps to some, staying at home, working on household chores would seem dull and un-eventful, perhaps not even challenging … but all in a day’s work, we baked bread and three meals from scratch, cooked up the big batch of rhubarb preserves and canned it for the winter months, found and buried a dead bat (much to the children’s horror and tiny delight), collected wildflowers, planted flowers for our perennial gardens, washed, dried and folded loads of laundry, spread some loads of mulch, weeded the vegetable garden and still managed to have free time for reading and play in the afternoon …
A normal day around here truly is a gift.
by Gigi
4 comments