Choosing JOY...A Mom Like You

Hello friends!

There's been a lot of talk lately about laundry piles, and I remembered this poem I wrote back when Hailey Joy was a baby. I had 2 young girls at the time and postpartum knocked me down. Your body, mind, and spirit take a toll going through pregnancy, labor, delivery, and then caring for your young children, and it's okay to need time to heal. I brought this poem back out because I thought maybe another mom needs to read this. To encourage you, mamas. Deep breaths, reach out, and up. You matter. You are valued. You are loved. The well of JOY runs deep. You have to dip deeper to find your gifts in the darkness, but I promise you it is SO worth the effort. There is HOPE!

 Hannah at age 2 and Hailey at around 6 months 

Pumpkin Picking Time, Fall 2010 around the time I wrote the following poem:

A Mom Like You

From one very active toddler

Hugs and kisses, mommy's girl

To a newborn, oh so tiny

Welcome to my crazy world.

Should I put on my smile

To show I'm okay?

Go through the motions

In the busy, hectic days?

There's crayon marks

On my kitchen floor

Sticky fingerprints to be

Wiped off the doors.

Piles of laundry on the sofa

Dirty dishes in the sink

Put a smile on in the pictures

Show them what they want, I think...

Or...Maybe I'm a mom like you

Who wants the best for my kids, too

A comforting smile to see me thru

the tough times 'till the sun shines through

 Now back to work

I'm barely hanging on

I gasp for breath

And find it nearly gone.

Reaching up my hands

 I find my God there

 I ask Him to hear and

Answer my tear-filled prayers.

Because maybe I'm a mom like you

Who wants the best for her kids, too.

A comforting smile to see me thru

The tough times 'till the sun shines through.

There's a new kind of normal

In my life these days

 Filled with sorrow and sweetness

 Each one coming in waves.

Being careful to savor

Each moment in time

With these little loves

Now entrusted to mine.

I do believe I am a mom like you;

Learning to hold on, AND letting go, too...

 Sincerely, Rebecca

Fall 2010

My life now: 4 kiddos ranging from ages 11-3. My sweeties, my hope for the future. Carry on, mamas! There is wonderful hope in this perfectly imperfect life!