Gripe to Gratitude
Caroline tagged me! The tag says I need to tell something I gripe about and then say why I'm grateful for it...
Embarrassingly enough, I have many gripes. I need to be better about this. I do have so much to be grateful for. Probably my biggest gripe though, is wondering if I will ever experience a day without chaos.
I constantly struggle with keeping up with the messes and the little paths of destruction left behind by my children. Whether it be crayon on the walls, pen all over our Italian leather couches, lollypops on the carpet, or this past week's favorite: vegetable oil, olive oil, carpet cleaner chemicals, and an aerosal over heat from the oven/stove/toaster, there seems to always be endless messes to clean.
But the truth of the matter is, I am grateful to be a mother. Many of my dearest friends have struggled to get pregnant and in turn, have adopted, and some have not been able to do even that. Others have lost many babies to miscarriages. Still, others have lost children to tragic accidents, unexplained events, and illnesses. I have many friends whose children have spent months at a time in the hospital and current friends whose children suffer from really difficult, trying, chronic diseases.
My kids are healthy. My kids run and laugh and play. They climb into bed with me each morning and give me hugs and kisses. We read books and tickle each other. I make them breakfast and then bathe them and read to them some more. We sing songs. They are smart. Matthew knows the first five Articles of Faith by memory. He can read letters and numbers and is beginning to write. They are so much work all the day long and into the night, but . . . they bring so much JOY.
They can turn my day around with an "I wove you, Mom. You're my best friend." or a sweet kiss and hug. They make me laugh and teach me about forgiveness, innocence, love, acceptance, and patience. I'm so blessed to be a mother, and I'm very grateful for my opportunity. Heavenly Father has blessed Ryan and I more than we ever imagined possible.
1 comment:
Hey Keri! It's been a while, I know. I of course could commiserate with you on this last post--my kids are now off track until Jan 5 and there is not one shred of hope in my heart that my house will be completely clean for even one day of their break. And I don't need to remind you about my little tornado Tommy. Just the other day I went through the whole house touching up paint so I could begin decorating for Christmas, and one day later I found him coloring all over the wall (in a spot he had colored before) and he had also cut his hair. It is just what happens. So lets continue to laugh instead of crying.
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